Cycling Dolomiti Friulane: Casera Crosetta

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Casera Crosetta

Casera Crosetta is one of several backcountry shelters on the rim of Alpago, a beautiful bowl-shaped valley east of Belluno. I've climbed a number of nearby mountain roads but never this one. Today was my chance.

Woke up at 3:30AM for some reason and it was raining. I had breakfast and fed the animals etc, and the rain continued. So I took a nap. Woke up around 8:30AM and the rain had quit, so I got ready and left about an hour later. When I headed out, my neighbor Nerina advised not going too far because of the heavy cloud cover. She's lived here a long time, so I was a little worried it would rain later.

I turned off Via Pedemontane (30m) below Sarone and started the gentle pre-climb. A fellow and a very cute girl passed me, the girl standing in her pedals on the 5% grade. I was hoping this would continue until Il Cansiglio, but they veered off at Sarone, only a few hundred meters later. I was rather crestfallen, as she really rocked that tight pair of Exte Ondo's.

After the top of this climb (1118m), I cruised across Piancansiglio, and down through the pretty towns of Spert, Tambre, Borsoi and Cornei (456m). At this last town, you turn right and head upward toward Lamosano (725m) and then on to Funes (820m). The road onward and upward to Casera Crosetta is well-marked with little wooden signs. Almost immediately it hits a wall of 20-30%. I made it a little way up this slope then died. Donned cleat covers and walked on till it flattened to 10-15%. The road is very well paved. I continued on up the hillside till the next +20% stretch and walked again. I think this may have happened a third time. Pavement ended around 1100m, but the strada sterrata looked good so I tried it. Not bad but after a few hundred meters I reached a crossroad and decided to turn around (1115m). So I never reached the Casera, but there is a great picture here, as well as several pictures of Alpago's surrounding peaks here.

Cruised down to Cornei, and started the climb back up to Il Cansiglio. I was sore but had enough strength left to spin right up the hill, only standing to stretch my lower back occasionally. Again across Piancansiglio (quite windy), back up to La Crosetta (1118m) and thankfully downhill again to Sarone. I was pretty beat but just kept on going nice and easy till I got home.