The first stretch of Garda by Bike, the bicycle track positioned 50 meters above Lake Garda in northern Italy, has just opened.
The track has attracted much attention because it is not only spectacular, but has also adopted ingenious engineering solutions. Harnesses, cables and even helicopters had to be used to hook the thin wooden and steel walkway to the rocky walls of the mountain at 50 meters above lake. Steel struts inserted six meters into the mountainside and protruding outward for 2.6 meters sustain the track.
The two-kilometer stretch, which departs at Limone sul Garda, took two years to complete and cost €7 million. It included covering large sections of the mountainside with wire netting to prevent rockslides.
Once completed (expected in 2021), the circular bike path will measure 140 km, and will traverse the regions of Trentino, Veneto and Lombardy, with the possibility to connect to two major bike routes, the Ciclovia del Sole, a 2,000-km route that connects the Brenner Pass with Sardinia, traversing 11 regions, and the Ciclovia Vento, 680 km along the Po (not yet completed).
The bike path will offer amazing views over Italy’s largest lake and the mountains that surround it. It is expected to attract many bike enthusiasts who already travel to the area to ride on the Dolomites paths.
Garda by Bike is 2.5 meters wide, is open 24/7 and will be lit at night; it will also be accessible to pedestrians.
