Zoncolan da Ovaro

I saw the news that Zoncolan was still covered with snow only a few weeks before the Giro, so needed to check it out.  From Tolmezzo warmed up through Villa Santina to Ovaro (490m).  Here I turned right and headed up the hill to Liariis (644m), which was steep but not worse than my usual climbs.  At the edge of Liariis the real climb begins.  

I started off standing in 34-29 for about a km.  They have nice portraits of cycling icons posted every half kilometer or so, and by the time I reached Alfredo Binda I was done for.   After that I had to stop and recover roughly every half km.  At Louis Bobet the road was so narrow I took 2 or 3 starts to clip in, and I decided to just stop at every wide spot from then on, even if I hadn't gone a half km.  Somewhere around 1500 meters I decided all this standing around to recover was taking too long and got out my cleat covers to walk.  Miraculously the gradient lessened at that very moment and I didn't end up having to walk.  

The forest now thinned and snow was everywhere except the road, which had been very well plowed and cleaned.  The only problem was at the 3 little tunnels higher up: snow melt covered the floor and near the end of the first tunnel I was suddenly on a sheet of solid ice.  My bike flipped instantly and I couldn't stand up, so I scooted on hands and knees awhile, sliding the bike along the ice.  Eventually I reached a spot covered with cinders where I could stand.  I got out of the tunnel and some German guys on Trans-Alp motorbikes came down from the top so I warned them about the ice rink.  They parked and examined the situation.  Meanwhile I donned my cleat covers and walked (baby-steps) through the 2 remaining tunnels.  From there I rode up the short steep switchbacks to the summit at 1700 meters.  Hellacious wind up here today and on the descent to Sutrio.  I thought I would be lifted off the road by gusts a couple of times.  From Sutrio easy downhill cool down to Tolmezzo.

Beautiful ride and scenery.  I think at my fitness level I need a triple however.

Val Degano villages below snowy range to west

Entrance to 2nd tunnel.  I had my cleat covers on
and was walking on eggshells

You can see the final switchbacks coming up from below 

Looking southwest

View toward the west

From the top looking south east

North east toward Austria

Col Alto da Barcis

A couple of months ago I heard Barcis-Piancavallo road was closed due to avalanches.   Today when I arrived at the start of climb at lakeside in Barcis, there was indeed a large Strada Chiusa sign warning me away.  I thought I'd try it anyway just to see.  Apparently the highway workers have already corrected whatever was wrong because it looked fine to me.  At Piancavallo I turned up toward Col Alto to see if that road was clear of snow, and it too was open.  Perfect weather and a great ride.

Monte Cavallo gruppo

View east from road to Caldastia

Beautiful valley at Candaglia

Monte Rest - Sella Chianzutan

Usually when I cross Passo Monte Rest I return via Sella Chiampon, but the road is closed due to an avalanche.  So today I thought I'd try a new route via Verzegnis.  I left early and it was crystal clear and cool.   Crossed Monte Rest without seeing a soul (just one spotted salamander).  Got very cold on the shady descent, and even the climb from the Tagliamento to Priuso didn't thaw me out.  I turned right on SS52 and rode down to Villa Santina.  Shortly after crossing Torrente Degano turn right at the sign for Invillino.  Then turn right off of Via Divisione Julia onto Via Col di Zuca.  This joins SP72 which crosses the Tagliamento on an old bridge.  

The road was marked closed but I thought I'd try it as they often are still passable.  The road winds up the forested hillside toward Verzegnis, but about the time I thought I must be nearing Chiacis the road was blocked.  Excavators have torn up all the roadway so there's not even a path to walk along the edge.  Luckily I noticed a dirt trail descending steeply to the left and thought I'd try it to see if it went through.  Sure enough after half a km the trail returns to pavement at Villa.  From there follow the road to Chiacis and soon you join SP 1. 

This main road, SP 1, was being readied for the Sella Chiazutan hill climb car race next week.  One guy was doing practice runs in an old Peugeot 205.  At the Sella ominous clouds were gathering and I hurried to get down to low altitude before it rained (hailed?)  After Anduins I continued to Pinzano and Sequals.  The wind had picked up and was mostly in my face.  I was very happy to get home, bone-tired.  

From Tagliamento River bridge below Monte Rest

From Villa Santina looking west 

From Tagliamento River bridge south of Villa Santina

Sella Chianzutan with gathering storm clouds

Santa Augusta Hike

I've seen this church high in the hills above Vittorio Veneto from several different viewpoints and always wondered what it was like.  So today I piled the pups into the car and drove to Serravalle, at the north end of Vittorio Veneto.  The trailhead is about the fanciest I've ever seen, with statues and double staircases.  Soon you reach a very regular stack of short switchbacks paved with round cobbles.  After awhile you pass through a gatehouse, climb some steep stairs, and head up  some longer switchbacks, variously cobbled, dirt, or loose rock.  Not bad but the pups very intelligently jumped up on the low stone retaining wall and walked along the top of it.  Luckily it was just wide enough for them to walk side by side.   At the end of each switchback is a little octagonal chapel, each named for a different saint.  They date from 1642, and each has a painting of the saint above the alter, but they're hard to see because the chapels are locked and the grating is small.  I think they must be attended and open to visitors on special days.  The last chapel, Sant'Elena, is on a large terrazzo built by the Alpini: great views to the south and east here.  

