Fanna - Cavasso Nuovo

Thought I'd take a break from climbing and do a little exploring near Fanna and Cavasso Nuovo, two towns east of Maniago. After a lovely ride through Cavasso Nuovo, I headed up toward Mas, and then up to Vescovi. In a cruel twist of fate, turned out my easy exploration ride was quite steep after all- the road up to Mas was 16%.

I cruised over to Grilli and down a very steep slope. Then up another 16% plus wall to Dreon and Runcis. These are all very rustic hill towns with pretty views of the pianura, colline di Sequals, and Fiume Meduna. If you're in the area, check them out.

Fiume Meduna from Vescovi

Colline di Sequals

Monte Valinis

16% plummet from Grilli

Map

The 16% gradient to Mas and Runcis

Costa - Collalto

Yesterday I left my camera at home because of the rain, but I regretted not getting some pics of the scenery, so I set out this morning to ride from Costa part way up to Rifugio Bornass. I was certain that my legs would be fried, and I'd only be able to take a picture of Torrente Ossena, then crawl home. But something keep telling me to climb higher....

The climb from Costa (205 meters) starts off very steep, with a kilometer of 10-15% ascent. I was sure that would finish me off after yesterday's climb, but no, I felt great. The grade gets easier then, averaging 5.4% to Bornass. I passed a couple of guys on the moderate climb, and then stopped to take a picture of the gushing white water of the torrente. Then I decided to head on up to Rifugio Bornass (767 meters), intending to turn down to Pedemonte and home. The ride was awesome, and when I got to the Rifugio, I decided instead to try to reach the antenna farm at Castaldia (1090 meters). This 4 km stretch averages 7.5%.

At Castaldia I was still feeling great and decide to try to reach the top, at Collalto (1374 meters). I turned off the main road and enjoyed a beautiful ride through the clouds, alongside little valleys, through faggio forest to the top. The road hits 10-12% percent here and there, but isn't bad. All told the climb is 1175 meters in 20 km, with median gradient 6.5%.

The cloud mist, a bit of light rain, wind and altitude made it quite chilly, so I donned my windjacket, but my fingerless gloves left my fingers frozen. Made braking on the descent difficult, so I need to bring a pair of fingered gloves on the climbs even in summer.

I thought about going down the main road (faster/shorter) but something told me to return the same way. I was immediately rewarded a few hundred meters down the road when two yearling deer crossed the road in front of me and gamboled down the steep slope. Later, I saw something move out the corner of my eye, and turned to see a falcon had landed on a branch a few feet away. Wonderful seeing such a magnificent animal so close up. Still later, a beautiful red squirrel darted across the road and stopped, by the road edge, its tufted ears raised alertly. These things made the descent worth the extra time and distance.

I don't even remember the 200 meter climb home from Costa to home- maybe a touch of hypothermia? But Collalto is a lovely climb and I'll try to do it again soon.

Torrente Ossena above Madonna del Monte

Close up of Torrente Ossena

Looking downstream into the gorge

Mountain valley above Castaldia

Faggi e karst a Collalto

Gradient from Costa to Madonna del Monte

Map of the climb

Altimetria

Pedemonte - Rifugio Bornass

After 6 days of continuous rain, this afternoon we had a brief "period of brightness" as the BBC weather reader says. I hurried and jumped on my bike, thinking I'd go to Villa di Villa and search for the Strada di Patriarchi backroad to Il Cansiglio. But as I approached the turnoff for Piancavallo at Pedemonte, I glanced up, saw the clouds had parted and I could see Castaldia, where the parapendio jump off the slopes. On an impulse I turned right, thinking I'd ride up to Collalto at 1374 meters.

As I mentioned previously http://dolomiti-friulane.blogspot.com/2010/04/piancavallo.html it's a long steep ride, rated "Molto Impegnativa" by Passi e Valli in Bicicletta- Friuli. I managed to remain seated up to 650 meters but a stretch of 13-15% did me in. So I climbed standing until 767 meters at Rifugio Bornass. My plans to reach Collalto quickly disintegrated during this standing stretch, as a huge black cloud with lightening and thunder loomed overhead. Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to descend at Rifugio Bornass. It was quite windy and started to rain. Once I got down to 300-400 meters the rain stopped. I rode as fast as possible the 200 meter climb home on Via Pedemontana. Another guy with the same idea shot by me in a blur. A second fellow went by a little slower so I jumped on his wheel for the 1 km flat ride through our town.

