Monte Pizzo Deta

Unusual tour using the train departing from Sora, traveling through the Roveto valley, stop at Morrea-Castronovo-Rendinara.

We start biking from the station of Morrea, At 400 meters of altitude, 8 km of asphalt, and four of very hard dirt road, due to steep slopes and uneven ground in places, but with a good leg almost all pedalable, and we overcome the first 1100 meters of elevation gain. Here begins the section with bike and push bike that with 600 meters of elevation gain takes us to the summit of Pizzo Deta Mountain. Panorama over the Roveto valley, the beautiful meadow of Campoli, in the distance, Velino, Gran Sasso and Maiella. We start downhill with a first section on the uphill trail: rocks, steep and steep slopes, we decide to continue on the direct to Campoli meadow, the first part very nice, then a freeride on the left, very impervious to recover the ridge, intercepting the official Cai 618 trail towards Vado la Rocca.

As soon as we enter the woods the trail is not well evident, gps essential. An up and down in the underbrush that is not cyclable over numerous rocks where the bike is lifted several times, and we reach Vado la Rocca just in front of the papal memorial stone. We pass it following white-red marks pedaling several sections and recovering about 150 meters of elevation gain. Reaching a passage under Monte Serra Comune, the trail continues with a long up and down, very nice and with several technical downhill segments, hairpin bends on dirt and challenging rockgarden, until the road coming from the Trombetta refuge. We go up it on the left to Monna Rosa heading towards the Ravone, where an exciting descent begins, our Fra Michele trail.

Descent in the first part technical and rocky, reached the pine forest the trail becomes more flowing and full of hairpin bends .Before leaving the forest, A few meters before a hairpin bend on the right we enter on the Cai trail on the left (marked with a stone cairn) that in falsopiano will make us pass right in front of the cave of Fra Michele. We continue on the trail that first bypasses the mountain slightly and then dives into the fast, clean forest with nosepress hairpin bends. Unexpected trail for its naturalistic beauty and a few technical passages. Further down we rejoin the trail from the hermitage of San Leonardo, veering left, quickly and almost completely pedaled to trail 624 in the Vallone delle Grotte, just below the famous caves of Brigante Chiavone. Technical part on fixed and loose rocks, until you reach the famous Corkscrew. It continues with technical passages on rocks until below the Sant'Angelo pine forest. The trail then runs fast and scenic, at times exposed, never trivial until behind the Passionist convent in Sora.

For lovers of the genre only.