Garda Mountain Biking: Events, Trails, and Cycling Tourism Growth

Christmas among the olive trees takes to the bike. Or rather, on a mountain bike. Inviting Olympic champion Paola Pezzo to present her favorite routes in the Garda and Baldo areas tomorrow during a conference titled: “Garda Sport. Mountain-Bike: Environment and Quality.” Alongside her, two exceptional ambassadors, Giovanni Rana and Teofilo Sanson, who are actively involved in bringing the Cycling World Championships to Verona and Garda, will speak about the economy and cycling.

Part of the extensive Garda Christmas celebration, the event is promoted by the tourism promotion company of Riviera degli Olivi in collaboration with the Municipality of Garda. “The goal,” explains Marco Zaninelli, who is the commissioner of Apt, “is to highlight the positive effects of sport on tourism and the Garda territory.” The conference, with Zaninelli as moderator, will open at 11 a.m. at the Palacongressi.

After the greetings from Mayor Davide Bendinelli, who is also the provincial assessor for sport and tourism, the event will feature speeches by Tiziano Cristoforetti, the national head of the cycling federation, who will discuss the federation’s commitment to mountain biking; Maurilio Cavalieri, president of Velo Club di Garda, who will present the Baldo itineraries; and Lucio Cordioli, a sports doctor who will highlight the benefits of sports practice. Then, the spotlight will turn to Rana and Sanson, and at the end, Paola Pezzo will outline the prospects for mountain biking.

Following this, everyone will gather along the lake promenade to inaugurate the “Paola Pezzo Trail”: Paolo Rosola will illustrate the technical characteristics of the trail named after the two-time Olympic champion. Garda, the homeland of mountain biking, then?

Characteristics and development of mountain biking on Garda

“The morainic hills surrounding the lake and Mount Baldo,” emphasizes Zaninelli, “offer a landscape and a variety of environments ideal for mountain biking enthusiasts. Here, bikers can find trails of all types, capable of satisfying even the most refined tastes. We have a total of 320 kilometers of trails. It’s no coincidence that champions like Michael Rasmussen and Paola Pezzo have chosen the lake and its hinterland for winter training.”

Furthermore, a valuable ally is the Mediterranean climate, which makes mountain biking possible even during the winter season. Mountain biking thus finds fertile ground along the shores of Garda, supported by the interest of both public and private entities.

Projects and initiatives for cycling tourism

Primarily from the Provincial Department of Sports, which, for three years, in collaboration with the Provincial Transport Company, has activated the combined “Bus & Bike” service on certain public lines. The Apt of Riviera degli Olivi has also launched the project “Garda Baldo Bus&Bike.”

“The core idea,” says Zaninelli, “is to coordinate and promote all these services, events, and initiatives that have been developed over recent years across different sectors and for various purposes but share a well-defined audience: cyclists, who are increasingly frequenting the Garda-Baldo area.”