Once home the sky split open and it rained buckets. I was very glad I hadn't ridden to Villa Di Villa- I would have been drenched and then faced a long ride home.

Map

Gradient from kilometer 7 to 14

Andreis - Pala Barzana

The climb to Pala Barzana from Andreis is shorter but steeper than from Poffabro (see Pala Barzana ). Either way though, it's a good work out and very close to home.

After the 4km tunnel, you turn off the main road and head gently uphill. A kilometer and a half later you turn off the road to Andreis and start up a 9% slope. After the little village of Bosplans the road does a kilometer or so of 9-15%. I was panting but remained seated for the climb. The grade eases up a bit (down to 7-8%) and winds on up to the forcella. Suddenly the forest canopy opens into a grassy meadow, surrounded by higher rocky peaks.

I had a snack there, then headed down the well-engineered road to Poffabro. It passes through a fir tree forest, then into faggio and other deciduous trees. It is more exposed to the sun than the climb from Andreis, but both have wonderful panoramas. Lovely streams with snowmelt criss-cross the road- the sound is enchanting.

After descending through Poffabro, I reached Bus di Colvera and stopped to enjoy the rushing white water. Very special place.

So try the climb both ways- you'll love them both.

Looking up from Forcella Pala Barzana at Monte Raut

Spring foliage above the tornanti

Mountain stream

Map of the climb

Ride profile

Valcellina

I've been looking for bike paths for my wife to ride on her hybrid, so thought I'd explore a couple in Valcellina I saw here: http://www.barcis.fvg.it/fileadmin/documenti/PistaCiclabileValcellina.pdf

The first area I checked was below Lago di Barcis. Near Molassa, Fiume Cellina enters a deep narrow gorge only a few meters wide at points, where the rock has been carved into smooth round shapes by the rush of water (La Forra). Now there's a dam so the flow is reduced, but imagine a hundred years ago in Spring, how violent the turbulence would have been. Only a short portion of the original road has been made into a year-round pista ciclabile. The main portion down to Lago di Ravidis (near Montereale) is closed due to rock falls, except for August and weekends in September. I rode it once about ten years ago (tossing my bike over the fence then climbing over) but security has been tightened and I'm getting old. I'll try it again when it opens later this year.

So after completing this brief pista, I rode to Molassa, then up over Monte Dint. The views were gorgeous, and the ride was very pleasant, despite a stretch of 14% grade. I then took the road along the back shore of Lago di Barcis, past the turnoff to Piancavallo I climbed last week, to the suspension bridge across the upper end of the lake. Before I reached the bridge, a side road caught my eye, so I explored it. It passes through the Val Pentina, with beautiful wilderness scenery to the end of asfalto after several kilometers. I then rode back and crossed the suspension bridge.

Here I joined the main road toward Claut and Cimolais (see write up in February http://dolomiti-friulane.blogspot.com/2010/04/valcellina-passo-san-osvaldo.html ). The Cellina was full of snowmelt, a brilliant blue-green color. At Claut I looked for another pista ciclabile, which starts just past the bridge over the Torrente Settimana near the Palaghiaccio. It's a nice bike path, which heads up a slight grade through the pine-covered plain toward Cimolais. At one point it gets very steep- reading 19% on the Garmin. Then it rejoins the main road, which isn't heavily trafficked and has very smooth pavement (great for biking). At Cimolais I found the last pista- my favorite. It's through woods along the edge of the plain, almost level for several kilometers. Then it heads downhill to the mainroad junction to Claut and Cimolais. Maybe I'll bring my wife's bike up here in the car sometime so she can try it.

All downhill from there. A bit of headwind but counterbalanced by the downslope, so no problem. At Barcis the road levels out, but once you reach the 4 km tunnel it's downhill again with a tailwind from the ventilation system- feels like your flying.

An easy ride through spectacular scenery on a warm April day (didn't even put on the windjacket on the descent or in the tunnels). Best of all, Valcellina is only 4 or 5 km from my house.

Water-carved rock in the Forra

Forra Cellina

Jagged dolomite peaks above Andreis

Monte Raut

Waterfall on tributary of Pentina

Monte Sestiere from Val Pentina

Glacier remnant(?) above Val Pentina

Alpine flowers Val Pentina

Fiume Cellina, foreground, rushing into Lago di Barcis

Gap through the mountains- to Passo San Osvaldo

Peaks above Cimolais

Upended sedimentary layers north of Claut

Map of piste ciclabile in Valcellina

No GPS data- appears to have dumped.

