Col Alt

I rode the lower part of this climb to Chiesetta Alpina on Monte Castelir in January and vowed to return on my MTB to try the upper portion.  Unfortunately my MTB is waiting for a brake bleed kit, so I took the road bike instead.  After warming up on the ride to Caneva and Sarmede I turned toward Rugolo and climbed up to 250 meters.  Then turned right toward Rugoletto and Villa di Villa.  Quickly turned again, left this time at the Chiesetta Alpina sign.  Be sure to turn right at 310 meters instead of going straight ahead on a 15% stub that dead ends, like I did.

Now a pleasant surprise: the pavement on this climb was horrible last January.  As luck would have it they have paved this with fresh smooth asphalt up to 780 meters.  Miraculous really, and makes this into a road bikeable climb.  The new pavement improves traction tremendously and avoids much wasted power.  Unfortunately not enough for me though because at 530 meters I stopped to hyperventilate awhile.  Good thing too because the remaining killer gradient to Chiesetta Alpina crushed me.  I barely kept from falling over, and once I stopped my stomach felt twisted in a knot while I recovered- I couldn't drink or eat.

Finally I returned to the land of the living and resumed the climb toward Col Alt.  This road winds up through beautiful forest and a settlement of restored stone houses till 780 meters.  Here the climb leveled out and the road grew rougher to about 806 meters (Casera Dal Cin).  Then the road turned to gravel: I rode some of it, and then put on cleat covers and hiked.  After cresting at 820 meters it turned downward, passing a nice alpine pond with lily pads and very loud frogs at 798 meters.  The road winds past more restored stone houses and finally reaches Parco Carbonai and Strada del Patriarca, the old paved road from Villa di Villa to Il Cansiglio.  Fun descent to Villa di Villa, then home.  I will return on the mountain bike soon and ride up to the summit of Col Alt (866 meters) and visit the monument to resistance fighters who fought the Nazis. 

Info about the adjacent trail: http://www.prealpitrevigiane.it/descsentiero.asp?id=22

The fresh asphalt from Chiesetta Alpina to Col Alt

One of the restored stone houses above 700 meters

Trees near 780 meters

Casera Dal Cin

Beautiful decoration on the casera's door

Stella alpina and ginziana painted on shutters

Parco Carbonai picnic ground

Junction with paved Strada del Patriarca

Col Alt (866m) with monument at the summit

Castello di Cordignano ruins above Villa di Villa

Via Guitcillo da Montanara MTB

This is another farm road climbing from the foothills high up to the Cansiglio.  Like the others it's crazily steep, remote and beautiful.  Via Guitcillo da Montanara starts in Montaner, a short, steep climb from the plain near Sarmede itself.  The concrete roadway steepens immediately and stays that way more or less continuously for 4 or 5 km.  At first I stopped at most of the switchback ends to pant and moan, but after a while I started going longer between stops, which felt like an accomplishment even in 24-36 gear.  The gradient finally slackens above 800 meters and then pavement ends.  In a few minutes you reach a farmhouse and the surface turns to grass.  This was very pleasant, like the grassy rides through English woods.  Unfortunately the various paths I had read about all ended in dense thickets of thorny underbrush and turned me back.  I even tried going back to the farmhouse and heading up the grassy ride west of there,  but it turned into steep karst single track.  So I decided to roll back down the hill and try this from the top next time.  The top end of the trail apparently departs from the Vittorio Veneto- Cansiglio road  around 900 meters.  Maybe in a few weeks.

Looking down at Montaner's church

Steep steep steep

The hillside trees are flowering and sprouting leaves 

This is the farmhouse at 830m where the road faded out

Orchard and pens (for goats?) at farmhouse

The woods and mountains to the west

Col Visentin  to left of spruce, Monte Pizzoc to the right

Due castelli e delle grotte

Down Via Pedemontana Occidentale, right toward Sarone and up to the junction for Il Cansiglio, then down/up to Castello di Caneva, with beautiful restored campanile and church.  Next down to Caneva, west toward Villa di Villa, up past the backroad to Il Cansiglio and around Castello di Cordignano.  This castle ruin has some impressive stone walls and a large round tower.  Now up over the steep road to Rugolo, and along the cliffside through Montaner and Osigo to Fregona.  From here you climb toward Grotte del Caglieron and cross a bridge over the entrance area.

Continue steeply up the hill then down to Colors, where you can go straight down to Vittorio Veneto, or turn left on Via Rive d'Anzano.   Gigi had mentioned this to me on our ride a few weeks ago- it takes you to Fratte, above Cappella Maggiore.  From Fratte I went right on Via Lughera, Via Buse and Via Fraccas to Sarmede.  From here back to Caneva and home.  Very fun ride with lots of saliscendi.

Castello di Caneva

Castello di Cordignano

Some of the pathways connecting the caves of Caglieron, viewed from the bridge 

Castello di Caneva - Osigo - Castello di Cordignano

Perfect winter day-  headed down Via Pedemontane Occidentale to Sarone.  Lots of cycling clubs out today, including 70-100 GC Meschio guys riding through Giais.  From Sarone I rode up past Castello di Caneva and then down to Caneva town.  From there to Sarmede, where I took Via Fracas toward Fregona.  I ascended this last Spring, but took a right turn and climbed to Montaner.  Today instead I rode through Busa and then up Via Borgo Danese to Osigo.  This was a good climb but not a killer like Borgo Canalet to  Montaner.  From Osigo the main road follows the cliffside to Montaner and then you continue to Rugolo.  Here I turned upward again, on Via Rugolet past Castello di Cordignano.  This is more of a ruin of a castle, unlike Caneva which is quite well preserved.  La Conca between Caneva and Vittorio Veneto is  a great cycling area because there are so many combinations of small to medium climbs you can create.

