Tag: Cycling

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Six

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Six

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Pego Loop via Puerto de La Vall d’Ebo & Puerto de Tollos

The last day of my Denia cycling adventure has arrived already & today we embarked on a loop on some of the most remote roads in the area. We began with another commute to Pego & parked just outside town on an industrial estate. Under slate grey skies, we began the climb up to the Puerto de la Vall d’Ebo, perhaps the most scenic climb in the region.

The lower slopes rose through a forested section, & during this section a group of Brits quickly cruised onto my wheel, said a cheery ‘Good morning’ & pedalled off into the distance. A timely reminder of my place in the pecking order on the climbs!! About halfway up the 6 mile climb, the view opened up & we could make out the road below as it snaked its way up the mountain, with the Mediterranean providing the perfect backdrop.

58 minutes after setting off we were at the summit of Puerto de la Vall d’Ebo, some 1,800 feet above out start point. We stopped for a selfie, then descended into the village of Vall d’Ebo, where we took a left onto a tiny track that immediately started climbing again.

The lower slopes were both steep & barren, but soon the gradient eased off & we entered a lush, green, ‘hidden’ valley.

We descended to the larger CV-720 for the gentle climb into Castell de Castells where we stopped for a café con leche & a slice of manzana brazo gitano (think of an apple filled Swiss Roll).

We stayed on the CV-720 & continued climbing through the trees until we reached the summit of the climb at the small village of Fageca. The views across the valley were stunning – in the far distance we could make out Planes, which we had visited earlier in the week.

Our next climb was short but brutal, as the gradient pitched up to 16% again on the way to the Puerto de Tollos. We were in an area of forest that had been affected by fire – I’m not sure if the charred trees were the result of natural fires or controlled burning.

As we bounced along a ridgeline, we spotted a natural arch in the far distance, something that instantly transported me back in time to 2009, & a previous cycling adventure in Moab, Utah that included a side trip to Arches National Park.

We hadn’t seen a car for more than 45 minutes as we continued to follow the natural contours of the surrounding landscape – we built up enough speed on the sweeping descents that we could get halfway up the next drag without needing to pedal.

Cova del Rull provided 1 last opportunity to capture the majesty of the surrounding mountains before we swooped back into Vall d’Ebo to complete the ‘loop’ element of the ride. Ahead of us was the short side of the climb back up to Puerto de La Vall d’Ebo.

The views on the descent of Vall d’Ebo were completely different now the sun was out & backdrop was a blue sky, rather than grey clouds of earlier in the morning.

Even the Mediterranean looked a different colour. We stopped to stage 1 final action shot, before heading back to the car in Pego.

Today’s ride felt like the perfect way to end our adventure, as we explored remote backroads, experience rugged scenery & enjoy a local delicacy. I had to delay writing Friday’s update, as we had to take the bikes apart & pack last night, due to having an early start this morning.

Denia was a great base, with lots of bars & restaurants within a 15 minute walk of our hotel. The Hotel Nou Roma was perfect for our needs, with car parking on-site, delicious breakfast options & peaceful rooms. At some point in the future I feel sure I’ll return to explore more of the region. In the meantime, I’m already beginning to think about my next cycling adventure!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Five

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Five

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Planes & Lorcha Loop

Today’s adventure began with a 30-minute commute in the car to the small town of Pego. We were riding by just after 9.30am & headed up a wide valley road CV-700) that gradually narrowed for the first 3 or 4 miles. As we passed through Benirrama the valley widened, with bare rock faces visible high above us.

We briefly left the main road & joined a narrow track that took us ever higher into the mountains & offered up brief view of Benissile. This was perhaps the most remote landscape of our adventures to date.

After 1 hour 45 minutes of climbing, we finally reached our first summit of the day – we had climbed 2,000 feet in 16 miles. Now it was time to enjoy the descent as we looked across to Planes, where would retrace our tyre tracks from Monday’s ride.

There was a short descent where in the space of ½ mile I went from a standing start (I wanted to get a photo of Sean with the mountains in the background) to 46 mph. The road was almost ruler straight except for an ‘S’ bend at the bottom which could be straightened out of there was no traffic coming the other way.

