Fiume Veneto Chocolate Run

Cloudy and chilly this morning so I opted for a longish flat ride.  I was nearly out (!) of 99% Lindt chocolate and the long way round avoiding the Meduna bridge was a perfect choice.  The skies even cleared and temps warmed slightly.  Good light day workout.

Cao Malnisio MTB

2 km from home in Malnisio I noticed a sign for Chiesa Alpini and headed up hill.  It’s paved but very steep even on a MTB.  At end of pavement there is a flatter fork to the left and very steep gravel to the right.  I pushed the bike up this for quite awhile and eventually it became single track, climbing ever more.  Decided to return and hike this another day.  I rolled back down very gingerly and arrived at the untaken fork.  Soon you reach an outdoor church in a grassy glade.  Very moving statue of a weary Alpino here.  I will return soon.

Lotus blossom floating in fountain

The weary Alpino

Cold wind blowing his overcoat

The altar piece

His worn out boots

Rifle sling

Eyes almost frozen shut from the frigid wind

Cao Malnisio

Eyes sweeping northeast

The climb

Praderadego da Gus

From Vittorio Veneto I rode to Tovena and up the switchbacks to Passo di San Boldo.   From there some saliscendi  eventually joining the main highway toward Mel and finally the turnoff for Gus.    Immediately begin climbing to Carve.  Here I missed a turn and unintentionally completed another climb, the steep grapple to Zealant at 770 meters. Some great gravel roads up here to explore on MTB.

I turned around and rolled back down to Carve, found the correct road and began the pass climb from Valmaor at 480 meters.  This is a beautiful remote climb with varying gradients up to 16%.  At the pass (915 meters) there a few buildings with visitors in summer.  The descent is similarly irregular, ending below Castelbrando and the road back to Vittorio Veneto.  Great workout in spectacular scenery.

Dolomiti Bellunese from Passo San Baldo descent

Dolomiti from near Zealant

Cliffs on descent from Passo Praderadego

Rujal de San Tome

Another in the series "Rides right under my nose that I've never explored."  This one starts west of the CRO hospital on Via Pedemontane Occidentale.  Turn right onto gravel road marked Deltaplano, a hang glider landing spot.  Continue through the woods to the rocky banks of Torrente Artugna (dry this time of year).  A nice gravel road for cars ends here with some signs explaining the place.  Bike or hike up the hill to the old mill house and water wheel.  You can continue for several km along the the little stone-lined canal which powers the mill.  Eventually it switches to a large boulder scramble in the direction of Chiesa San Tome.  Instead I turned around and rode back down.

On the way back I took a different route through the forest on some excellent gravel roads.  It ended right by the CRO, so I'll try that route in the opposite direction next time.  Great ride!

Old mill house

New mill wheel

Sluice

Stone-lined  canal 

Boulders of Torrente Artugna

Beginning of Crode di San Tome cliffs;
later they are hundred meters high

Percorso Circolare Santuario Part Deux

Revisiting this nearby trail network to figure out where it goes.  This time I avoided climbing backwards up the super cross jumps and instead pushed the bike up Via Crucis (stations of the cross). This arrives at Madonna del Monte where I pedaled briefly until the trail plunges into the Torrente Aga ravine.  No water this dry autumn day so I carried the bike without getting wet.  Eventually I climbed out and mostly pushed the bike on the very rocky narrow trail.

Finally arrived in grassy fields and found a lovely flower garden someone has planted out here.  More climbing in low gear until I reached the trail junction where I rejoined the PCS last time I was here.  The trail meanders around westward, even arriving at Via Piancavallo highway, which I luckily chose not to bail out on.  Luckily because the trails get even better, with saliscendi, open pastures I’ve never seen before and a sweet approach to Colle San Giorgio.  After the abandoned village I took the wide gravel road down to the bridge and headed home.  Great trails just a couple of km from home I’ve just begun to explore.

Start of via crucis/stations of the cross

Madonna del Mont

Pala Fontana

Toward Piancavallo

Aviano

Beautiful garden along PCS trail

Tree carving near San Giorgio

Looking north toward ruins of San Giorgio

Sunlit window of ruins

Pietratagliata MTB

Several of the prettiest climbs in Friuli are in the northeast corner where Italy, Austria and Slovenia come together.  One of these is the climb from Pietratagliata along Fiume Fella up to the timber and  pasture land above high above.  I heard about it from http://spazioinwind.libero.it/teledirain, a great site with tons of climbs around here.  At first I tried to start from Dogna, but that was a dead end.  So I hopped back in the car and headed up SS13 to Pietratagliata and crossed the Fella again on a half- suspension bridge.  The road begins ascending immediately and continues without a break up 12 long tornanti, with a of couple hundred meters-long tunnel to boot.  The top is gorgeous fir tree forest, opening into grassland sun.  I had to turn around for time's sake but next time I'll try to make the loop down to Sompdogna to complete the adventure.  

Panorama of peaks along Austrian border

Gravel road continuing east

Beautiful marker at cabin

All but the last km is paved

Above Panuch MTB

After warming up with the ride to Lago Ca’Selva I headed steeply up to Panuch, a headland high above the lakeshore.  Normally I turn back home at this point, but today I continued up the steep gravel road toward Monte Raut.  The road is surprisingly good, though I did have to walk up a few loose sections.  This continued up to 1120 meters where a recently poured concrete section was still wet.  I turned around and returned the same way.  I’ll try again next Spring.

Val Silesia

End of the climb today

The climb

Giais MTB

Short ride through the corn and soybean fields covering the countryside south of our village.  The gravel roads are flat and very easy to cruise on.   Eventually I arrived back on the paved bike path toward home.  Very relaxing.

The aqueduct supporting arch below our village.
In the early 1900s it carried water from Lake Barcis
to the hydropower plant below Giais

The other half of the bridge
carrying two giant water pipes

Above Val Salega Bike/hike

After a long warm up through Sarmede, steeply up to Mantaner (wrong turn) and Osigo, this adventure starts along the highway from Vittorio Veneto to Il Cansiglio at Val Salega.  Turn left, duck under the barrier and walk your bike up the concrete road (pedal if you’re on a MTB).  I brought the road bike because of the long approach and return, and I knew I’d be pushing the heavy MTB most of the way up.  The hike continues steeply for a couple of km then turns to grassy saliscendi, much of it rideable.  There are a few back country houses in the area, but none occupied on this September weekday.  I was trying to reach the road connecting to Pizzoc/La Crosetta but couldn’t find it.

So I retraced my route back down to the highway, continued up to turn off for picnic area.  This gravel road connects with Via Patriarchi, which in turn connects with La Crosetta-Sarone road.  Long ride home from Palu, but took it easy and made it.

Concrete road turning off from Vittorio Veneto highway

Almost too steep even to descend
with disc brake road bike

Two big eagles flew away when I approached this house

Concrete road from Val Salega