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TEXT BY ROB COPPOLILLO BIKING AND HIKING IN THE ALPS-FROM THE AOSTA VALLEY TO THE LITTLE ST BERNARD PASS RAC K � Three hours after an espresso and a pastry in the alpine village of La Thuile, Italy, I pedaled up a dirt path adorned with stone shepherd's huts, a few grazing cows clanging their alpine bells, and expansive grassy meadows. I emerged on to a windswept pass and gazed across the valley at imposing Mont Blanc, the highest point in Western Europe. In the northern distance over a horizon of sharp, snowy peaks lay Switzerland, to my left France, on my right Italy's Aosta Valley. Most important, straight ahead awaited a 3,OOO-foot descent on rugged singletrack to the picturesque Italian ski town of Courmayeur where I would feast on pizza and red wine after a day of mountain biking in solitude. Thank God for Rock Shox and Italian cooking. On the flanks of Europe's highest mountains, insulated �===-I formed by the Dora River which carries snowmelt down from the mountains east towards Milan. Eleven smaller valleys branch off this main one, hiding tiny villages, endless ski runs and rare ani mals. The Aosta "Valley" is actually a labyrinth of lesser valleys, all eventually running down to the flatlands around Milan. European mountain tradition and history has left a huge system of trails throughout the Alps. By Italian standards, an established trail isn't some four-year-old singletrack but a cen turies-old relic such as the Little 5t Bernard Pass (state road 26 on a map). Romans cobbled the route around the time of Christ, dur ing their campaigns against the Gauls. Nowadays the paved road winds over the mountains, crossing the Roman route in several 1.::===1 places. Trails and rocky roads depart from the St Bernard periodical ly, leading onto the surrounding high peaks and pristine meadows. Bronze Age artifacts have been found along the road l!::::::!!!::::=-I ing the Greeks. Romans traversed the other direction to beat the Gauls two centuries later, and Hannibal's armies hit the road to C====l fight Rome soon after. This century the Nazis built bunkers at the summit to keep expected Allied liberators on the French side. Most recently speculators have erected ski lifts and lodges, attracting skiers from all over the world. Adventurous travelers can take advantage of more peaceful times. You'll hear several different tongues in the valley, but 1:====1 pass as the "Petit 5t Bernard" using the French, but choose to call their region "Valle d'Aosta," using the Italian. French and Italian are the official languages. Italians refer to the For runners and hikers there are endless paths off the St Bernard which wind through meadows and leg-breaking paths up steep peaks. Serious trail runners can tackle the trails south of La Thuile, towards the Ruitor Glacier. If you feel comfortable, and in the excavated Celtic, Roman and Gallic ruins that dot the area. The Celts crossed the pass in 279sc on the way to conquer from the big cities, tumultuous politics and troubled economy to the south, Italy's Aosta Valley lies quietly in the Alps-a mountain kingdom of deep gorges, vast glaciers and alpine meadows. Lodged between France and Switzerland, cheaper and less crowded than both, the Aosta Valley offers unforgettable moun tain biking and trekking. The large, central valley of the region is bring an ice ax, cross the glacier and ascend the peak of Grand Assaly for a panoramic view of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn. Climbing and mountaineering in the Alps is serious stuff, so know your limits or hire a guide. Cyclists on the Petit St Bernard can stick to the newly paved modern road or hop onto the 2,OOO-year-old Roman cob bled track which climbs alongside the paved route, crossing at some points, diverging in others. Once the only route to France, the pass climbs steeply out of the Dora River Valley from the vil- lage of Pre-St-Didier just above Aosta, through La Thuile, across the summit (the French-Italian border), and down to the French resort of La Rosiere. To ride a longer loop, continue into France, then north to Chamonix, and ride your bike or a bus back to Aosta. All of this can be done on foot or by bike on the paved road or the trail net work. Allow a long morning to ride to the top of the pass from La Thuile, a very long day to ride to Chamonix and return by bus. Trekkers should pick up a trail map at tourist offices (look for the blue signs with the big "i"-even the smallest towns have one) and link together any number of hundreds of trails for a bigger expedition. Free maps are available, but more detailed productions from companies such as Kompass are supe rior. Besides trails, the maps detail dangerous sections and pin point rifugi (overnight cabins with minimal amenities) and bivac chi (free bunkhouses). Rifugi are simple mountain lodges, and an attendant usually maintains the facility and prepares meals. Bivacchi are pretty bare bones, no luxuries here. I established home base with friends in La Thuile. Originally a coal mining camp, the quaint town is one of Europe's up-and-coming ski stations. Mountain biking has also caught on, with several races planned for 1998. For insider info, find English speakers Luca and Marco Boscardin at Ornella Sport in the cen ter of the village. One of the many challenging mountain bike rides departing from La Thuile climbs up the Little St Bernard then makes a right on the dirt to Col du Chevanne. Three hours of slow grinding crests the pass, the far side of which drops away to the foot of Mont Blanc. � \