There were a couple of places where cars & camper vans could access the reservoir (the white blob in the middle photo below is a camper van parked on the beach) with huge views to the mountains in the far distance.

After skirting the reservoir & crossing the barrage, we picked up the main road into Beniarres where we topped up our water bottles & enjoyed our 2nd descent of the day into Lorcha, which had an ancient castle perched on a rocky outcrop high above us. As we hit the valley floor we knew we were in for a long climb up the valley wall.

The climb was just over 6 miles in length & the gradient hit 17% at its steepest. There was a ½ mile section where the gradient didn’t drop below 14% (I was doing less than 4mph) – that’s hard going on day 5 of a cycling trip! The views in all directions were stunning, but I only managed to get 1 photo, which was of Sean as he battled his way up a steep ramp.

We ascended 1,500 feet in a little under an hour, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story, or give the context. The climb split into a spiteful opening 2 miles, followed by a gentle 3.5-mile stretch, then a brutal final last ½ mile. This was the 1st climb that had an Alpine & Pyrenean feel to it.

The view from the summit made the climb worth every pedal revolution. We could see the Mediterranean in the far distance & we also quickly realised how much descending we would be enjoying.

The descent was switchback heaven with views across the coastal plains all the way across to Oliva, some 10 miles in the distance.

We were at sea-level in next to no time & all that remained was to battle a cross-headwind back into Pego.

On the drive back to the hotel I picked up my bike which had been repaired & also dropped off my rental bike. It was my 1st time riding a Scott Addict & it did me proud. A big thank you to Cycles Desnivell for sorting out my rental bike at no notice.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Four

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Four

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Benissa & Pego Loop

We made an earlier start to today’s adventure, although it began with me having a flat rear tyre on my rental bike. Luckily, it appeared to be a very slow loss of pressure overnight & it retained air when I pumped it up. Despite this slight delay, we were on our way by 9.15, which enabled us to ride in slightly cooler conditions during the early part of the ride.

There was also some localised cloud which made for dramatic views, as well as keeping the temperature in the high 20’s for the first hour or so, rather then the low 30’s. Leaving Denia, we headed towards La Xara & on towards Xabia. Those 10 miles flew by, as we had a tailwind & we only had to climb 1 small hill, although we could see our later challenges waiting for us in the distance.

As we turned towards Benitachell the road started climbing & would rise in ramps for the next 15 miles. The views across to the Mediterranean were stunning & although there were plenty of small descents in amongst the climbing, the gradient was always comfortable.

Just past the town of Teulada we took a right & picked up a small lane that took us to Benissa, where it was time for Elevenses of cheesecake with strawberry compote & a café con leche. The climb up to the coffee shop was a 14.5% gradient, so it was well deserved!

I stopped in Senija to get a photo of a mural of a cyclist that had been painted onto the house & wall in front of it. It looks like I didn’t quite line up the perspective right, but it looked great as we rode past it. Senija also marked our first proper bit of descending on today’s adventure, as we snaked our way to the valley floor below.

As we reached the town of Alcalali the road started rising again & we saw lots of cyclists going the opposite was to us – we had a small tailwind, but the had gravity propelling them!

We were back amongst the lime groves & we gradually climbed up to Parcent & Benigembla. We visited both towns on Sunday’s ride, but today we arrived from a different direction, so it all felt new.

At Benigembla we turned right & enjoyed a fast, flowing descent through the villages of Murla, Orba & Tormos, before we arrived at the day’s final climb of note – it was 1.5 miles long & we passed through a narrow gorge to reach the summit.

We were then rewarded with big views across to the Mediterranean beyond the town of Oliva.We continued descending into Pego & then took a 90 degree turn into a howling headwind.

I sat on the front for 13 miles as we headed back towards Denia on flat roads that cut through the Parc Natural de le Marjal Pego-Oliva where we occasionally received some shelter from the surrounding trees & vegetation.

I’m looking forward to exploring some more of the eating establishments this evening, so I can replace some of the calories I’ve been burning. Who knows, I might even enjoy a cheeky beer too!!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Three

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Three

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Oliva Loop via Puerto de Sorell

You may remember I mentioned that I had gearing issues yesterday. Once I got back to the hotel it was clear the cable was frayed & very close to snapping, so my immediate priority today was to get the cable replaced. This became more complicated than I hoped, as my preferred bike repair shop (5* rated for workmanship) won’t be able to fit a new cable until Wednesday afternoon. Although they hire bikes, they are all currently rented out.

