Cornino - Monte Ragogna

The rain stopped today and I headed east to see the snow on the mountains.  I rode through Pinzano, up to Cornino, crossed the Tagliamento River, then took the rolling road up to Muris where the climb for Monte Ragogna begins.  It's very steep  (10.3% average, with 16% stretches), and has appeared in the Giro d'Italia previously.  Just below the top is a beautiful park with church and World War I memorial- I stopped to take some landscape pictures here because the top is covered with trees.  At the top I headed south on the ridge road, which is closed to cars because of a landslide.  Great ride, though I tweaked a groin muscle on the easy climb out from Meduno River up to Sequals (neglected to downshift).  Hopefully it will be all better by tomorrow.

Note: tried out my new Pearl Izumi Pro Barrier WxB gloves. I ordered them after my hands got wet, cold and numb a few weeks back.  Didn't get to test their water resistance yet, but they are nice and warm riding in 2℃ windy weather ( I had a thin pair of inserts inside).

Monte Ragogna- antennas at 500m, to right below them
 you can see chiesetta alpina Julia

Alpi Giulia from near Muris

Beautiful Alpi Giulia looking north

Tagliamento River and mountains near Austrian border

A view of the alps stretching to Slovenia

Chiesetta alpina Julia war memorial

Monte Cavallo floating in the clouds,
Castello di Pinzano in foreground

Monte Raut with Castelnovo del Friuli in foreground

Cornino-Monte Ragogna

After a week of rain I'm finally back in the saddle again.  Got off to a slow start- my muscles weren't tired, it just felt as if I didn't have any energy.  Luckily after Sequals I suddenly recovered and felt great.  There were many cyclists on the road because of the holiday.  At Pinzano I decided to head up the west bank of the Tagliamento to Cornino.  Here I crossed the rain-swollen river and gently climbed to Muris.  This is the start of the short but steep ascent of Monte Ragogna.   I stood on the 12% to 17% sections and remained seated the rest of the time.  At the top is a flattish kilometer along the ridge, which is nice after a steep climb instead of always steeply descending immediately.  After the descent I continued on the twisty road back to Pinzano.  I raced a group of tall black thunderheads all the way home, narrowly missing the rain showers.  Fun ride!  

The rushing waters of the Tagliamento
skirting Monte Ragogna in the distance

Note the silt-laden rain runoff joining
the normally aquamarine-colored Tagliamento 

A couple of the tunnels drilled (blasted?) into the
World War I fortress within Monte Ragogna

10% average gradient for 2.75 km

Some of the steep stretches

Monte Ragogna da San Rocco

Yesterday the previsione called for 20 cm of snow at 300 meters.  Luckily, the snow stayed above 400-500 meters, while at 300 meters we only got a little slush.

So today I stayed low to avoid the snow.  The temps were about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, but it was sunny without much wind- very fine weather.  I headed over to Pinzano, crossed the Tagliamento, and climbed up to San Rocco.  Here starts the short but steep climb up Monte Ragogna.  It is an unusual mountain- it sits alone on the east bank of the Tagliamento, like a miniature Rock of Gibraltar.  In the build up to World War I, underground munitions warehouses, artillery emplacements, and fortifications were burrowed within the rocky massif.   There are numerous signs explaining historic sites throughout the area.

To the climb: after a gentle rise along the bank of the Tagliamento passing the restored castello di Ragogna, the road heads upward steeply.  I stood on everything above 10%, including a stretch of over a kilometer.  Lungs felt great- maybe the cold dry air is helping?  The road is covered by fir trees, with brief glimpses through the trees of the junction of Arzeno and Tagliamento rivers, the foothills of Castelnuovo, Monte Prat and Monte Cuar to the northwest, and San Daniele to the east.  The road was pretty clear up to 400 meters, though snow caught in the fir tree limbs was dropping snowballs on me now and then.  Higher up the snow covered the road in stretches, though it was not deep enough to be impassable.

After the high point (495 meters), the sheer descent to Muris begins.  I held the brakes through the snow on the upper part, and as the road cleared below, I got up some speed on the straights before the inevitable sharp bends.  In this section there were great views to the north of Gemona and Monte Chiampon.   From Muris I rode back to San Rocco and headed home.  Felt great cruising on the long flat from Lestans, Sequals, Arba, Campagna, and Montereale to Giais.

The Tagliamento full of rain runoff

West toward Pinzano

Castelnuovo, note our rented house from 1994-1996

To the north, Monte Chiampon above Gemona

Gradient of Monte Ragogna

Monte Ragogna da Muris

A steep short climb with great views and history. From a distance Monte Ragogna looks like a peaceful tree-covered standalone hill on the bank of the Tagliamento River. But on closer examination, it's a World War I fortress, a mountain honeycombed with tunnels, troop quarters, ordinance storage and large artillery emplacements. http://www.grandeguerra-ragogna.it/eng/storia.html

I climbed Monte Ragogna from Muris. It averages 10.7% for the first 2.2 km, with stretches of 16%. I started off standing, then climbed seated when the grade dropped to 11%. I alternated this way repeatedly as the steepness kept varying. The road is cloaked by forest, a lovely place. At the top is a ridge crest road, gently descending through the forest. There are a couple of openings with great views of San Daniele, the river, the towns on the opposite side of the river, and the plain. The road then descends steeply to San Pietro, and on toward home. It was an Italian holiday so no trucks and lots of bikes. Also a roller blade race in Montreale Valcellina- streets were all closed and dozens of racers took part.

The Monte Ragona climb from Muris is also part of Italian cycling history. According to Passi e Valli in Bicicletta- Friuli, in 1991 this climb saw the splendid rise of Gianni Bugno, who in the steepest stretch, opened a gap on Giro d'Italia winner Franco Chiocciolo, Claudio Chiappucci, and Moreno Argentin, arriving at San Daniele to be crowned Italian national champion.

Castello di Ragogna

Castelnovo del Friuli

Pinzano

Tagliamento River

Entrance to WW I fortress within Monte Ragogna

Restored section of castello di Ragogna

Map (climbed counterclockwise)

The gradient of the climb