Campone - Monte Prat

This ride is 3 or 4 favorite climbs strung together.  It started with an easy climb from Maniago through Bus di Colvera to Frisanco, then headed east down Val Muie to Navarons.  Next the road from Lago Redona east to Campone along Torrente Chiarzo.  Here begins the second climb, up to Piani di Clauzetto (655 meters) followed by descent to Pradis di Sotto.  Immediately you start another climb to Pradis di Sopra (685 meters) and then plunge down to Pielungo in Val Arzino (328 meters).   Here you start the last climb, up the west side of Monte Prat to Val Tochel (881 meters).  As you might have guessed, now you make another long descent to Flagogna in Val Arzino (145 meters).  All this saliscendi is quite fun and didn't wear me out as much as one long climb usually does.  There was a tailwind most of the way home, which helped considerably.  There are many variants you could make to this route.  Great biking area.

Campone below Monte Celant

Stone arch bridge over Torrente Chiarzo at Campone

Older stone bridge leading up valley to Tamar,
abandoned settlement on north slope of Monte Celant

View east from Pradis di Sopra

Pielungo church with Monte Prat in background

Looking south down Val Arzino toward Tagliamento River

Mountains to the west from 700 meters

Monte Pala on your right

Monte Flagjel from the west

Val Tochel 880 meters, with Mt Flagjel seen from the east

Forcella Tamer

The weather forecast called for rain starting at noon, so I decided to do a local ride with some climbs before the downfall began.  After Maniago, just before Fanna I turned left on the road up Monte San Lorenzo.  I recommend only climbing this on Sunday or holiday because on weekdays it has giant dump trucks loaded with rock quarried at Monte San Lorenzo headed for the cementificio of Fanna.  The road has some damage from heavy rains undermining the roadbed, causing a large slump.  It's a great little workout, 2.6km averaging 8%.

Steeply down the other side to Valcolvera, and just before Poffabro turn right down Val Muie.  Fun rolling road descending after Navarons to Fiume Meduna, then steeply up to the main road for Monte Rest.  Turn left, skirt the shore of Lago di Redona until you reach the right turn toward Campone, then climb gently up the gorge of Torrente Chiarzo.  This wonderful road eventually reaches a sharp dogleg right turn up the mountainside.  I dreaded climbing this because previously the steep pavement was mostly torn up, with wet, algae-covered slippery stones: hard to climb without standing, yet nearly impossible to get traction with an unweighted rear wheel.  Luckily after a couple hundred meters it was newly paved (I guess 1 or 2 years ago).  The surface was great and the gradient was climbable seated, in 34 X 27 gear.  The road is barricaded and marked closed because of a landslide, but they've cleared the rubble from the road and are now shoring up the adjacent slope: on a bike it's no problem.   From the start of this climb to Forcella Tamer you climb 5.5 km, averaging 9.6% gradient. 

At 900m there is a cattle gate, a short stretch of paved road, and then rocky MTB riding to 1000m where the parapendi launch at Monte Valinis.  I decided to turn around at the gate so I could beat the rain.  I descended the way I'd come all the way down to the Campone road at 432m.  

After passing through Campone I began the climb up to Piani di Clauzetto at 673m.  Descending to Pradis di Sotto at 537m I noticed an unusual number of hikers, runners.  Turned out they were having a marcia, similar to Volksmarch in Germany.  I threaded through the walkers and headed up the last climb of the day through Pradis di Sopra to Cristo at 717m.  After Clauzetto I switchbacked to Travesio, then to Toppo, across Fiume Meduna, through Fanna to Maniago and home.  The predicted rain was nowhere to be seen; in fact it was now sunny and warm.  Meno male, it motivated me to ride fast and I enjoyed the rolling ride.     

Monte Raut from Monte San Lorenzo;
I'll try to hike there from Panuch in September

The rehabilitated former quarry on Monte San Lorenzo's
northeast side; the south side is still being quarried.  Beautiful
west side is still natural, with Chiesa di San Lorenzo high
 above the cliffs along Bus di Colvera

Shoring up the landslide on Campone - Forcella
Tamer road.  Note the new pavement.