I’m a project manager, so solving problems is my day job – I left the bike to be repaired & set off to find a rental bike – luckily, I found 1 in my size that was available for the next 3 days. It cost an additional €4 to increase the booking from 2 days to 3, so I now have some contingency if my bike repair is delayed.

By 11am I’d got the bike fitted with a saddle bag, pedals & Wahoo mount. We’d chatted last night & agreed that we should both do our own thing today, so Sean had set off at about 9am to do a gentle 40-mile ride along the coast.

I set off towards La Xara on deserted lanes that offered occasional views of the mountains in the distance, then carried on to outskirts of Pedreguer, where I picked up a small service road that ran next to the Autopista de la Mediterrania for a couple of miles. Huge reeds separated me from the traffic on the motorway – it felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere.

I was edging ever closer to the mountains but was happy in the knowledge that I wasn’t going to be tackling any big climbs today. I stopped briefly to capture a photo of the Scott Addict which will be my ride for the next 3 days. It has a bit of bling in the paintjob & it rides well – any issues are due to the rider’s limitations! I had a tailwind during this section & I flew along without needed to expend much energy. I had a small degree of sympathy for the peloton of riders that were battling the headwind as they headed towards me!

The only climb of any note today was to the Puerto de Sorell, a 500-foot ascent in a little over 2 miles, so nothing compared to some of yesterday’s beasts.

The view from the summit was glorious, with the Mediterranean Sea glistening in the far distance. The descent was over in the blink of an eye & I was back on flat lanes that headed towards the town of Oliva.

This was the turnaround point of my ride, which meant I turned into a headwind for the next 20 miles.

The reward was that I was cycling through the Parc Natural de la Marjal de Pego-Olive, which is an area where the natural wetland has been preserved.

The last 10 miles were on a slightly larger road that was slightly set back from the coast. This was by far the most populated part of today’s ride & while there wasn’t anything of note worth photographing, it was pleasant enough (except for the nagging headwind!).

Sean & I met up this afternoon over a café con leche & delicious slice of chocolate & caramel cake to chat about our different days.

After a very slow start to the day for me, I ended up getting out on a bike to explore a bit more of Denia’s beautiful countryside.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Two

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Two

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Beniarres Loop Including Mont Benicadell

Today’s adventure began with a 55-mile commute by car to the town of Ontinyent, a small town nestled in on the valley floor but surrounded by large hills & mountains. Our planned ride was 54 miles in length with 4,700 feet of climbing, so we would be either climbing or descending for most of the day.

Within 2 miles of leaving Ontinyent, we passed Pou Clar swimming lake in a small canyon & this marked the start of our first ascent of the day. The gradient was a gentle 3% to 5% as we climbed the river valley via the CV-81 for about 4 miles. As we reached the summit, we took a left onto the CV-700 & followed the valley floor for about 5 miles as we passed through the towns of Alfafara & Agres.

The road descended for the next 7 miles as we headed towards Benamer. This was a temporary reprieve as the next 6 miles were mainly uphill with no protection from the sun, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees centigrade. Much of the route was on remote roads, which meant we didn’t have a coffee stop & we were permanently on the lookout for public water fountains to keep our bidons topped up.

As we reached Planes we took a left & skirted the edge of Barranc d’Almundaina y Planes reservoir. There were a few steep climbs & descents (I hit 46 mph on 1 of the descents & less than 4.6 mph on the climbs!). After we crossed the dam, we had a choice of following a main road to Beniarres or taking the road less travelled via some small single-track lanes.

The summit of Mont Benicadell would mark the boundary between Provincia d’Alicant & Provincia de Valenciana, but first we had to conquer the 5-mile, 900-foot climb – today we had the added challenge of climbing into a headwind! The views back to the reservoir made the effort worthwhile.

The 3-mile descent into Salem offered huge views down to the valley floor below. By now we were 3 hours into the ride & had only covered 34 miles – the constant up & down nature of the route also started to play havoc with my feet, as I began to experience numbness / pins & needles from the pressure I was putting on the pedals. This has happened before, so I knew that my best way of managing the pain was to stop for 5 minutes & take the weight off my feet.

