Via Buscole

I've been hearing horror stories about Via Buscole and had to investigate. After riding to Vittorio Veneto, over Fadalto, and down the eastern shore of Lago di Santa Croce I arrived at Farra d'Alpago. Ride past the start of Mezzomiglio climb, over a short bridge and you reach the first roundabout of Farra d'Alpago.  Take the first right exit, marked Buscole.  After a brief ride the road ahead is marked dead end, so you must go up to the left.  This street switchbacks through the town until another sign indicating road is closed.  Often you can still get through on a bike, so I rode steeply up to a barrier bearing bad news: Ponte Crollato (bridge washed away).  But there was a footpath around the barrier so I donned my cleat covers and carried my road bike down to the stream bed then climbed up the opposite bank.

From this end of the missing bridge the road corkscrews upward very steeply.  I decided to just push the bike, and even this was difficult.  After several switchbacks the 20% lets up to 10%-17% so I found a flat runout and started riding again.  I wanted to stand on the steepest parts but the surface is wet, covered with dead leaves, and paved with round pebbles stuck in old asphalt.  Had to stay seated to get traction.  Finally this mellows out around 800 meters and you return to sub-10% gradients.

Soon you are in Spert, a pretty frazione of Tambre at the south end of Alpago.  The main road dips down to a stream crossing then you ascend back up to Il Cansiglio around 1000 meters.  Gorgeous ride through the dense forest and grassy Piancansiglio, then La Crosetta, down the hill to Sarone and home. Fun ride.

Lago di Santa Croce 

Boats with Monte Dolado in background

Washed out bridge and steep road on opposite bank

Looking back at the road coming from Farra d'Alpago

Mellower gradients just below Spert