Passo della Mendola, Passo Gampen and Passo Palade - Round trip

Wonderful ascent to the Mendola Pass, absolutely recommendable!

As a Munich resident, you're not from South Tyrol, but rather from the flatlands, so it's better to first ease your way back into the world of mountain roads with some more moderate climbs. The classic double route of the Mendel Pass and the Gampen Pass came at just the right time, even if the first few kilometers were still characterized by Bolzano's city traffic and a touch of traffic hell on the SS42 towards Kaltern. With the elegant turnoff towards St. Michael, however, things largely calmed down, and when I rejoined the Mendel Pass road a little further up, I had the road almost to myself for a while. With an average gradient of 6% (it hardly gets any higher at the top), you can fully indulge in the pleasure of riding over the passes without having to escape to the oxygen tent afterwards. The Mendel Pass is neatly paved with various restaurants, souvenir shops, and a few architectural remnants from the Austro-Hungarian era, but after an 18-kilometer ascent to the south, it offers some beautiful mountain and valley views. The subsequent descent to Fondo (there's apparently even a dedicated cycling route that runs more or less parallel to the main road) isn't particularly steep, but it's a bit bumpy in places, partly on cracked asphalt. Once in town, we immediately headed back uphill to the Gampen Pass, which was also quite kind to the cyclist's legs from this side and was easy to climb. Only the clouds had already turned quite dark, and the strong wind from the north seemed like a harbinger of impending bad weather. The app, however, promised that a thunderstorm might not develop until the afternoon, and there was still some time until then. The subsequent descent to the valley was very long and pleasant. A rustic little road to Andrian through various apple orchards even added a subtle gravel feeling. The final stretch to Bolzano even had a bit of a tailwind, only the stop-and-go of city traffic interrupted the flow somewhat. As in many larger cities, cycling is rather semi-fun for those unfamiliar with the area, even though at least along the Eisack River, bicycle traffic flows largely unhindered. However, I think there's still room for improvement along the major access and arterial roads and in parts of the city center. But that's just a side note; thanks to the duo Mendel and Gampen, it was a very successful debut in South Tyrol 🙂

Only 11 cars overtook the entire Mendel Pass, which is quiet compared to the summer with all the motorcycles etc...

Conclusion of our extended good-weather WE in Eppan (near Bozen). We didn't want to go that far originally, but the weather north of the Alps was just too bad. Betina had to work this morning, which gave me time for a decent round of passes. I was back in time for lunch. I wasn't expecting too much from these second tier passes (next to the many celebrities in the corner) but nothing to complain about, the whole loop was beautiful. It's unbelievable what you can see in 70 km, well, no more than in a standard lap around Munich. Special highlights were the views of the surrounding mountains, especially in the direction of the Dolomites: Catinaccio, Schlern, Sellajoch... The cycle path in front of the Mendola Pass is also remarkable (coming from the west; rather not suitable for descending). The Italians put a lot of effort into their bike lanes! A little tip for imitators: the ascent to Nalles is simply too steep and could easily be bypassed.

Approach to the Gampenjoch via the rather steep side road Nales - Prissian 14%. Alternative access to the yoke via Lana with a more moderate incline.

The start and finish are in Nalles. The so-called apple autobahn takes you towards the Mendola Pass with little traffic and great views of Lake Caldaro. Via Our Lady in the Forest (what a place name!), Gampenpass and Tisens we drive back to Nalles.

The descent from Tisens isn't as scenic as the one to Lana, due to the 14-16% gradient. The uphill is definitely more interesting... Otherwise, it's top-notch again.

Start/lap from St. Michael/Kaltern - only 15 km flat towards Meran - Gampenpass 1535 meters - Possibility to stop at the top of the Gampenpass restaurant or several options after the first descent, down in the village of Fondo. - Penegal 1703 meters, 10% cut in parts to 20% incline. With a great view over Bozen and as far as Lake Caldaro. Unfortunately, the summit restaurant/hotel and facilities are not a highlight - but a coffee at the kiosk still tastes delicious. From here approx. 1300 hm downhill over the Mendola Pass!!!