In addition to my sore feet, the gears on my bike were jumping, which was causing me a few gear selection issues on the uphill sections – as the ride progressed, the issues increased. Luckily the final 20 miles were a bit flatter, as we wound our way through orange & lemon groves which had been planted in terraces.

My first job in the morning will be to find a bike repair shop that can fix my gear cable issues & potentially get a hire bike sorted out. I’ve seen a few options already, so hopefully it won’t interrupt my cycling plans.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day One

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day One

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Coll de Rates & Puerto de sa Crueta Loop

My final cycling adventure of 2024 finds me in the cycling mecca that is Denia, Spain. Denia is over 2,000 years old & much of its history revolves around its port & castle. We’re staying in the Nou Roma Hotel which is situated next to the castle. Once more we’ve picked a great base for a week of cycling!

We woke up to grey skies, which turned to showery rain as we met up at 9.15. This wasn’t going to deter our plans, as the temperature was in the high 20’s centigrade & the forecast predicted the rain wouldn’t last long. After navigating our way across town, we picked up a small 2-lane road that took us past orange & lemon groves. The first 5 miles were flat, so it gave us an opportunity to get our legs warmed up for the challenge ahead.

As we crossed under the motorway at Pedreguer we got our first peak of the big hills / small mountains that makes this region so popular with cyclists. Although we were still on wet roads, the rain had stopped & we could see a small sliver of blue sky in the distance, so things were already looking up in more ways than 1.

Our first climb of the day didn’t have a name, but it was about 5 miles in length & we gained about 1,000 of elevation. The gradient was a friendly 3% to 5% for most of the climb & the 1 standout sight was seeing a fully loaded horse & cart that was heading to Pedreguer for the Sunday market.

As we reached the small town of Parcent, we hit the lower slopes of the Coll de Rates which rises about 1,200 feet in a little under 4 miles – the pro riders will use this as a full-gas effort (the King of the Mountain record is 12 minutes 38 seconds & the Queen of the Mountain is 14 minutes 45 seconds), whereas my time of 44 minutes 30 seconds suggests I’m not quite at that level!!

We began the climb in a pine forest, but as we neared the summit, the views opened up all the way across to Denia, some 20 miles away.

We stopped for strawberry cheesecake, café con leche & an ice-cold coke. Due to the early morning rain, I was wearing water resistant kit (that also retains heat), so I was feeling like a boil-in-the-bag meal by this point!

After a brief descent into the town of Tarbena we turned right & began the last big climb of the day up to Puerto de sa Crueta. This was a 1,000-foot ascent in the space of 4 miles, but the gradient was inconsistent the whole way up. The final couple of hundred yards hit 13%, which certainly tested my climbing legs!

The good news was it was literally all downhill from this point – we had climbed 4,000 feet in the first 26 miles, whereas the next 26 miles would have less than 500 feet of uphill. Happy days!

My extra ballast pays dividends on the descents & I quickly freewheeled away from Sean as we headed towards Castell del Castells (ironically, it didn’t have a castle of any sort!). At 1 point Sean tagged on to a couple of locals who rode him back up to my wheel.

Our loop returned us to Pedreguer & from there we retraced our tire tracks to out hotel in Denia. Having set out in light rain, we enjoyed sun for most of the day & ended up riding on near deserted roads. I think we saw more cyclists today than motorists – always the sign of a great route on a cycling trip.

Passo Falzarego & Passo Cimabanche

Passo Falzarego & Passo Cimabanche

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Devilish Dolomite Delight – Day Six

Wow, where has the last week gone? It feels like my Dolomites trip started only yesterday & yet here I am writing about my 6th consecutive day of cycling!! Today the plan was to ride up the Passo Falzarego, complete a long loop & return via Passo Cimabanche – in total the route would be just over 80 miles via the towns of Brunica & Dobbiaco, but nothing too strenuous as far as climbing was concerned. Cortina d’Ampezzo is at 4,000 feet above sea level & whenever one of my trips involves staying at altitude, it takes me 4 or 5 days to become acclimatised to the lack of oxygen, especially when the mountain summits take us above 7,000 feet above sea level.

