Passo Predaia and the Mendel Pass

Behind Mezzocorona there is a section of cycle path that has multiple barriers. There is no car traffic. The surface is also quite acceptable for racing bikes. In the Nonnstal you can cycle comfortably on the good cycle path to the entrance to the Passo Predaia. The ascent to the Predaia is tough and gets harder the higher you go. A piece is signposted with 13%, recovery phases are rare. In the Nonnstal it is more or less always uphill to Fondo, from time to time on a good bike path. Unfamiliar with the area, we made a mistake once in the direction; you have to cross the bridge to the other side of the street. There is also a new bike path up to the Mendola Pass; but this is a matter of taste. While the road climbs steadily, the bike path resembles a roller coaster with short but crisp waves.

The Val di Non is one of our standard routes. Normally, however, we go anti-clockwise via the Mendel Pass, Fondo and Cles. It was only in 2022 that we discovered the Passo Predaia, which is on the southeastern side of the valley. There is more traffic there, but for the most part there is a good cycle path. We still prefer to do the loop with the watch, as the cycle path then goes uphill and not downhill. Why the first 23 km of the route are missing from the GPS is a mystery to me, but I think you can find the start anyway. The last detour onto the Etsch cycle path was just to refill our energy reserves at s'Standl, where there are all kinds of delicacies.

Again in the proven five-round route, the climb to the Mendel Pass is very beautiful, gradient evenly about 7%

Awesome tour! Traffic was a bit annoying at times before the turnoff to Mendel in Ronzone, but after that, I was almost alone. The bike path to Ronzone is also nice in places. The section to Penegal is pretty battered, with lots of gravel and some steep sections (especially steep on gravel) – but it's absolutely worth it 😁

The second day offered the opportunity to ride a well-known and open pass with like-minded people: the Mendel Pass. Since we expected that there would be plenty of mopeds and other motorized vehicles on Sunday, we skipped the Gampen from the start and instead took the quiet loop uphill via Mezzocorona back to Kurtatsch. Experienced cyclists had previously claimed that, usually after 3 p.m., the freshening south wind would practically push us back to Kurtatsch: the exception proved the rule: it didn't; the wind had changed its mind by a 180°... Nevertheless, it was a beautiful, albeit at times very windy, tour. A quick refreshment in Kurtinig saved us by replenishing the calories we'd burned in the headwind and making it to the finish at the "Terzer."