Day 7 - Sottoguda to Sonnenalpe Nassfeld - 199km approx

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...