Cycling Dolomiti Friulane: Maloria

Maloria is on a side road I've passed dozens of times but never explored. Today the weather is stupendo so I thought I'd ride to Maloria and then trailblaze to Via Patriarca above Villa di Villa. I should have taken my MTB for the dirt roads, but I needed to ops check a shorter stem I'd installed on the Merckx so I rode it instead.

After warming up on Via Pedemontana to the turnoff for Sarone I headed up the road toward Il Cansiglio. At 550 meters elevation turn left toward località Maloria. Almost immediately turn left again at the road marked Bambini al Pascolo(!) Continue bearing left until you head steeply down a curving concrete ramp. Here you reach end of pavement and a couple of houses. I walked around trying to figure where to go but the map was no help. I rode back up the hill and at the Bambini al Pascolo sign turned left. This paved road winds steeply up to Posta Cavarzerani at 674 meters.

I returned to the curve where the road starts to head steeply downhill because my map showed a dirt road branching off there. A lady trying to herd her barking dogs told me to watch out, it's steep. Turns out it's a hiking trail, not a road and she was right about the steepness. I carried the bike on my right shoulder down the bouldery trail, encountering a large group of hikers. This continued for a half kilometer till I reached a grassy area with a house. I hopped on the bike and rode through the grass till I arrived at a concrete ramp. I descended, it turned to dirt and then to grass and went up a grassy knoll. Pretty view of the plain from here, but no road. So I retraced my route to a turnoff headed east. I was pretty sure I was lost now but amazingly this road soon turned to grass and ended with the same group of houses at the dead end I'd explored a half hour before. I'd been at the right place after all, I just didn't know to follow the grassy area till it turned into a road. Next time I'll be ready!

I headed back down the main Cansiglio road to Via Pedemontana and continued toward home. At the crest of the climb to Budoia a guy caught up with me and was drafting until I blew a shift and he veered around me. He slowed up and I went around. So the rest of the way home instead of loafing I tried to keep the pace up so I wouldn't get in his way. Good training for my legs after the long rainy spell.