Passo delle Erbe / Würzjoch - Italy
Silent giant that sits to the north of the "who is who" of Dolomite mountain passes, minding its own business.
There are five ways to climb this incredible mountain, each climb with its own character and demands of the rider. As this mountain has so many facets, this must be one of the most fascinating individual riding destinations. It is littlle known though and its quietness is an added bonus.
Passo delle Erbe - 1991m
Unlike its famous peers to the south, the Passo delle Erbe sits by itself to the north and exudes a wonderful seclusion and calmness.
From Miland / Bressanone (Brixen) it is nearly 30km long and a memorable ride to the Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel). There are five different ascents so you are spoilt for choice which way to conquer this pass.
We rode Passo delle Erbe on a four seasons in one day kind of weather, starting in sunshine and ending in torrential rain. Clouds hung heavily over the mountains hiding the Peitlerkofel and all its imposing beauty. Out of all the riding in the Dolomites and the famous passes, the Erbe/Würzjoch is the most out of the way and local ride. As it can be climbed five different ways you can chose the route that suits your length and gradients.
We chose to go from Bressanone/Brixen and come back through the Val di Luson but there are other climbs form the Western side via Zwischenwasser which are truly testing. I really loved riding the Passo delle Erbe, probably one of my favourite rides.
Leaving the Valle d'Isarco
It is a meandering climb, covering 1588m of altitude gain.
First you climb out of the Valle Isarco leaving Brixen / Bressanone behind and ride upwards across meadows with lovely view of the Valle Isarco before turning in through forests towards Plose/ Plancios, a small ski staton.
This is a solid effort in itself with around 1,100m altitude gain. The gradient is steady though.
There is virtually no traffic and the solitude
Up and down to the pass
The road continues to meander up and down to the top of the pass. There are a couple of downhills thrown in and the road is at this stage single track. The cliffs of the Sass de Putia start to hover above you on the right.
Even though it is long, the meandering up-and-down nature of the ride makes easy work of this climb.
We had bad weather and the mountains were hiding in clouds but impressive nevertheless.
Downhill via Val di Luson
The descent around the Grosse Gabler mountain is wonderful. A narrow road with countless wooden bridges criss crossing the creek that runs down the Val di Luson. Totally remote.
Trees tower over to you, the river is gushing next to you. There are virtually no cars or any other traffic. Totally alone.
After Luson, you on a wider road with fast switchbacks and a steep decent back to Brixen.
It rained heavily which made this a little treacherous but added to the mood of this ride. We had the road completely to ourselves.
Peitlerkofel mountain minding its own business
Remote - Rugged - Beautiful
Passo delle Erbe from Millan/Milland
Length: 29.3 km
Altitude gain: 1588 m
Max altitude: 1991 m
Average gradient: 5.4%
Max gradient: 11.1 %
Route Tip: Ascending the Passo delle Erbe / Würzjoch from Bressanone/Brixen is a nice and varied ride. Descending around Grosser Gabler/ Plose mountain to Luson is a lovely ride through a hidden valley on a tiny road as I described above. The road from Luson starts to become a wider road with fast passages. On the last stretch of the descent, you can take the switch backs all the way down to Brixen or turn off to the left towards Sankt Anna which is takes you the last bit round the mountain on an up and down sort of road before descending the way you came from Sankt Anna back to Brixen.
Alternatively and for those who like long rides, the Passo delle Erbe can be combined with the Passo Gardena via Alta Badia, Gröden and the Val di Funes which is a 107km ride with 3030m elevation gain. More detail here.
For those who are true Passo delle Erbe fans, climbing all five climbs (plus descending) is a 218km ride climbing 7,740m. Not quite Everesting, but ... Click here for the madness.