My climbing legs had recovered after a good night’s sleep & we set off up Passo Falzarego in beautiful sunshine as soon as we left our hotel in Cortina. The climb itself is just over 10 miles in length & rises just over 3,000 feet (including the steep ramp to Passo Valparola.  We’d previously driven the ascent on two separate occasions, as well as descending it once on the bike, so we knew what faced us – we decided to make this our only Full Gas effort all holiday, as it was the last day & we could always ease back if it got too hard/painful part way up the climb!!!

The early slopes pass through meadows, before the ubiquitous pine forests take over. This is great on the one hand, as it provides protection from the sun & wind, but it also limits the views of the surrounding mountains. Every now & again the amazing vistas sneak into view for a few moments, but you have to pay attention or they’re gone!

The landscape suddenly changes about three quarters of the way up, when the trees simply disappear to be replaced by scrub & bare rock – this is when the true majesty of the mountain is clear for all to see. It’s also very exposed & today the wind whistled into our faces for the final section of the climb, an unexpected & naughty surprise!! We stopped at the summit long enough to get a couple of photos & don our rain jackets for our second descent this week of the Valparola.

After a quick coffee in La Villa, we turned right & continued descending into a strong headwind – if I stopped pedalling, my speed dropped instantly, which was a bit of a blow, as I was hoping for an easy 20 miles of riding!!! For once, my route research was seriously lacking & I missed a small right turn somewhere & as a result we had to endure 5 long tunnels (varying in length from 500 metres to 1.9km) with traffic hurtling past us – this was the one moment of cycling disappointment on the whole trip, so all in all it wasn’t that big a deal.

Having survived the tunnels, I was now paying much more attention & spotted the cycle path we should have taken earlier – at the same moment, the sun came back out & we packed away our rain jackets for the final time on the trip. We were on quiet country lanes that meandered across farmland & through picturesque villages.

As we continued along the cycle route, we stumbled across a restaurant & decided that it was a signal that we should eat – as we wandered in, there were a couple of tables of locals engaged in a card tournament, while out on the terrace there was one empty table available & it had our name on it!!! The food was great & the staff really friendly (they also thought we were a bit mad to be doing such a long ride!).

There was still time for a couple more unexpected surprises, the first of these was a 5 mile stretch of gravel as we skirted around a man-made lake that provided drinking water to the surrounding villages. Road tyres aren’t really made for this type of terrain, but we took our time & admired the scenery as we navigated our way around the shoreline. Before we knew it, we’d reached the outskirts of Dobbiaco & we took the road towards Cortina.

The Passo Cimabanche was the final climb of the trip & it was a very gentle 3% to 5% the whole way, except for a plateau where Lake Dobbiaco had formed – another stunning alpine lake in a jaw dropping location. In spite of there being a few hundred tourists admiring the views, there was a real peacefulness to the place – it would be an amazing place to camp for the night under the stars.

After reaching the summit of the climb, we had a rollercoaster descent back into Cortina d’Ampezzo, with big views of the surrounding peaks. We were back in town just after 5pm, so decided to round off the week long adventure with a locally made ice cream, while relaxing in the sun. The perfect end to another amazing cycling adventure!

Daily Cortina Trivia Feature (stage 6) – The 2015 remake of Point Break was filmed in Cortina d’Ampezzo. As if that wasn’t enough trivia, AC Milan run a summer training academy for children aged 6 to 17 – coaches in the past have included George Weah & Stefano Eranio.

Passo Campalongo, Passo Pordoi, Passo Selle & Passo Gardena

Passo Campalongo, Passo Pordoi, Passo Selle & Passo Gardena

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Devilish Dolomite Delight – Day Five

After yesterday’s epic day in the saddle, I woke up this morning feeling dehydrated, heavy legged & several hours short of the sleep I wanted (& probably needed). The plan today was to drive to La Villa (a 20 mile drive), then ride the Maratona Dles Dolomites short course loop. In other words, 4 climbs in just over 36 miles with 5,600 feet of climbing.

For the first time this week, the skies were overcast & the mountains were all hidden from view as we drove out of Cortina & up the Passo Falzarego – we were soon in the clouds & the incredible views of previous days were very much a distant memory! However, the cycling gods were on our side, as the weather changed as soon as we drove down to La Villa.

