Casera Casavento hike

No bike ride today, but I continued on foot my interrupted bike ride in March to the end of pavement above Val Margons:  http://dolomiti-friulane.blogspot.it/2012/03/val-margons.html   Today I brought along our dogs Honey and Teddi and began the hike just past Lesis (above Claut).  We ascended the steep tornanti in full forested shade; the cool morning air kept us from over-heating.   The gravel road after the tornanti isn't bad at all- should be fine on a bici di corsa, unless it has fancy wheels or tires which might be damaged by †he rocks.  You soon reach Pian de Cea then cross a wide gravel wash on a stone roadway.  You re-enter the forest and continue to gently climb until reaching the alpine meadows surrounding Casera Casavento.  Beautiful place, with tall cliffs and dense forest on 3 sides.  A few minutes later you arrive at the site of a fossilized dinosaur footprint in a lovely mountain stream below a waterfall.  Quite a wonderful location.  After exploring a bit we headed down.  Much easier in this direction.  We passed very few people along the way.  I imagine on Sundays in the summer it's crowded, but today practically deserted.  In summer they charge you to park, the road is only one lane wide so someone must backup if 2 cars meet, etc.  Best to go off-season or weekdays.  

Narrow headwaters of Torrente Cellina from Pont de la Sala

Looking upstream toward la sorgente del Cellina

Peaks to the north beyond Grave da Giere

Casera Casavento's lovely setting

Across the alpine meadows of Casera Casavento looking west

The creature who left his footprint here

A grafical explanation of how it all happened

Storied paleontologists Honey and Teddi examine the fossil for clues

Tried to use shadow and exposure to make this footprint visible.
It's about as long as my foot, but wider.

Ciol de Ciasavento waterfall above the fossil site

From Lesis to Casera Casavento

Bosco delle Penne Mozze

A freak mid-May snowstorm blanketed the foothills/mountains in white yesterday. Doug went up to Piancavallo to run and said the snow was 9 inches deep. Today it was crystal clear, without haze, nice and cool for our ride.

Doug and I rode to Vittorio Veneto and then west on Strada del Prosecco to Cison di Valmarino. We turned off the main road and up through the lovely little town.  The narrow lane climbed steeply through the forest, past the Penne Mozze Alpini memorial, and finally to end of pavement at 512 meters. The gradient touches 18% on the last stretch of the climb. A hiking trail commences here, continuing upward to Rifugio di Loff at 1134m. A hiker told us the walk takes about 1.5 hours.

Very pleasant ride home. We even stopped at San Marco Cafe in Piazza Foro Boario in Vittorio Veneto for a caffè. I felt civilized for a change. We continued to Caneva via Anzano, Cappella Maggiore, Sarmede, and Villa di Villa. Much less traffic this way.

Stupendous weather, good ride and great company- more rides like this, please!

The view from my bedroom window this morning

Close up of Crodon del Gevero 1254m

Gap through ridgeline

Sculpture honoring Penne Mozze (gli Alpini morti) 

Casera Vallon Scuro 1286m

Stone arch ponte over Torrente Rujo

A view up the road toward Bosco delle Penne Mozze

Castello di Cison- a climb for next time

Sella Chianzutan 2012

Gorgeous morning!   A cold front came through Sunday morning and lowered temperatures to below May normals, then the wind last night blew away any remaining haze.  It was so nippy I put on my Castelli leg warmers, normally stowed away after March.  I warmed up through Arba and Pinzano, then headed north on Strada del Bottecchia.  Lots of grifoni were riding the thermals at the Riserva Naturale- I had to stop for a picture. 

I continued north but had a flat (front again) so changed the tube.  I found the gash in the tire from my previous ride but the tube hole didn't line up with it.  Still, I don't trust this tire anymore- will replace soon.  I rode through Avasinis and Alesso, then along the west side of Lago Cavazzo- very pretty.  Half way to Verzegnis the road was closed and I was routed a long way around, through Cavazzo Carnico, across the Tagliamento, to Tolmezzo, then across the Tagliamento again to the start of the climb.

The climb itself was stupendous, through dense fir then beech forest.  There are a few villages with meadows on the first half of the climb, and I said "Bon di" to a lady working in her garden.  She said "Grazie, è un vero bon di", she also knew this was an especially fine day.  At 800 meters the forest gave way to alpine meadows, through which the road switchbacked to the sella at 954m.  I took a few pictures but it was quite cold now that I'd stopped my exertions.  I headed down the other side, through spectacular Val d'Arzino and San Francesco to Anduins.  A strong headwind was blowing from the sella all the way to Lestans, where I turned west toward home.  I made it home but legs were very tired. 

Huge wingspread of gliding grifone above Lago di Cornino

Monte Verzegnis 1914m to west

Monte Piombada 1744m to east

Monte Sernio, 2197m to the north

Rode counterclockwise

Passo di San Boldo 2012

This was an unusual and interesting ride.  I left home at 0630 and cruised to Caneva.  There I met Joe for our ride and several other folks from GC Meschio club also arrived.  We headed toward Passo di San Boldo around 0800.  I held on to the back of the bunch until Cordignano, when my front tire and tube were slashed by some road debris.  The guys heard the load hiss and all came back to help.  Joe told them to go ahead, we would change the tube and catch up with them, but they would have none of it.  Two guys pulled off the tire, carefully checked for any glass, etc still lodged in the tire carcass, and half-pumped the new tube.   Another guy was using the pump to try and find the hole in the tube.  That could wait for later though, so the other 2 guys finished pumping my tire and reinstalled the wheel.  All the while the whole group remained waiting, for me a total stranger who happened to be tagging along.  Their kindness and patience with me holding up their ride was really amazing.  Days like this remind me why I love living in Italy so much.


