Cycling Dolomiti Friulane: Casera Sinich MTB

Finally the rain stopped. I drove to Travesio with my MTB on the rack, then headed upward. Follow the signs for La Genziana, a hillside restaurant and then continue around the switchback at the base of the climb to Osservatorio Tigre, also called Col Plait. There are some old Italian army buildings up here. Now head southwest on gravel road and single track to Ancona SS Trinita, a war memorial chapel. The gravel road steepens a bit, you traverse a concrete switchback and eventually end up on Col Manzon. Good views of the plains from here.

At the marked trail junction I headed north toward Monte Ciaurlec. Much of the route was too steep for my skinny legs and weak MTB handling skills, so I carried the bike over the worst of the rocky bits and pushed it over the merely steep ones. This was quite slow and it dawned on me I wasn't going to reach Ciaurlec, let alone Piani di Clauzetto (my objective). Eventually I reached Casera Sinich at 860 meters, ate a banana and tried to descend.

The trail down is very steep and bouldery so I stopped to walk often. Later it was still bouldery but less steep, so I rode more frequently. I only fell once, not on the ground but atop the bike with my leg caught between the front wheel and the down tube. Awkward, but not too painful. Later you transition to a wonderful dirt road, where you can go fast. This ends precisely at the paved switchback at the base of the Osservatorio Tigre climb The paved ride down is steep and fast, ending in the center of Travesio. I will try next time from Piani di Clauzetto, and hopefully reach the summit of Ciaurlec.