We parked the car by the sky lift & as soon as we started riding, the road to Corvara started gradually rising – today we would be tackling the Campalongo, Pordoi, Sella & Gardena from a new direction. While we’d experienced the scenery previously, a combination of the different weather & a new direction guaranteed that it would feel like a totally new ride.

As we left Corvara & started to climb Passo Campalongo, it quickly became apparent I was in for a challenging day, as I didn’t have any power in my legs & I couldn’t raise my heart above 150 beats per minute (normally I’m comfortable doing a 1 hour effort at 175 bpm). This is a fairly standard symptom of being over tired – I was finally paying for missing 3 weeks of training. I knew this was likely to happen at some point on the trip & I’m rather happy it’s taken until day 5 for the symptoms to show themselves.

The climb to the summit was a little over 4 miles long & the road snaked its way between forest on the one side & ski runs on the other. It was pretty Alpine scenery at its best & the ascent was done in a little under 45 minutes. As we crested the summit, the clouds disappeared & we had glorious view down towards Arabba below.

We were only an hour into the ride at this point, so we made the decision to delay our planned coffee stop until we reached the summit of the Pordoi. Almost as soon as we started the climb (not that steep as you can see below), I dropped further & further behind Sean – we both know the importance of climbing at our own rhythms, so while it was frustrating to be feeling so weak, it wasn’t a big deal for either of us.

There’s a classic car rally taking place in the Dolomites this week & we were lucky enough to see tens & tens of vintage Bugatti’s, Mercedes’, Porsche’s & Jaguar’s (amongst others) streaming down the hill, as they did the same loop as us but in reverse.

I took time to take in the views as the road twisted & turned towards the summit. The climb itself took a minute over an hour for me, which was more than acceptable, considering how I was feeling – we’d climbed a little over 1,800 feet in 5.5 miles. Needless to say, warm chocolate cake & cappuccino revived my spirits.

The descent from Passo Pordoi was hairpin heaven, as we twisted & turned during the 4 mile descent to the start of Passo Selle.

The longest & steepest of the climbing was now behind us & we were back in sunshine – hurrah!!! Pine trees were immediately next to the road & further in the distance were enormous cliffs of bare rock – the view today was so different, mainly because what had been in sunshine on our previous ride was now in shadow & vice versa. Once again, the gradients were never too steep, although they always kept me honest.

A feature of the Selle Ronde circuit from either direction is the multitude of hairpin bends (there were 31 on the Pordoi, 18 on the Selle & more than 20 on the Gardena) – these give respite from the climbing & provide an opportunity to give the legs a fleeting moment of relief.

Before we knew it, we’d reached the top of the Selle with stunning views in every direction. Once again it was threatening to rain on a mountain summit, so we put our rain jackets on yet again & set off for the valley floor.

Within 5 minutes, the rain had stopped & we could enjoy the descent on bone dry roads. As we plummeted downwards, I could make out the rifugio on the summit of our final climb of the day – The apex of the Gardena was some 6 miles away at this point.

After a brief stop to tuck away the rain jackets, we began the final 4 miles of climbing on today’s epic route. As the road rose higher, some of the rocks that were visible on Wednesday were hidden from view, while some new ones showed themselves for the first time.

Once again, we clouds closed in the nearer we got to the top & by the time we reached the summit sign, it was spitting rain again, so it was out with the rain jackets for the final time.

The rain had finally caught us up & we were on damp/wet roads all the way back to Corvara, but all things considered, we’d been incredibly lucky to avoid any proper rain. The micro climate in the mountains is amazing, as by the time we’d completed the descent, we were back on dry roads again, enjoying the sculptures that make the Dolomites so unique.

We stopped in Corvara for a quick bite of lunch, then retraced our way back to where the car was parked in La Villa. As we crested the Falzarego, it was raining in the Cortina valley – when we got back to the hotel, the owner said it had been raining for most of the day. The cycling gods really had been kind to us today!

Daily Cortina Trivia Feature (stage 5) – The stunning mountain scenes in Cliffhanger (starring Sylvester Stallone) were filmed in Cortina d’Ampezzo, although the film was set in the Colorado Rockies. More useless trivia tomorrow!