I redoubled my efforts to keep up and managed to hang on through Anzano but the little hill at Serravalle dropped me.  The last I saw of them was on the climb toward Longhere on Via del Prosecco.  I settled into my usual snail-like pace and continued till Cison di Valmarino, where I turned toward Passo di San Boldo.   This is a beautiful place; even if you don't bike you should visit just for the view.  I continued up the tornanti to 665 meters, where I stopped for the traffic light (there are single-lane U-shaped tunnels at the ends of the tornanti so it's safer to wait for a green light to avoid hitting descending cars head-on.  While I was waiting Joe and his companion (whose front derailleur cable had broken) arrived from the passo, where they had waited awhile.  They were headed down so I went with them- there'll be plenty more chances to climb this again (and descend via Passo Praderadego!)
Fun ride and I met some very nice people!


Note:  I didn't bring a camera but here are some fotos of the passo from previous rides:
http://dolomiti-friulane.blogspot.it/2011/06/passo-praderadego-da-gus.html

Cuel di Forchia da Avasinis

This morning was so beautiful I was obliged to go for a ride.  After an easy ride to Pinzano I headed north along the Tagliamento on Strada del Bottecchia.  Dozens of grifoni were gliding along the cliffs above Lago Cornino.  I turned left toward Avasinis and then left again onto Via Novedet- the start of the climb.  In the first 400m up to the crucifix you average 14% gradient.  It then lessens to 10-12% for several km, immersed in dense forest with glimpses of Lago di Cavazzo to north.  After another tilt upward to 14-15% you reach a false flat through meadows with some rustic houses.  Great views to north here.  The road now continues even more steeply with sections of 18-20%.  I was gasping for air but made it through the worst without stopping (which would entail rolling back downhill a ways to restart).  The remaining climb to the pass Cuel di Forchia is easy.  From there you descend a bit and then reascend to Val Tochel.  Down the narrow road to Monte Prat, then down wonderful wide, smooth switchbacks to San Rocco, then Forgaria and home.  Stupendo!


BTW this climb was part of stage 18 of 2006 Giro d'Italia.  You can read an account of Marzio Brusgehin and Stefan Schumacher's battle up Cuel di Forchia here:  http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=9483 

View to northwest at 750m

Close up with Monte Arvenis (1968m) in background 

View to north

View northeast

View south of Monte Cuar east peak

Glider being towed.  Before I could see it, I thought it was a
tractor going uphill- that's how hard the engine
was straining to get up over the mountain

Ridden counterclockwise

7.5km averaging 9.4% gradient

A couple of the steeper ramps

Monte Frascone 2012

"Where are you headed today?" my neighbor asked.
"Above Vittorio Veneto: Pian delle Femene"
"So you are going there to look for women?" she teased.
"No, there aren't any women there.  Only grass and trees"  I played along. 
"Allora, buon viaggio."

I warmed up on the easy glide down to Vittorio Veneto.   Lots of cyclists out for a weekday, even 2 big groups of 20 or 30.  Turned toward Valdobbiadene and continued through the little town of Revine.  Just past the town is a right turn toward Monte Frascone / Pian delle Femene.  After an initial steep wall, you turn left toward Santuario di San Franceso Da Paola.  The road seems steep, but the parallel Via Crucis footpath to the church is even steeper.  Then you head up a series of long switchbacks through the forest averaging 10-12% for 4 km.  I was doing pretty well on this, but then I stopped at Madonna delle Nevi chapel to take some pictures.  It was tough getting back into climbing rhythm after that, and harder still on the following half-kilometer averaging 13.4%.  After 6 km the grade lessens slightly to 9-10%.  At 9 km you reach the end of pavement at Pian delle Femene. The previously crystal blue sky now turned black and it was clearly time to get outta there.  On the descent I went fast at first, then came to my senses and rode more cautiously.  It's a surprisingly wide, well-paved road considering it's out here in the middle of nowhere.  I got down to Revine and then cruised home with a lovely tailwind.  Hope to return to this climb again soon.  

Santuario San Francesco Da Paola

Lago Revine and the prosecco hills in background

Similar view from higher up at Madonna delle Nevi 646m

Memorial honoring women of the Resistance, who fought
against Italian fascists and Nazis

Memorial to the Alpini in WW I
at Vittorio Veneto  

9km averaging 9.7% gradient

Giro di Prosecco

An unexpected bonus today.  Paul Kim, an expert on cycling in the prosecco area west of Vittorio Veneto, invited me for a ride.  From Vittorio Veneto we rode up Passo di San Lorenzo (417m) then down to Tarzo.  From here we rode through some lovely rolling vineyards to Zuel di Qua, then down through Rolle.  Really spectacular scenery here.  Then we rode more rollers to Refrontolo, San Pietro and Cozzuolo, all the while surrounded by vineyards.  Can't wait to go back and shoot some photos, as well as exploring the plethora of roads winding through the area.  I did find this foto of the area online: