Our route begins from the car park at the bridge, just outside the centre of Arco. We cross the bridge and at the roundabout keep right, following the signs for Rovereto. A few metres after the sign welcoming us to the Bolognano area, we turn left. At the stop sign, we push straight ahead and begin the uphill section leading to Mount Velo. A tough climb of almost 13 kilometres await us. Riding its many bends, one after another, we pass through the residential part of the Gazzi district, after which the turns are spaced further apart. Halfway up, after a very taxing section, we move into the Salve Regina area, where we can fill up our water bottles from a fountain on the left. Time to get back in the saddle. Now, woodland sections alternate with open sections, offering a view of the “busa”.

Once we reach the Velo area, the road flattens out for a short stretch. Having passed the houses, we return to climb through the wood for the last 2 kilometres that take us to the Santa Barbara Pass. Now the road descends towards Ronzo Chienis and we head in the direction of Riva. The downhill stretch is long, but fast and in a short time we reach Loppio. At the roundabout we turn right and shortly afterwards take the cycle path parallel to the main road.

Along this route, we can admire the riverbed of the Loppio lake, a basin drained in 1956 following the construction of the Adige-Garda tunnel that made the groundwater sink. Now we tackle the last challenge of the day, the brief climb to the San Giovanni Pass, before the descent towards Nago. At the end of the village we enter the “old Nago”, a quiet road that leads to Torbole. The road is very steep, and the panorama is ultra-photogenic.

We head towards Riva and just after the bridge over the river Sarca, we move onto the cycle path on the right, which takes us back to Arco.