Passo Cibiana, Passo Staulanza & Passo Giau

Passo Cibiana, Passo Staulanza & Passo Giau

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Devilish Dolomite Delight – Day Four (July 2017)

It was a late start today as we had to wait for the car repair workshop to open, but not for the reasons you’ll be thinking! One of our group (not me, the other one!) somehow managed to get a front wheel spoke stuck in the seating mechanism when we were loading the bikes into the car after yesterday’s ride – it was a one in a thousand moment & neither of us would have been capable of doing it deliberately! I’m pleased to say that after about 15 minutes of poking around, a very kind mechanic managed to release the spoke & we were good to go!

The first 14 miles of today’s ride followed the same route as Tuesday’s ride (Day 2), so we powered downhill on the cycle path. Again, we were riding under blue skies & enjoying early morning temperatures in the mid 70’s, with next to no wind to speak of.

We turned off the main road before plummeting downhill to cross the River Boite & start our first climb of the day, the Passo Cibiana. We had a rather rude introduction, as the first couple of miles kicked up at 10%, although it had the advantage of very quickly giving us wide views of the river valley way below us. We had a brief respite as the road flattened out as it passed through the village of Cibiana, a beautifully laid out place with a pretty clock tower at its centre – the village was typical of so many we’ve ridden through this week.

As we continued to wend our way up the valley towards the summit, we were slapped in the face with a 200 yard stretch of 17% gradient – this is right on my limit of what I can ride before I topple off & not really what I wanted to experience on day four of an adventure!! Luckily, it was a very short stretch, but most of the remainder of the climb stayed in the 9% to 11% range. I was grateful there were plenty of stunning views to help take my mind off the challenge.

The climb took us a minute over an hour to complete & we’d clocked up just over 2,200 feet of ascending in that time, so we were certainly ready for a coffee & strawberry flan stop at the summit!

The start of the descent was very sketchy, grit covered the road, there were smallish potholes & the corners were blind, so we took things very cautiously to begin with. After about 5 minutes, the road surface improved significantly, the corners were less severe & the views into the valley below suddenly opened up. All was good with the world again & we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Before we knew it, we were on some flat road for the first (& only) time of the day. We passed through the small town of Forno di Zoldo & aimed for our planned lunch stop of Dont – there are so many simple gags to be made at this town’s name. If you’re planning to stop here for lunch Don’t, as in spite of what I’d read online, there wasn’t a single restaurant open!

Dont marked the start of our 2nd climb of the day, the exotically named Staulanza. The early slopes kicked up to 8%, just to remind us we were on a mountain, but soon the gradient stabilised at a far more manageable 6%. After 3 or 4 miles we found a small restaurant that very generously agreed to serve us a late lunch, although they were in the process of closing up. This has been typical of the friendly greeting we’ve received from everyone we’ve met.

After a quick spaghetti bolognese lunch, we were back on our way up the Staulanza, as it continued upwards at a steady 7%. On the way to the summit, we passed a couple of chic sky resorts, with what looked quite scary runs through the pine trees – no doubt an experienced skier would correct me & say they were nothing more than nursery slopes!!

The summit of the climb was marked by an incredible rock outcrop that rose some 1,500 feet above us & was in the sun, although we were firmly in the shade. After a quick stop to get a few photos, we plummeted down the other side on near perfect roads, with wide open corners – the only thing that slowed me down was the cars in front of us – it was much easier to manoeuvre a bike through the corners than a car!!! As the road began to level out, we began to get more nervous – while there was only one climb left to tackle, it was the monstrous Passo Giau from the classic (read ‘more difficult’) Selva di Cadore side.

A mere 7 miles long, its average gradient is 9.4% – it was also the last road to be built to reach a Dolomite Pass when it was completed in 1986 (prior to that it was simply a mule track). The first ½ mile was all over 14%, so we simply paced ourselves to survive this part of the climb, as we knew that things got slightly easier after this first stretch. The early stages of the climb follow the Codalonga river & there are 4 bridges where you have the briefest of respites from what is a constant 9% to 10% gradient for the entire climb – there was nowhere to hide, especially when the temperature was in the high 80’s!