The last stretch is a treelined staircase that brings you to Santuario Santa Augusta (350 meters).  This was built around 1450.  To your left is a captivating  loggia with arches and a marble well.  I walked around the grounds a bit and found some additional trails, and the bikeable road from Santa Giustina.  I might mountain bike it some day.

Headed back down; the tired girls had a nice snooze on their ride home.   

The fancy trailhead at Serravalle

Gatehouse at the end of the short switchback stack

Cappella San Giovanni

Cappella San Lorenzo

The signmaker may have sampled some
of the local hallucinogenic funghi

Love this sign marking start of Alta Via dei Silenzi
(trail to Sorgente del Piave above Sappada):
nicely painted fossils, funghi, edelweiss, a viper 

The view south with Fiume Meschio 

Looking east toward Sfadigà, Cadolten

Close up southward, with Sant'Andrea and cedar trees

Santa Augusta tower and facade

The loggia and well

Close up of marble well

The loggia's arches 

West toward Longhere along Strada del Prosecco

The climb up through Menegon to Pian dei Grassi, Col Visentin

Cappella Sant'Elena at base of final staircase

The pups enjoying the more stable walking surface of the retaining wall

Passato remoto and imperfetto;
Maestra would be so proud!

West of the trailhead: Serravalle's campanile
visible between palazzi on the piazza 

Il Montello

Today a visit to the World War 1 battlefield at Montello.  I left home at 6AM and rode down through Cordignano, Pianzano, San Fior di Sotto, across Ponte della Priula to Nervesa della Battaglia.  It was now around 9AM and the deserted roads began to fill with bikes.  Hundreds, probably thousands of bikes.  I rode up Strada Dorsale to Santa Maria della Vittoria, highest point in the Montello at 350 meters.  Miles of winding roads through forest, a perfect cool, clear day, the perfume of black elder trees in bloom, unbeatable riding.  From Santa Maria I descended on one of dozens of connecting roads (prese) from dorsal to perimeter.  These are quite steep and each would make a great climb itself.   I arrived at the Panoramica, which is the northern perimeter road along the Piave River.  More bikes here this morning than anywhere I've ridden except Stelvio from Prato or Sella Ronda.  The attraction: to the north the river, the prosecco hills, in the distance the mountains reaching from Monte Grappa to Monte Cavallo.  To the south beautiful forests and meadows of Il Montello.  In between, a wide smooth, undulating, curvy road full of bikes.

Back in Nervesa della Battaglia I headed home.  On impulse I deviated from the route at Fiume Monticano,  following it across a plain covered in vineyards and fields, luckily rejoining the route only 3 km out of the way.  

Must return to Il Montello (driving part way) and try climbing a few of the prese- there are dozens, some paved, some dirt, so the possibilities are endless.

Piave River at Nervesa della Battaglia

Rolling pastures along Strada Dorsale

Prosecco hills near Valdobbiadene, with Monte Cesen high above

Santa Maria della Vittoria

Monte Cavallo gruppo far to the northeast

Cjanet-Monte Prat MTB

Another route to alto piano di Mont Prat, this one from the east.  Fantastic clear cool weather.  I rode up Strada di Bottecchia from Pinzano and Flagona, past Lago di Cornino, under the cliffs with squadra of circling griffoni to Peonis.  Just past  Peonis you take a left onto the strada per Cjanet.  Continue up the paved switchbacks, gently at first, then gradually steeper and steeper.  Beautiful views from gaps in the trees of the Tagliamento, Gemona, Osoppo.  Eventually you're grappling steeply up through the settlement of Cjanet to end of pavement around 550 meters.  Now it's a flattish gravel road through spruce trees, pleasant forest riding.  Things change again around 560 meters, as it now becomes a steep gravel fire road through brushy forest, with concreted switchback ends.   This is the most demanding section, but never overwhelms you completely.  Around 700 meters it calms down some and soon you reach pavement again near some old farmhouses (I saw a sign calling it Localita Aear).  Very pleasant riding here till at 765 meters a junction.  The road to Monte Prat turns right, but I saw an unlabeled lane heading up to the left and had to try.   Best scenery of the ride here: it rises out of the woods into steep pasture with glorious views to west and north.  I kept going to end of pavement at 830 meters.  Trails from here reach Monte Pedroc at 860 meters, but I didn't try them today.  I reached a beautiful sunny pasture at Pra de Asin but it was marked private so I turned around.  Then down to Monte Prat, with lots of hikers & picnickers for the holiday.  Nice descent to Forgaria then back to the car at Lestans.  Must head back here soon. 

 

Lago di Cornino with griffon
vulture cliffs in background

Turn left here north of Peonis

End of pavement at Cjanet

West toward Monte Cavallo gruppo

Monte Pala across the ridge above Val Arzino

Monte Pala with rocky Monte Rossa peeking over ridge

Snowy Valcalda in background

Monte Flagel (left in shadow), Monte Cuar on right

Refrontolo

An unexpected gift this morning: speedsters Paul, Joe, Naz and I headed down near Conegliano and rode around the prosecco hills.  The air was clear and cool- perfect riding weather.  After a while Joe and Naz had to head home, then Paul (the ultimate prosecco tour guide) rode up, down, around more hills than I can remember.  After Colle Umberto we went up and over a couple of ridges with spectacular views of rolling vineyards and hilltop churches.  South to Bagnolo, west to San Pietro di Feletto, Refrontolo, Tarzo (stopping for a caffè) then on to Cozzuolo and home.  Very fun ride with good company.  Hope to go again soon.

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