Monte Valinis - Poffabro

Combined a couple of prior rides to make a little loop. The first climb is from Meduno to Monte Valinis . The first few hundred meters are very steep, but it settles down to a comfortable pitch up to 600 meters at Forchia Meduno. Very easy grade from here to Forchia Piccola, where you pass the road descending toward Campone and then ramp upward toward Monte Valinis. This is a narrow steepish road, with wonderful shade trees to keep things cool. A car passed me and I later passed where they had parked, a father and son catching butterflies. The father encouraged me with "Dai, dai!" Unless he knew I was American and was saying "Die, die!" In any event I struggled up to the gate at 900 meters, walked through, then rode to the end of pavement a few hundred more meters ahead. Previously the rough rocky strada bianca was easy to ride, but I struggled with loose rock today. Don't know if the heavy spring rains had loosened the stones, or if my very rusty mountain bike skills have suddenly degraded in the past few months, but I was lucky not to fall.

The top at 1000 meters is a parapendio launch ramp. After a snack and rest I descended. A smooth straightish stretch midway down was very fun- the rest was quite bumpy and required rapid deceleration at the curves. At Forchia Piccola I headed toward Campone. Very rough steep road- basically clutching your brakes all the way down.

Joining the road from Campone I headed left down the gorge of Torrente Chiarzo to Lago Tramonti. From here turned left along the lake and then crossed the Fiume Meduna at Navarons. At the top of the climb out from Navarons a man shouted "Forza, forza!" I must've looked like I was about to drop. Shortly after, I saw a deer darting into the woods- quickly becoming invisible in all the leaves. Then comes a beautiful easy ascent along the Torrente Muiè to Poffabro. Left down the Val Colvera, fast through the tunnels down to Maniago, and home.