Cycling Dolomiti Friulane: Ciavalir, Val de Lama MTB Hike

Today a MTB ride, a steep rough hike, up into the clouds, snow above 1500 meters. I started with a ride to Dardago, then turned left toward Al Ciastelat restaurant. This becomes a dirt road climbing steeply to Mezzomonte. A couple of hunters were out with their beautiful bird dogs and shotguns. At Mezzomonte cemetery I headed upward on the paved road, then right on CAI 984. After end of pavement I continued riding until it became too steep and muddy, then I pushed. A few hikers who’d climbed up from Via San Tome above Dardago passed in the opposite direction.

Now the steep hiking/bike pushing begins. This is great exercise, using muscles I often neglect. I’ll admit I was fantasizing about a foldable mountain bike I could carry on my backpack, yet I persisted. Eventually I reached Ciavalir, a ruin of a stone farmhouse, surrounded by meadows encircled by piled-stone walls. I continued steeply upward to Casera Val de Lama at 1100 meters. I got confused by the electric fence routing but crawled through with bike without getting shocked. After a short dirt road I rejoined the paved road up from Mezzomonte cemetery. This ascends steeply and soon reached the Panaramica Piancavallo-Cansiglio in a dense fogbank.

I pedaled through the fog until snow at 1500 meters where I donned my cold weather gear. I froze down the slope past Casera Campo then Sauc and Piancavallo to Pedemontana and home. Unpacking I noticed my phone missing, so drove all the way past Rifugio Valle Friz, where the phone was in the snow where I’d dropped it. I was amazed the Mini could make it through all those drainage channels, it’s never been past Piancavallo.