Anti-clockwise Tour Sellaronda

Difficulty:

Distance: 54.02 km - Altitude: 4724 m

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Description

Characteristics
The sister of the Sellaronda is more demanding physically and goes anti-clockwise round the imposing Sella mountain range. This route is very different from the other direction and offers fascinatingly different impressions of an assumed identical tour. Three (instead of five) cable cars reduce the metres you would have to struggle up on this tour. The remaining altitude difference of just under 1,300m would not present any problems for a well-trained hobby biker. Only a few steep sections below the stony town are reserved for the aces. The same applies for this direction too, namely, it is not possible to have more descents in a day, nor a more beautiful panorama!
Only the first kilometres rising gently to Ciaslat are ideal for warming-up. The short, but ingenious trail leading to Monte Pana sets the tone for what this tour has to offer. A short ascent to Monte Pana, then the lift takes the bikers to the foot of the Langkofel. The steepest section of the tour is at the same time one of the most beautiful. Immediately below the mighty Langkofel the route rises extremely steeply in the direction of the Rifugio (mountain cabin) Comici. It is still too early for proper refreshments, even though you can eat very well here. But maybe you can drink something, soak up the panorama and move on. The path leading on to the stony town changes into a fantastic trail. A few especially steep sections and hair-pin bends here force most bikers to get off and push their bikes for a short distance.
You can roll along relaxed through the middle of the stony town downhill to the car park at the cable car to the Langkofelscharte and enjoy the stony witnesses of a rockfall that peeled away from the Langkofel several centuries ago.
Shortly afterwards the scenically impressive descent from Rifugio Valentini leading to Lupo Bianco begins. The Stella massif opposite is magnificent. The Sas Pordoi towers up steeply into the sky. The descent becomes steeper, you enter woodland that only thins out shortly before Lupo Bianco. Then there is a short, more demanding trail section immediately below Lupo Bianco.
Once you arrive in Canazei the cable car to Pecol kindly takes over the next good 900m of altitude difference. From the mountain station you have a wonderful view of the Fedaia reservoir and the Marmolada. Stop off and have something to eat at the Belvedere, slightly off route, and enjoy the panorama (at waymarker 52 continue straight ahead). There is a short descent to the mountain pass road – here by the way a downhill section branches off – and a short, nice ascent away from the main road to the Pordoi mountain pass.
It is best to escape the hustle and bustle up here and start immediately the stunning descent to Arabba, that begins only a few metres below the summit. A single trail meanders through meadows, then follows a section of ski piste to branch off again into a wonderful trail. The last of the descent to Arabba proves that ski pistes can also look beautiful in summer.
You roll along the road for a good two kilometres before reaching Renac, where the most remote section of the tour begins: the ascent via Cherz to the La Marmotta. The village of Cherz gives the impression of a place where time has stood still. It is wonderfully peaceful on the Malga Cherz mountain pastures. Very appropriately this ascent of a total of 450m of difference in altitude ends at the mountain cabin La Marmotta (the marmot).
The fast descent on the gravel road in the direction of Corvara is spiced up by a dream trail below the Capanna Nera. The last easy ascent of the tour begins in Corvara and goes as far as Colfosco. The cable car takes you on the remaining metres of altitude difference to the Clark mountain cabin above the Gardena Joch (ridge).
Soak up once more the magnificent display of rocks at the Gardena Joch before the last long descent to Wolkenstein begins. In the upper part trails and woodland paths alternate. Then there follows an extremely steep descent on gravel to Plan. Take care ! Your brakes can get very hot here. It is therefore better to stop every now and again to let them cool down.
The last metres back to Wolkenstein, where you arrive full of unforgettable impressions of a very unusual tour, are on the former railway line.