With the rain settling in the night before we didn't get a chance to explore Sottoguda at all which was a shame. At least the weather had improved a bit so by morning, the rain had passed us by, for now at least. Today's ride would see us pass over the Giau Pass, onto Cortina and then when we reached the SP49 the plan was to detour north to Lake Misurina and then head up to the Tre Croce viewing point. After that we would make our way east towards Sonnenalpe Nassfeld right by the Italian-Austrian border.
Route Maps for Day 7
Jim looks to the heavens for some morning inspiration
The Giau Pass didn't disappoint - like every other part of the Dolomites the pass was stunning. We pulled over at the top of the pass to grab a few photos...
One more pass under the belt
I just grabbed the first girl I could find for a pic...
...then I wouldn't let go of her! :-)
Obligatory group selfie!
Just to prove I was there on my bike
Luckily the weather was still on our side so we got to ride both sides of the pass in the dry. Next stop was the Tre Croce viewing point just after Lake Misurina. As we rode past the lake we spotted Wayne and Brian supping a coffee - they had shot on ahead after the stop at the Giau Pass. We headed on up towards the viewing point. It's not a toll road as such, but there was an eye-watering parking fee of €20 per bike to go up and park at the top. With a shrug of our shoulders and a 'we might not be back here again' outlook on the situation, we parted with €80 for four bikes. That nearly stung as bad as my wasp sting!
At least the road up from the barrier was good fun. As we rounded a corner we came across a cyclist who'd just come a cropper off his bike. Rear (tubeless) tyre was peeled off the rim and he was just getting up off the ground when we arrived. I pulled over, dropped the sidestand and Pauline and myself went to see if he was okay. Nothing broken thankfully, though he was well scuffed and bruised. After checking himself over he pulled out a mobile phone to phone a friend. Just then another cyclist appeared, and so did a busload of tourists heading up the hill. They were all gawking out the window no doubt thinking that those pesky motorbikers had knocked that poor cyclist off his bike. Ah well, you can't win them all.
We remounted and rode the rest of the way to the top. We parked at the highest part of the carpark and hopped off to admire the view. And what a view it was. Myself, Stuart and Aynsley even partook in a wee bike of rock climbing to make the €20 feel worth it!
Obligatory group shot
Stuart, Aynsley and myself climbed up to that wee hole in the rockface
The intrepid climbers reach the top
Holding on for dear life!
Me, up in the clouds
Awesome views in every direction!
Stunning!
We headed back down to the lake but Wayne and Brian had made tracks by the time we got there. We settled in for a bit of lunch right by the lake as it was a nice wee spot.
Nice view of the lake...not too happy about those clouds though!
Wonky light pole
Derek is delighted with his new friend Karl
Karl seems to like Derek too!
Time to hit the road again after another yummy lunch
Time to gear up to get some miles under our belts. As we made our way along the SR48 the weather started to worsen. We pulled over to put on our wet gear - best to get the gear on before getting wet - not after! From then on things got wetter and drearier. Our route took us up onto the SP619 and towards Lago di Sauris. The views up here were meant to be stunning, but all we were seeing was mist and rain. The one highlight was passing a cow standing asleep on the side of the road. As the bikes passed by he remained fast asleep not a bother on him!
We pulled over in Sauris Di Sopra for a quick break and a confab. We decided the best thing to do was cut our losses and take the most direct route to our hotel. With a bit more twisty stuff to get us to Ampezzo and the SS52, we put our heads down and made progress as best we could in the conditions.
Once back on the SS52 we headed for Chiusaforte on the SS13 and then finally joined the SP110 towards our hotel. We were all wet and tired at this stage and, as the last leg of the day involved some technical twisty stuff, we eased the pace back a bit. No point in risking a fall just to save a few minutes on our arrival time.
Finally, we pulled into the hotel - the bikes were parked under an awning out of the rain which was nice. There were a few groans as we climbed off the bikes - it had been a long day in the saddle. But enjoyable nonetheless.
The hotel was great with huge rooms and a big drying room downstairs where we could put all our bike gear. Owners were lovely too - when Derek asked for an iron, the lady of the house took his shirt and ironed it herself!
We ate at the restaurant across the road. Highlight of the evening was when Derek decided to show his mastery of the Italian language. He perused the menu, then closed it over full of confidence. When it was his turn to order he handed over the menu and made his order in the best Italian accent. The waitress first looked puzzled and then burst into laughter! Derek had to grab the menu back, have a quick look through it, and then order a 'number 34'!! Talk about falling flat on yer face! :-)
This was turning into a pizza touring holiday!
I decided to try something a bit more unusual...
As before, we tucked into a few post dinner beers (still giggling at Derek!) in the restaurant. Back at the hotel we settled into the bar where a few of us might have had one or three Gin and Tonics too many. We won't mention any names...suffice to say that Pauline's giggles woke Brian up and he thought there was a party in our room! :-)
Well fed and even better watered, we eventually head for bed and a good nights sleep...
Back in the saddle after our day off in Trento. It feels good to be travelling again. Trento is a very pretty town, but we've got places to go and things to see. Today's route involves the SS612 which takes us out of Trento in the direction of Cavalese, then we head north over the Pazzo Lavazé and onto a stop at Lago di Carezza. From there it's onto Canazei and then we cross the Sella, Gardena, Campolongo and Pordoi passes. Lastly we head for our final destination, Sottuguda.
