The tour starts in Pontresina, a few kilometers south of St. Moritz. It first heads towards the Bernina Pass on gravel paths. A lot has been built there for mountain bikers in recent years: hikers and bikers now share the path up to the pass. And all major obstacles have been cleared out of the way with pickaxes and shovels so that you can ride smoothly on trails to the top of the pass - provided you have the right technique, power or motor.
Once you have gained a few meters in altitude, you leave the pass road behind you and turn into the Val da Fain. Here, a gently ascending trail stretches for several kilometers. At La Stretta, you cross the Italian border and the going gets rougher abruptly: here it is a short, technical climb and then a fairly bumpy descent to the pass summit of Livigno.

Once you have Swiss soil under your tires again, the ride is much smoother: the Upper Engadin trail crew has tamed the path again and you reach Fuorcla Minor in the saddle. This is followed by a flowing downhill to the Bernina Pass, from where you can fly relaxed and flowing downhill on the newly built bike trail.

It's rare to find a tour where rough, pristine and man-made trails are so close together. Which is better? Everyone has to decide for themselves. But this tour offers plenty of room to think about it.