Le Ronciade MTB

I often see dirt roads and trails when biking or hiking and want to explore them further.  So today I rode the mountain bike back up to Piancavallo from Barcis to check them out.  After ascending the shady back road from the lake I arrived at Pian delle More (1172m) and turned left on a gravel road.  This ascends some what steeply (for my newbie mountain biker skills) to the crossroads at 1336 meters.  I decided to try going  to Casera Ciastelat (1450m), which is by Pala Fontana, directly above our village. After climbing to 1400 meters the road (signed Casera Montelonga) levels out and is easy riding.  Then the road ends and a trail continues on to Montelonga, while another trail heads up to Ciastelat.  So I would need to return with hiking boots and start the climb from there.

Instead I returned to the crossroads and headed briefly back toward Pian delle More, but after only 100 meters or so turned left onto a dirt road to Col Alto.  This was the highlight of today's ride- a long shady dirt road along the north side of the ridge above Le Ronciade forest/meadows.  Adding to the beauty are numerous karst stone formations, which have some very cool shapes. Also some good views of the mountains from here.  Eventually the road arrives at pavement in Col Alto (1290m).  I took the shady back way home, down past Pian delle More, Lago di Barcis and the cool tunnels to Montereale.  Very lucky to avoid the heat- we're having a record breaking heatwave and trying to stay shady.  Fun ride with more to come.  

The turn off opposite Pian delle More

The crossroads with 3 routes to choose from.

Lovely road toward Casera Montelonga

The foot trail to Casera Ciastelat

Warning: hidden abyss ( in the karst zone)

Mountains to north: Monte Caulana (2068m) left;
 Il Piz (1752m) right

Fallen karst boulder blocking half the roadway (right)

Monte Cavallo ( 2251m) left, in distance;
Le Ronciade meadows, foreground

Lago di Barcis looking east toward Monte Raut (2025m)

Looking west up the Valcellina

Valle del Mis

I've wanted to visit Valle del Mis for several years, ever since a friend told me about his wedding party by a gorgeous lake.   So this morning I left early and drove past Belluno to Ponte Mas, parked, and started riding.  Even the approach is pretty, rolling meadows with wooden houses, flower-covered balconies.  A beautiful monastery, La Certosa di Vedana, sits atop a hill overlooking the meadows.  Shortly you arrive at Lago del Mis, a manmade lake stretching for miles in the mountain valley.  The road follows the shoreline, with frequent short tunnels, 5 or 6 long enough to need a headlight and rear flasher.  It was still dawn as I rode along the shady lake edge, though the rugged mountains in the distance were beginning to be lit by the sun.  Almost deserted out here, except for a young mountain goat near Torrente Falcina, an inlet west of the lake.

The lake narrows and you cross Torrente Mis then begin cycling for miles in a spectacular gorge.  Numerous rapids and waterfalls interrupt the silence.  You're gradually gaining altitude, almost without knowing it.  Then around 500 or 600 meters the gradient picks up a bit, climbing at 8-10% up to Tiser at 950 meters where you join the road to Don di Gosaldo.  Because of the August traffic jams (especially on Sunday) I opted out of crossing Passo Cereda and descending to Fiera di Primiero.  Instead I turned  northeast and crossed Forcella Aurine (1299m) above Agordo.  Great views up here of Pale di San Martino (2982m), which was engulfed in clouds when I circled it last summer.

I got a bit lost at this point, despite printing out a map last night.  The signs were using different names than the map, so I erred on the side of caution and kept searching, till I found myself at Agordo (600m).  The places on the map were nowhere to be seen so I resolved to return to Ponte Mas through the busy tunnels of the main road.  Luckily as I was leaving Agordo I saw a sign for Valle del Mis.  It took a bit of climbing to regain altitude to Tiser, but the gradient wasn't bad.

The descent was fun, though the the road was now getting crowded (1030).  I don't want to think about what it's like this afternoon.  But not all the traffic is cars and motorcycles:  lots of cyclists were on the roads as well.  I will ride this again soon and find the hidden road above Agordo. 