Route for Day 6 - twisties and passes all day!
The SS612 was recommended to me and it didn't disappoint! Great bit of road with corner after corner after corner. Great way to get settled back into the bike after a day off. Weather was hot again, but once out on the open road it was comfortably warm. All those apexes were a nice distraction anyway!
Even got a chance to film a few of the others doing a driveby....
Our next stop was Lago di Carezza, which although busy, was a gorgeous spot and well worth pulling over to see...
Heffie and Terence admire the view
If Carlsberg did album covers!
Great to be able to share these places
Lake is like a mirror
Tranquil, despite the numbers of peeps about
We grabbed a cup of coffee and a quick snack here too - it was a nice break from being on the move. Lots of walkers and fitness types strolling about. Even the kids had full on trekking gear - tiny boots, little walking sticks and all. They looked deadly!
Back on the bikes and we were on the move again...
We reached Canazei and headed towards the Sella Pass on the SS242. Little prepared us for the sight of the Dolomites striking straight up into the sky. They just look fantastic. The most dangerous thing on this road is the fabulous scenery, it takes proper willpower not to stare at the sheer rock faces and ride straight off the next corner. Beautiful.
Even as we reached the top of the Sella Pass the scenery didn't let up and nor did the fantastic tarmac laid down in wonderful curves for us to enjoy....
Brian congratulates a driver on his 'overtaking a bicycle on a corner' skills :-)
Derek got right into the spirit of things - throwing the leg out at every opportunity. A brave move considering that his trousers were about as strong as paper maché! :-)
Stuart had a blast through the twisties too - but I'mnot surre if Aynsley had her eyes open for any of it! :-)
We caught out first bit of rain as we rode down towards Arraba. Luckily our route over the Sella and Gardena passes had stayed dry and clear, but the skies were telling a story of changing weather...
What's all this wet stuff falling out of the sky?
We decided to stop for a late lunch in Arabba. Restaurant Pizzeria Bar Peter had plenty of bikes parked outside so that was the place for us. Hooks on the wall to hang your lid and gear and we sat outside under the awning - perfect! We timed things perfectly too - a heavy shower came down punctuated by some decent thunder as we were munching away on our very tasty nom noms.
Decisions, decisions as Derek looks hangry!
Mean green eating machines!
Once you get the squiggles, you know yer somewhere fancy!
Lunch time!
Over lunch Wayne, Stuart and Aynsley decided to go for a spin on the cable car we could see from our table. Just in case they got stranded half way up a mountain, we got a 'final photo' of them! :-)
Pauline gets a final smile from the cable car crew!
Before we left Arraba I mounted the GoPro to Jim's bike so that I could be on video for once. This of course coincided with a proper rainshower which eventually has us pulling in to put on the wets. So unfortunately our whole ride across the Pordoi pass was a tad damp to say the least! But at least I was a movie star, if only for a little while. :-)
Eventually we rolled into Sottoguda. The rain had eased off a bit but it was still a pretty damp finish. But no bother, it had been a pretty awesome day with some great sights dotted along some really class roads. Only one thing for it after a day like that!
Just what the doctor ordered!
All Jim's birthdays come at once
A little while later the cable car crew arrived in the rain. But they'd made it back to earth in one piece so they were happy out. :-)
Our table was starting to fill up!
Din dins was had at the restaurant across the road. Many pizzas were harmed in the making of the following photos!
Our first day off! We all love biking, but it was nice to have a morning where we didn't have to get breakfast, pack up, get the gear on and get rolling. Today we were our own bosses, not ruled by distances to go or a hotel to get to. So it was gonna be plenty of sightseeing and playing the tourist! Flip flops, shorts and camera ready we headed out. Trento is a stunning city immersed in history. I'll not pretend to know any of it, I just went around taking pictures of nice things. Check out the view from our hotel room - awesome!
Trento's rooftops and church spires
Again, it was a hot day with the temps hitting 30 or so from pretty early on. Myself and Pauline headed to the post office so we could post a few bits home. Then we strolled to the town square, Piazza Duomo, which was quite stunning.
We met up with Derek and had a wee look around the cathedral at the square...even if yer not religious, it's pretty impressive. Nice sense of peace when you enter too.
Impressive altar
This is the view when you turn around
Some serious ladder work to put Jesus way up there!
Would love to see the dusters they use!!
This spot was for either the choir, or the inquisitors, not sure which
Wee model of the church we were in
Amazing murals on the walls
Stations of the cross were all in gold
Stairway to Heaven I do believe
Casa Cazuffi-Rella with its frescos is pretty cool. Lots of nice old buildings surround the Piazza Duomo.
Afterwards we stopped for a wee bite to eat. Pure disaster. Pauline got a sickly thick chocolate gloop and Derek actually had no idea what he got. My toasted sandwich was okay if a bit bland and dry. Hopefully the next meal would be better!
Then we settled down with a few beers to indulge in some Italian style people watching. Jim joined us once he heard Heineken was being served and later Pauline headed off to do some window shopping (despite the windows at home being perfectly fine!) We ordered another round and got nicely settled in.
Later on we took the cable car to Sardagna which offered amazing views of the city. We met up with Stuart and Aynsley and ate in the Trento Alto Bistro where the food was lovely especially when washed down with a beer or three.