Monte Rest- Sella Chiampon

Passo Monte Rest and Sella Chiampon are two routes to Carnia, a mountainous region of northern Friuli which stretches to the Austrian border. While Passo Monte Rest is a very well constructed road with long switchbacks, grades between 7-9%, Sella Chiampon is a narrow, crooked, steep mountain lane. Doing them both in one day is 2000 meters plus of climbing, so you get a good workout while enjoying the spectacular scenery.

After riding to Meduno, then up past Lago dei Tramonti and Tramonti di Sopra, the climb begins. Great road through forested slopes, with lovely views of the vertical cliffs of Monte Rest- hundreds of meters of bare rock straight up. At the passo I rested a few minutes, then headed down the other side. The north side has fantastic views of the Tagliamento valley and surrounding mountains. The north road has shorter, crooked-er switchbacks and is steeper than the road up the south side.

After crossing the Tagliamento, the road turns upward again for a few hundred meters climb. A lady walking down the road shouted "Coraggio!" to spurn me on. The road then winds down through Socchieve, back across the Tagliamento to Preone and the Sella Chiampon climb.

It's a rough narrow lane through the beautiful forest of Val di Preone. After hanging along the cliffside awhile, the road descends to cross Rio Saezza. Now the fun begins. As Passi e Valli in Bicicletta- Friuli puts it " The climb has an unusual profile, characterized by a stretch of 1.7 km in which you must overcome 4 switchbacks with an elevation change of 197 meters, where the median gradient is 11.6%, rising to 20% at times." www.ediciclo.it I remained seated and ground away at the cranks until the grade hit 14%, then I stood the rest of the way. Luckily there wasn't too much loose stone on the surface and I was able to complete this section without the rear wheel spinning or me falling over. Eventually it eased back down below 10% so I could sit down and start riding normally. This continues until the Sella. Shortly afterwards the forest opens into a lush green valley surrounded by mountains- absolutely gorgeous.

I was ready to coast all the way to Pinzano now, but it wasn't meant to be. At the end of the meadow- the road was suddenly covered with fallen rocks, tree limbs, piles of leaves. It appeared to be closed. I continued along it slowly, dodging fallen rocks. I had to dismount once for a particularly bad stretch of debris. The views were mind-boggling down into the sheer-walled gorge of the upper Arzino. Eventually I reached the junction with the road from Selle Chianzutan, and here there was barrier and notice that the road I'd been riding was closed. Nothing at the other end though! And Via Michelin didn't know either. Turned out ok- and I hope it's just temporary, it's a wonderful road .

From here, zoomed down the Val Arzino through San Franceso, down the tornanti at Anduins, rode the rollers through Pinzano to Lestans. Even got a little tailwind on the flats toward home. Thinking about doing the ride again someday in the opposite direction....

Monte Valcalda from Ponte Rio Novarchis

Rio Novarchis

One set of tornanti on Monte Rest

Looking west toward Cimon di Agar

Northward mountains of Carnia

Fiume Tagliamento

Fiume Tagliameto below mountains of Carnia

Waterfall Rio di Grasia

Looking south up Rio Saezza

Rio Saezza down toward Preone

Meadows after Sella Chiampon

The meadows and surrounding mountains

Ride profile

Map

Piancavallo da Barcis

Wonderful climb from Lago di Barcis (400 meters) up to Piancavallo (1310 meters). The ride is through deserted wilderness along Torrente Caltea, cascading down from the altopiano. Miles of forest and karst stone outcroppings, completely silent except for the rush of snowmelt in the gorge and birdsong.

The road is very good on the lower half, with well-made tornanti to ease the grade, though it still has stretches of 8-10%. Higher up though, the pavement is broken up by frost heave, with many loose pebbles. Luckily the grade also eases a bit on these higher sections, so no traction problems.

At Piancavallo there was some remaining snow, but the skiers are all gone- a ghost town. I tried taking the road up over Col Alto down to Castaldia, where the parapendia jump off the slopes, but the road was snowed over above 1388 meters. So I rode back down to Piancavallo, then zoomed down the 1200 meter descent to Pedemonte, at Aviano. From the rushing wind of the descent I couldn't hear much on the remaining 200 meter climb home. Great ride.

Mountains above Lago di Barcis

Fiume Cellina gorge below Barcis dam

Torrente Caltea waterfall

Looking back from Piancavallo toward mountains above Barcis

Monte Cavallo, center, looming over Col Alto

Too much snow on road to Col Alto- try again later

Map

Ride profile