UPHILL TO THE HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINE PASTURES OF THE MADDALENE
The Tour de Non begins with a long climb from Cles, the capital of Val di Non, to the green mountains of the Maddalene Group north of the valley and the border with Val d'Ultimo in South Tyrol.
On this stage one crosses the various vegetation belts typical of the valley: the high plateaus organized into orderly apple orchards, the fields and forests at the center of the valley's rural economy, and finally the high-altitude summer pastures with their associated alpine huts. From a historical and cultural point of view, too, very different environments are encountered from the very first day. From the lowlands of a strongly Italian style one reaches the area of the Alta Val di Non of South Tyrolean culture, the Deutschnonsberg, and in this passage the architectural differences in the construction of the buildings and the differences in the management of the alpine pastures immediately leap to the eye. Remarkable from a landscape point of view are the succession of ever-changing scenery: the lower valley where the famous Melinda apples are grown, the dense forests that provide the raw material for the timber trade, the bright pastures carved out of the steep slopes around the alpine pastures and surrounded by sinuous larches. It is a privilege to ride through these sceneries and at any time to be able to stretch one's gaze down over the wide valley and up to the peaks all around like the Brenta Dolomites and the Maddalene or in the distance like Paganella, Bondone and Presanella. Also striking is the abundance of lush mountain swamps, a sign of the immense water wealth that accumulates on the flat meadows at altitude.
While it is 'true that the first day immediately presents a considerable climb up to the highest point at Monte Ori (1880 mt), the stage does not present excessive technical difficulties. In fact, the trails are very well traveled apart from a few short sections where you have to push the bike for a few meters uphill over roots or through a sometimes muddy hollow.
After a pleasant single trail, you land at the end of the stage in the South Tyrolean village of Senale/Unsere liebe Frau im Walde, which is home to the sanctuary of the same name.
3 reasons not to miss the stage:
1. The magical environment among mountain swamps and peat bogs in the Maddalene group
2. The 360° panorama from Monte Ori with the backdrop of the Brenta Dolomites to the west and Catinaccio and Latemar to the east
3. The high-protein Kaiserschmarrn of Malga Lauregno to fill up on energy
