Monte Roen Trail

As expected, our trail tour starts with the ascent. Here, bikers have the choice of either pedalling the full 1,900 metres in altitude themselves or taking the steepest funicular railway in mainland Europe for at least 900 metres. The Mendelbahn funicular railway, which opened in 1903, runs from St. Anton up to the legendary Mendel Pass. A trip on the funicular railway is particularly popular on beautiful weekend days - on the one hand to experience a cultural and technical highlight, and on the other to escape the traffic. However, there is also a good 300 metres of ascent to the cable car's valley station. Thanks to the view of the Montiggl lakes and the ruins of Lichtenberg Castle, these metres fly by. Once we arrive at the Mendel Pass, we are surrounded by the hustle and bustle typical of the pass: there are numerous small shops here, where motorists, motorcyclists, hikers and day trippers also bustle about. We watch the hustle and bustle for a few more minutes, but are then happy to dive into the solitude of the woods.

"When we reach the top, we are exhausted but also happy. The view is fantastic."

From the pass, the ascent route initially runs through the forest, always slightly behind the ridge. Fortunately, you are not directly exposed to the sun, which is very pleasant, especially on the steep sections. We pass the Romeno-Alm and follow the turn-off to the Überetscher Hütte - a rustic and extremely friendly hut that invites us to stop for a bite to eat. From here, it's only a few minutes to the summit of the Roen. Once at the top, we are exhausted, but also happy. The view is fantastic.

• the Texel Group
• the Dolomites and
• the Brenta are close enough to touch

We could stand up here forever and enjoy the panorama, because in every direction we see familiar mountains and so we tell each other stories about bike tours that we have either already done or want to do there.

But we didn't make the climb just for the beautiful view. No, we want to enjoy the almost 1,900 metres of trail fun that lie ahead of us to the full. We traverse to the Schwarzer Kopf and from there on an extremely flowy route to the Wetterkreuz. From here, we follow a forest path - with a few counter-climbs - to the Grauner Joch and enjoy the panorama and the views down below for the last time on the tour. Below us lies the shimmering blue waters of Lake Kaltern, which promises to cool us down. And the vineyards, where so many tasty grape varieties grow, such as the local Gewürztraminer. Hardly any other Alpine region combines mountain experience and enjoyment as stringently as the area around Tramin and Lake Kaltern.

After the Grauner Joch, the Monte Roen Trail disappears into the forest. What we find here is a natural trail in a class of its own. Concentration is required, as the narrow path hugs the mountain and challenges us with roots and rocky ledges. Again and again we can refine our technique on hairpin bends and so we work our way down into the valley metre by metre. With every metre we notice how it gets warmer and the sparse forest continues to heat up. We keep our concentration and finally arrive in Graun. However, we don't want to end this highlight-packed day of touring so quickly, so the Buschenschank Lenzenhof is just right for us. Here we can finally combine mountain and pleasure. Because for us in Tramin & Südtiroler Unterland, a successful end to an extremely eventful tour with one of the most panoramic bike summits we've had in a long time includes

• a delicious meal
• a glass of cool Gewürztraminer
• and the view of Lake Kaltern

From here, we roll all the way down into the valley and directly to the lake. This is exactly how bikegenuss @südtirol works.