Torrenti Muie, Chiarzo, Arzino

A gorgeous clear day with chilly temps that warmed up in the afternoon.  I rode a series of climbs along torrents in the nearby mountains.  The first, Bus di Colvera, rises from Maniago toward Poffabro.  From here down Torrente Muie to Fiume Meduna, then north to Torrente Chiarzo.  This road follows a gorge up to Campone, then over a little pass at Piani di Clauzetto.   Now I descended to Pradis di Sotto and climbed again to Pradis di Sopra (near Orton).  The wonderful road down to Pielungo had a deviation at one point because of a slump, but is passable on a bike.   I stopped briefly at Forno with its tiny German cemetery from WWI- maybe 10 meters by 10 meters.  Some little girls were playing there with their little dog Bella.  At Pielungo I joined Torrente Arzino and followed the gorge to Anduins.  Now I headed up toward Vito d'Asio, but turned left toward Celante before reaching town.  This soon reached the curvy road from Clazetto to Travesio, which follows Torrente Cosa.  Now I was on the pianura, and rode through Toppo to the bridge over Fiume Meduna, down through Fanna and Ravedis to home.  Very fun scenic ride.   

Heavy flow through Bus di Colvera

Monte Raut snow

Monte Rodolino above Poffabro

View above Navarons toward Monte Raut 

Beautiful waterfall along Lago Tramonti

View of Monte Valcalda from shore of Lago Tramonti

Monte Rossa from Forno WWI cemetery

Waterfall along Torrente Arzino

Falling water from sulfurous spring,
Rio Barquet after Anduins 

Torrenti Muie, Chiarzo e Cosa

Three favorite rides cobbled together.  Started up through Valcolvera to Poffabro, then down peaceful Val Muie to Navarons.  North along Lago di Redona to the right turn for Campone.  This is the long cold stretch up Torrente Chiarzo, which is shaded from sun all winter so always stays frozen.  After the climb to Piani di Clauzetto, head down to Pradis di Sotto (Gerchia) and immediately upward again to Pradis di Sopra (Orton).  From here down to Clauzetto and the fun curvy road along Torrente Cosa.  At Travesio you head for Sequals and home.

Lots of bucca di neve and primule out- primavera is here!

Torrente Chiarzo ice falls; these big ice sickles
are about 20 feet long 

Ramp up to Piani di Clauzetto (683m)

Piani di Clauzetto

Woke this morning and the rain had stopped again- blue skies in every direction.  Outside my bedroom window the mountains were bright white with fresh snow.   I got on the bike and headed east toward Meduno, then north along Lago di Tramonti.  The lake had been quite low before, but now is brimming.  Waterfalls are tumbling down the hillsides, and Monte Rest and Monte Valcalda are coated with snow.

Near the north end of the lake I turned east toward Campone.   Lovely ride along Torrente Chiarzo roiling with white water, followed by the climb up to Piani di Clauzetto (670m).  From here I rode down to Gerchi and the rushing headwaters of Torrente Cosa.  Then another little climb up to the town of Clauzetto, and down the lovely switchbacks to Travesio.  Watch out for lots of little catkin flowers on the curves- they are wet and slippery.

Flat ride home was a little windy with threatening black thunderheads covering the sky.  Somehow I made it home before the rain started- good ride!  

View from my bedroom window this morning

This cascade was completely dry 2 weeks ago

Lago di Tramonti full to the brim

Monte Rest and MonteValcalda snowy again

Rode clockwise

Poffabro-Campone-Clauzetto

I've ridden individual parts of this ride before but never altogether. To start I headed up through Bus di Colvera to Poffabro, then down through the Val Muiè to Navarrons- see pictures here: Meduno-Poffabro . Then I rode up the Meduno River road to Lago di Redona and turned right, following Val Chiarzo' past Campone and up over Piani di Clauzetto at 676 meters ( see Orton ). From there I descended to Pradis di Sotto, turned right and climbed back up to Clauzetto (600 meters). Great descent down the Val Cosa to Travesio, then across to Sequals. At Sequals it started raining pretty steady. Wasn't too bad, though my wet socks were cold in the wind. Continued through Arba, Campagna back to our house, and thawed my feet in a warm bath. Great ride.

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