Tour Difficulty Levels Explained

Every tour on this site is marked Easy, Intermediate or Advanced. Here's what each level actually means — so you can find yourself in the description before you book.

Easy

You can ride a bike and keep your balance — that's all you need. We ride bike paths and smooth gravel roads around the lake, with no steep descents. Perfect for families, beginners, and anyone who hasn't ridden in years. The e-bike makes the climbs effortless. Trail grade: S0.

Intermediate

You ride confidently: braking on a descent feels natural, and gravel roads don't make you nervous. No mountain biking experience needed. These tours climb into the mountains on unpaved roads with serious elevation gain — the e-bike handles the physical effort, you handle the bike. Trail grade: S0–S1.

Advanced

You've ridden in the mountains before: long descents on gravel and rocky roads don't scare you, and you know how to position your body on a descent. These are the highest and longest routes — Passo Tremalzo, Monte Altissimo — with big days in the saddle. Trail grade: S0–S1, with possible S2 sections decided on the day. What makes these tours advanced is the distance and the climbing, not technical trails.

Two things the S-scale doesn't cover

Trail grades describe the surface under your wheels, not the drop beside them. On a few of our routes — Passo Nota and Passo Tremalzo — sections run along open mountainside with no barrier. Nothing about the riding is hard there, but the exposure asks for a steady head.

The other factor is loose gravel. It doesn't take a deep layer: a couple of stones between your tyre and the ground are enough for the bike to feel less predictable. On its own that's nothing to worry about. Combined with exposure, it's the reason those two routes are graded Advanced regardless of how technical the trail is.

Trail difficulty: what we ride

Our routes stay in the S0–S1 range of the Single Trail Scale.

S0 covers everything a rider without mountain-bike experience can handle: paved roads, cycle paths, smooth gravel and firm natural surfaces. No rocks, roots or steps, wide and easy corners, gentle gradients. If you can ride a bike, you can ride S0.

S1 adds small obstacles that you simply roll over — flat roots, water channels, small stones — on ground that is sometimes loose. No tight switchbacks. Basic skills are enough: controlled braking and shifting your weight.

S2 is a different matter: larger rocks and roots, steps, loose ground, tight corners and gradients that can reach 70%. Individual S2 sections are possible on some routes, but the decision is made on the spot, once I have seen how you ride. They are never promised in advance and are never part of the published programme.

Trails of S3 and above are not included in our tours under any circumstances — that is a different sport and a different kind of preparation.

The reason is simple: I cannot assess your riding level through messages. I meet you for the first time on the day of the tour, and your safety is the one thing I will not gamble with.

How this maps to our levels:

Easy — S0

Intermediate — S0–S1

Advanced — S0–S1, with possible S2 sections decided on the day

One thing worth saying clearly: Advanced is mostly about distance and elevation, not about difficult trails. It means a long day in the saddle — 1,300 to 2,200 metres of climbing and six or more hours of riding — not technical descents.

Not sure which level fits you? Message me on WhatsApp and describe how you ride — I'll recommend the right tour.