Stage 6: Semonzo – Lavarone
And once again, we immerse ourselves in a completely different world. Between Bassano del Grappa with the Brenta River and the Adige Valley near Trento further west, a vast plateau rises up. The eastern part of the Sette Communi, the seven municipalities around Asiago, is connected to the Alpe Cimbra further west, which includes the towns of Folgaria, Luserna and Lavarone, the destination of this stage. The huge rock slab has a few protrusions in the north that reach heights of over 2,000 metres, and on all sides there are rugged valley incisions, deep cracks in the edge, with steep walls forming imposing gorges. One of these gorges is Valstagna, with one of the most bizarre roads in Transalp history. The road winds its way up the wall in hairpin bends, like steep steps. But there are no straight sections between the bends. Here, curves follow curves, a single winding route that is infinitely spectacular. After 800 metres of dizzying climbing, you reach Foza, the first village of the Sette Communi.
An old German dialect has been preserved here, a very local language in which the place names are also written on the signs. Foza is also called ‘Vüsche’, Asiago is also called ‘Sleghe’. However, the connection to German becomes really clear in the village of Mezzaselva, where ‘Mitterballe’ is easily associated with the german Mittenwald. Up here is farmland, alpine pastureland, a cheese stronghold, a green carpet interrupted by fields. In Rotzo, signs advertise the potatoes that are grown here. Small forests interrupt the cultivated land. The clouds and sometimes the fog play with the rugged landscape and the valley incisions. Once you're up there on your bike, you stay up there and cruise along the gentle ups and downs. It's a great cycling area, especially in summer, because it has a slightly cooler microclimate. You can escape the heat down below. One of the major incisions in the plateau is the Valdastico in the middle, which stretches to our destination on the Alpe Cimbra. A road leads down into the valley that is no less spectacular than the one through the Valstagna: the Pedescala.
But just as important as the spectacle and the fun are the respect and concentration required to safely master the many bends and hairpin turns. Once you reach the valley, there are two ways back to the plateau. Immediately to the right up to Carbonare, the short route as in the Transalp 2024. Or to the left, the long route via Arsiereo and Tonezza, as in 2018. Long story short: it was time for the long route again, because this climb is very rewarding, offering great views and another extremely attractive stretch of road that plays with the steep mountain walls. We now reach the highest point of this stage at an altitude of 1,500 metres at Malga Melgnon. We are back in the green alpine pastureland and can enjoy unobstructed views over the wide countryside. Soon we reach the Passo del Sommo between Folgaria and Carbonare, and we must admit to a little deception: adding it to the list of passes. From our direction, you approach this pass from the side, coming from above. Carbonare lies 250 metres below, and after the last short descent of this stage, Lavarone, our stage destination, awaits us just 5 kilometres further on.