The ride home surprised me- there are several hundred meters of climbing on the way home so I was happy to have plenty of energy and never got tired.  A good finish to 2012.

Castello di Caneva

Eastern edge of the prosecco wine district

Osigo with Col Visentin in background

Castelli di Caneva e Cordignano

Cold, clear day perfect for a ride. There were hundreds of cyclists on the road, the confluence of splendid weather and an Italian holiday, la festa dell'immacolato concezione. I tried keeping up with a small gruppo of cyclists that passed me, but after a kilometer or so they motored away and I couldn't hang on. Meno male, I needed to save energy for the climb ahead anyway.

Below Sarone I turned right and climbed up to the junction for Il Cansiglio. I went straight at the junction toward Castello di Caneva and then descended to Caneva. From here I took the back way to Villa di Villa, and began the climb up to Castello di Cordignano. The section after the castle has the steepest gradient, approaching 20%, then you descend to Rugolo. Here you join the wonderful cliffside road to Montaner, Osigo and Fregona. The views of olive orchards and prosecco vines on one side, and the steep escarpment of Il Cansiglio on the other are spectacular.

At Fregona I decide to return the way I'd come, instead of descending to Cappella Maggiore as usual. When I returned to Montaner I followed an impulse to try the back road down to Sarmede. I had expected a rough, narrow road but it was quite nice with lots of smooth, sweeping curves. I'll have to climb it in the opposite direction soon- has some very steep sections to surmount.

From Sarmede I continued on the main road along the plain through Caneva and home. Really nice ride- hope to have more like this in coming months.

Ruin of 11th-century Castello di Cordignano 

Montaner, with Col Visentin (1763m) in background

Osigo, backed by escarpment of Il Cansiglio

Looking back at Montaner from descent to Sarmede

View across olive orchards and prosecco vineyards toward Osigo

Steepest stretch above Castello di Cordignano

Castello di Cordignano - Castello di Caneva

Lightly overcast and cold when I left, but after Budoia, the skies turned blue and sunny.  Lots of cyclists out today, despite the frigid weather.  I rode along Via Pedemontane Occidentale to Sarmede, then attacked the short, steep climb up to Rugolo.  I made it up the 12-14% switchbacks seated, then a half kilometer of 10% made me stand to continue.  At the church in Rugolo the road levels out very briefly, then comes the turn off for Rugolet, another 12-14% climb, though mercifully brief.  I've ridden through Rugolet in the opposite direction but this is the first time headed east.  Nice mountainside rolling road, though short.  It passes through some pretty woods, in contrast to the rolling prosecco vineyards covering most of the area.

Now you arrive at Castello di Cordignano, the ruin of an 11th century castle.  The defenders had a great view of any approaching armies.  Normally I arrive here in the middle of a hard climb from the plain, and don't really clearly see the place, but today I was coming downhill so I could stop and check it out.

The descent continues to Villa di Villa then Caneva.  Here starts another little climb up to Castello di Caneva, a better condition ruin.  This one also was started in 11th century.  It has a lovely old church with stain glass windows, though I haven't been inside.

The climb spirals around the little promontory and eventually arrives at a crossroad for Il Cansiglio and Sarone.  I headed down the long grade through Sarone, a 150 meter plummet down to the lowlands where Fiume Livenza emerges from the base of the mountain, at the spring La Santissima.

From here a 25km rolling climb home on Via Pedemontane Occidentale.  Several young fellows zipped by like I was standing still.  Now I'm very tired.

Castello di Cordignano fortification

Castello di Caneva 

Rolling prosecco vineyards

Looking across the vineyards toward campanile di Caneva

The grade from Sarmede to Rugolo, castello di Cordignano, Caneva, castello di Caneva, Sarone

Sarone - Rugolo

This is a lovely ride along the foothills from Giais to Fregona, above Vittorio Veneto. It's similar to the ride I posted on 24 January, with a couple of differences. Instead of following the flat main road from Polcenigo to Caneva, I turned right at Sarone and took the high road. It's a nice climb because it starts easy and gradually increases to 8%-10% grade.The steep stretch has lovely views all the way to the mountains along the Slovenian border. At 220 meters (the junction with the road to Il Cansiglio) the road begins to descend. There is an excellent curve on the descent maybe 220° around which seems to go on forever. It was wet from yesterday's rain, so I went slow, but it would be fun when dry. I stopped to take some pics of the Castello di Caneva, and some elderly gentlemen from Vittorio Veneto zoomed by on bikes. I'm presuming they ascended Il Consiglio (1118 meters) this morning and were on their way home. I hope I'm it that good shape when I'm in my 70s.

At Caneva the road is flat briefly, but instead of continuing to Sarmede as before, I turned off at Villa di Villa and took the back road up past the ruin of Castello di Cordignano (13th century), and a stretch of 21% grade up to 300 meters. From there it descends to Rugolo, and rejoins the beautiful cliffside drive through Montaner and Osigo to Fregona. There's a fast descent to Capella Maggiore, then more or less flat to Polcenigo, and then the 250 meter climb home.

Looking east from Bivio di Sarone toward mountains along the Slovenian border

Castello di Caneva

Castello di Cordignano

Tail end of a bike club headed the opposite way on the back road to Villa di Villa

Montaner, with mountains in Belluno in background

Olive grove near Montaner with Colle Umberto in background

The rolling land of Sarmede-Fregona, with collline di Conegliano and Belluno mountains in background

Osigo, backdropped by mountains in Belluno

Map