La Certosa di Vedana monastery

Dawn Lago del Mis

Close up sun-lit peaks  in the distance

Torrente Falcina inlet

Looking back down Torrente Mis

Close up of peaks to south

Even closer up

Gorge narrows to 3 or 4 meters; waterfall on left after the narrows

Another view of the mountains above the gorge

Mountains to south toward Feltre; highest peak Piz di Sagron (2486m)

One small portion of the massive Pale di San Martino

Close up Pale di San Martino towers

Pale di San Martino peaks

More of the Pale

A close up 

Tolminske Ravne

I drove to Kobarid, Slovenia, parked, then pedaled down the east bank of Soča River.  This is a quiet country road through a gorgeous river valley- one of the nicest leisurely bike rides I know of.  Eventually you approach Tolmin along the steep sides of Kozlov Rob, topped by Grad Tolmin castle ruins.  When you reach the main road, turn left and descend to the bridge across Tolminka River.  Immediately after climbing out of the gorge, turn left on road marked Žabče.  Be careful because if you miss it and take the next left you go up the wrong mountain, like I did last year Planina Razor.  Once you reach the little town of Žabče there is a sign directing you to go right toward Zadlaz.  This winds around along wooded hills till about 445 meters, where you begin descending steeply to a bridge across Zadlaščica River (370m).  Now you climb short switchbacks steeply out of the gorge, then the switch backs get longer (but just as steep: 5.7km averaging 9.2%).  This part of the ride is in dense forest, with some clearings where you can view the panorama. 

Eventually you arrive in a big meadowy area with a few houses, the town of Tolminske Ravne (920m).  Great views of the the surrounding big peaks.  There is a path leading to Planina Razor (1315m) which I hear is mountain bikeable.  Have to try that.  Descent was easy, then back down the beautiful east bank of Soča River.  Great ride.

Note: my Garmin's elevation read 50-60 meters low the whole ride- I needed to set it manually but forgot. 

Sveti Bric (Santa Brigitta) at Volarje

Close up Sveti Bric

Kozlov Rob (Billygoat Hill), topped by Grad Tolmin

Grušnica, from above Zadlaščica River

Javor (1361m); note road climbing to Tolminske Ravne

Zabijska Vrh (772m)

The valley and ascending road (looking back toward Tolmin)

Close up of ascending road (Tolmin church steeple in notch)

Hillside with haypole ( pre-hay roll method) 

Edge of town

Thatched-roofed stone house

 Grušnica (1570m), left; Bogatin (2008m), right

Bogatin (2008m), left; Tolminski Kuk (2085 m) middle;
Planina Razor meadows (1315m), right 

Forcella Lavardet MTB

I left at zero dark thirty and drove to Comeglians, north of Villa Santina.  Then I hopped on my mountain bike and rode up beautiful Val Pesarina.  This starts with a series of picturesque villages where clocks were made in the old days, now only one factory remains at Pesaris.  Higher up it is covered with miles of spruce forest, waterfalls, and a couple of small ski areas.  Around 1545m the main road continues up to the left toward Sella Ciampigotto.  On the right is a curious sign saying Forcella Lavardet, road closed.  This dirt (rock) road was closed in 1993 after torrential storms caused some huge landslides.  For years I read it was impassable, but lately I've seen some reports of people mountain biking it, so I had to try.  

The upper part is rough with exposed rock, and what look like remnants of rough pavé (more like a bunch of different-sized big rocks pounded into the dirt.  This wasn't too bad, I just went slow and the suspension fork took care of it.  All of this slow-going in the shade of a big mountain at 1500 meters after sweating up the hill took its toll: I was freezing.  I figured I wouldn't need a jacket after doing Col Visentin and Monte Grappa in short sleeves, but I figured wrong.  I got to shivering and I think I was a bit hypothermic because I was trying to sort some minor problem with my bike and had no comprehension nor coordination (even less than normal).   Later on the road is nice, wide, graded gravel- they've done a lot of work down there.  Eventually you rejoin rough pavement around 1300 meters, arrive at a beautiful little chapel, and wind down the fanciest set of tornanti I've ever seen.  It looks like a piece of art, every switchback is symmetrical and fits exactly into the the next, all the way down to the Torrente Frison.

The road ends at Campolongo di Cadore, where you turn right  and head up the Piave Valley to Sappada and Cima Sappada (1290m).  From there a wonderful downhill cruise through Forni Avoltri and Rigolato to Comeglians.  Got to try this in the opposite direction someday.

Waterfall along Val Pesarina road

The mystery road

Creta di Mimoias (2320m) north of forcella

Monte Brentoni (2548m) northwest of forcella

Another peak of Brentoni Group, above winding Torrente Frison

Torrente Frison

Close up Brentoni Group peak

A Terza Group peak (to east) 

This massive cliff face is part of Brentoni Group 

Madonna della Difesa chapel, at Merendera

Looking north through the mountain gap toward Campolongo
and peaks beyond

Looking down the tornanti toward bridge over Frison

Sun about to break over Terza Group 

Close up of Terza Group ridge with colored dolomite

The adjacent ridge, also with colored dolomite

Sun breaking out over the tornanti stack at Merendera

Beautiful Campolongo view to the north

Campolongo church copper steeple,
hay sheds on the hills above