MARCH 2018 mbr 55
Obviously, we want to ride as many of these
endless trails as possible, and we are told
that the next bike destination in Graubünden
hosts one of the longest trails in the world:
the snappily titled Alps Epic Trail Davos, in
Davos Klosters.
Davos lies at an altitude of over 1,500
metres, the highest elevation of any city in
Europe. The German-speaking region has
spectacular singletrack on offer and we are
ready for the longest; all 45 kilometres of it, on
our final day’s riding. We take the first lift up
to Jakobshorn where we’re welcomed by the
first of the day’s warm and golden sunbeams
lighting up all the peaks around us. I could
get used to these 360 majestic degrees for
breakfast. Our legs have recovered from the
Scuol adventure and we are ready to enjoy
this beautiful beast. High expectations are
quickly surpassed by reality, as the first few
kilometres of trail escort us through some of
the most impressive terrain I’ve ever ridden.
After a few turns Richie asks me to ride a
section close together for a 360-degree video.
I’m glad he’s riding behind me, otherwise itwould be hard not to laugh at his Teletubbie
camera decorating the top of his helmet.
Alps Epic Trail Davos is a super-technical
point-to-point long-distance trail, with rocks
large and small and everything in between.
I try to ride it like a giant pump track, but of
course it isn’t easy to keep smooth legs and
arms for long. And, dang, there it goes again:
I have my third flat in three days of riding. In
my defence, I’m not usually one for punctures.
Then again I do find myself getting easily
distracted here; the struggle to keep eyes on
the trail is real. This is the only downside of
these epic views.CALL OF THE WILD
The scenery changes dramatically with
every other turn as we make our way down
into the valley. Ale finds one great angle after
another and we don’t mind riding a couple
of sections two or three times as we love the
shape of the super-fun high berms. Together
with our guide, Michi Wild (honestly), we
decide to leave out a bit of the climb and take
another gondola up to Rinerhorn instead.Out the way Ale!
Steffi gathers speed
Best. Coffee. Ever