Bibione Falo'

Beautiful May day for a ride down to the Adriatico at Bibione.  I’d read that they’d built ferry landings at Bibione and Lignano for cyclists to cross the Tagliamento River.  When I reached it a good sized crowd was waiting for the next boat.  I continued on the hard-packed dirt road until 

I reached the light house. From there a pista ciclabile atop the levy through the marshy zone behind the beachfront.  Top notch!

The long ride home went well all until San Martino where I nearly bonked.  Luckily a few km later it passed and I made it home feeling tired but lucid.  Will try this to Lignano next time.

Bicycle ferry landing from Bibione
 to Lignano across the Tagliamento

Bibione light house

Cima Valfredda MTB/Hike

Valfredda

Scree

Climb from Barcis to Montelonga

Forcella di Giais MTB

I needed to test my MTB after some maintenance so I took a spin up past Madonna delle Monte to Bornass, Castaldia, Via delle Malghe to the turnoff for Forcella di Giais (did not ride over to edge).  From there on the Ronciade trail back to Collalto, which I snowshoed in January.  MTB function check passed with flying colors.

Looking down toward the altopiano from 1435 meters

Beginning descent down to Forcella di Giais

Long climb

Andreis Chiesa San Daniele

I rode to Barcis and around the back of the lake when  an official told me the road to Piancavallo was closed for a rally car race.  So I rode up Valpentina to the road end then back down,
across the supension bridge and back to Andreis, where I intended to climb Pala Barzana.  Alas another official said it was closed for the rally too.  So I rode up to Chiesa San Daniele above Andreis, then down to the raptor rehabilitation center, up the crazy climb on Via Aquadotto, and back down to the long tunnel home.  Sunday morning fun.

Lake Barcis

View southeast

Valpentina falls

Chiesa San Daniele above Andreis 

Malga Fara above Bosplans

Monte Raut

Peak above Andreis

Wildflowers

Very professional trail construction by Alpini vounteers

Approaching San Daniele 

View of Andreis and Val Cellina gorge

Raptor rehabilitation center

Cuel di Forchia

Another favorite steep steep climb, but this one is over by the Tagliamento River.  After a long warm up through Pinzano and Peonis I turned toward Avasinis and headed steeply upward.  It’s a great climb for practicing breath control because if you don’t concentrate you will quickly run out of  oxygen and become a quivering gelatinous mass.

Toward the end you also get to simultaneously practice traction control on  some steep wet algae-covered concrete ramps, where your wheel spins 180 degrees, you’re standing motionless in the pedals, and you gently try to pedal forward while gasping for air.  At the top you coast down to the altopiano of Monte Prat then down to Forgaria.  The ride home wasn’t too bad despite my knackered legs.  Very happy to get home before the rain.

Val Tochel below Monte Cuar

Monte Ragogna con Fiume Tagliamento
from descent of Monte Prat

Good training

Via Guitcillo da Montanara

I love this crazy climb.  It starts at Montaner and heads very steeply upward to end of pavement at 850 meters.  At the last farmhouse you begin a portage through blackberry thorns and stinging nettles, soon rejoining a gravel road.  Some saliscendi on concrete roads down to the main road connecting Vittorio Veneto with the Cansiglio.  You turn off at Col Oliver picnic area and continue on the gravel road until joining the paved road to Villa di Villa.  Great fun on road or mountain bike.

View from the climb

Castello di Cordingnano at Villa di Villa

Hard climb

Soverzene

Rode up through the tunnels to Barcis, through Cimolais, over Passo San Osvaldo, through the tunnel at Vajont dam, down the switchbacks to the Piave River and southward to Soverzene.  They've greatly improved the pista ciclabile along the banks of the Piave  since I last visited.  Instead of a muddy footpath it's a paved bike path, concrete cantilevered along the previously eroded river bank.  There's even nylon fencing along the edge to catch you if you take a tumble.  This eventually connects to the previous hard-packed earth bike path and then pavement along the canal toward Lago di Santa Croce.  I missed a turn on the ciclabile, instead taking a fun deviation on a dirt road, miraculously avoiding the giant mud puddles along the way.

At Farra d'Alpago I began the lakeside ride with some wind-blown sprinkles falling from il Cansiglio high above.  Down the switchbacks to Vittorio Veneto and then the long ride home.  Happy and tired.  

Val Cimolana

Remnant of Lago Vajont

The landslip of Monte Toc, with Col Nudo high above

Peaks above Soverzene; beautiful bike ride to Lago di Gallina
hidden high above     

Wonderful new pista ciclabile along Piave River 

Previously this old construction tunnel was full of mud
so you had to carry your bike 

Monte Dolada, daring me to try climbing it again

Cima della Cima

Cima della Cima is another in the series of death-climbs starting from il pedemontana and grappling up the Monte Cavallo massif.  

After warming up to Sarmede, I climbed to Rugolo, turned right on the closed road toward Villa di Villa and shortly after took a left at the sign toward Chiesetta di Castellir.   Very steep climbing with some brief saliscendi.  I made it to the second sign for the church and died.  Definitely need to get back in form, as I've climbed this several times before without stopping.  While I waited for "the light at the end of the tunnel" hallucination to fade, I started pushing my bike up a side road I hadn't noticed before.  Quite pretty but it dead ends after awhile.  I rolled back down and resumed the actual climb.  I conked out again maybe 200 meters from the church and started walking.  After resting I began the slightly-less steep ascent toward Col Alt, reaching 832 meters.  Rather than walk up to the war memorial I continued on the dirt road to the alpin wetland then down to Strada di Patriarchi.  Nice descent and ride home.  I'll try to get in better shape before the next of these torture tests, Via Guitcillo da Montanara.

Trees in bloom, Chiesetta di Castellir
in background

The path by this old house leads up
to Col Alt war memorial 

Alpin wetland with chorus of singing frogs

Further down Strada di Patriarchi another
alpin wetland 

Ungodly gradients 

Panaramica del Cansiglio-Piancavallo

The climb from Coltura up through Mezzomonte to the ridge crest road  connecting Piancavallo with il Cansiglio is unique.  There is no traffic. Other than Sundays there are rarely other cyclists.  The gradient is unrelenting, and wears you down to the point you are helpless by the time you reach the final wall.  You don’t conquer this climb, you only survive it.  I’ll try again before summer, maybe on the MTB.

View above Mezzomonte

Dardago from 1400 meters

Dislivello from Coltura to Valle Friz

Muris

A visit to Ragogna and the steep climb from Muris to Monte Ragogna.  A couple of weeks from now the Giro d’Italia will race up this climb on the way to Monte Zoncolan.  I normally continue along the
ridge to Castello di Ragogna but today the ridge road was barricaded for maintenance.  Also visited Lago di Ragogna which is a lovely spot for a walk.

Lago di Ragogna

Finish line of Muris climb

New saddle for Maxima; light!

Deadly Muris climb