After the bridges were crossed, the hairpins began (there are 29 of them), which kept our minds occupied as we fought the relentless gradient. The early slopes took us through pine scented forest, which while pleasant on the olfactory organ, closed off all the surrounding views. About half way up the climb, the trees were replaced by typical Dolomite pastures (as seen on each of our routes so far) & every now & then we could hear the marmots calling to each other.

With only 2 miles remaining, the enormous Nuvolau peak came into view, perhaps the largest of all the surrounding peaks & definitely the most awe inspiring. The rifugio at the summit of the Giau came into view with a mile to go – it seemed so near & yet by this point I was only travelling at 4 miles an hour & it felt like some kind of torture! Finally at the summit, we celebrated with a coke, took some panoramic photos & prepared for the final descent back into Cortina.

The descent was truly amazing, with hairpins upon hairpins as the road plummeted down the mountain. There was hardly any traffic, as by now it was 5.30pm & most tourists were long gone, which allowed us to use most of the road on the way down.

We finally arrived back in town at about 6pm & stopped for a pint so we could absorb what has been one of the epic days in the saddle. No words or photos can describe the climbs, descents or scenery, but I’ve given it my best attempt!

Daily Cortina Trivia Feature (stage 4) – The 1956 Winter Olympics took place in Cortina d’Ampezzo. We rode past the original ski jump on today’s ride, however you’re more likely to recognise it from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. More useless trivia tomorrow!

Passo Valparola, Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi & Passo Falzarego

Passo Valparola, Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi & Passo Falzarego

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Devilish Dolomite Delight – Day Three (July 2017)

Today we experienced the Italian Dolomites in all their magnificence as we explored 4 classic climbs from the Maratona dles Dolomites sportive, which was held last weekend. We drove to the summit of Passo Falzarego, to commence our loop.

Straight from the get go the road headed upwards & today we got the most difficult gradients out the way in the opening one mile – Passo Valparola is known as a wall, as although it’s only 1 mile on from the Falzarego, it rises at a constant 12%. However, because we knew what was ahead, we could spin in our smallest gear, knowing that this particular beast would be out the way in less than 15 minutes.

We then had a 7 mile descent with huge views of the mountains on both sides of us.

We reached the small town of La Villa (the start & end point of the Maratona) as we reached the bottom of the roller coaster descent, then took a sharp left to Corvara – this part was the reverse of Monday’s route & it was so much easier this way!

We found a great bar/restaurant for apple strudel & cappuccino (the best coffee so far) before setting off on the Selle Ronde Loop, which takes in the climbs of Passo Gardena, Passo Selle & Passo Pordoi. I had very high hopes for this part of the ride, as I’ve seen loads of GCN cycling videos which have been filmed here – I wasn’t disappointed, as this really was cycling nirvana.

First up was the Passo Gardena at 5.5 miles in length & an altitude gain of just over 2,000 feet, all of it at a steady gradient. The climb started by passing through a couple of small villages, before it started to snake its way up the plug of volcanic rock that marked the end of the valley. The lower slopes were tree lined, before we reached the alpine meadows, with cows & sheep grazing to their hearts content.

Either side of us were monstrous monoliths shaped like teeth & they towered many hundreds of feet above us. Looking back down the slopes, it was possible to make out the road twisting like spaghetti up the mountain, while in the far background were more enormous mountains dwarfing the towns below. We stopped for a few mountain top snaps, crossing to the Gardena valley for a swift, but relatively short descent.

Again the views were breath-taking & it took all my concentration to stay focused on the road – we had plenty of photo stops!Our road would have descended all the way to Gardena (the World Cup skiing venue), but we took a left turn to climb the Passo Selle.

A very welcome surprise was that Wednesday’s are vehicle free days, so as cyclists we had the road pretty much to ourselves, We followed a ribbon of tarmac between the pillars of rock on either side & marveled at a couple of climbers who were rappelling some 300 feet above us – they must have nerves of steel!! The gradient was consistent again, so it was easy to find a rhythm & then lose yourself in the majestic beauty all around us.

In some ways, the summit almost arrived too soon, however it also meant that I had another opportunity to practice my cornering techniques on the wide open bends on the descent. Just before the bottom, we stopped for a quick bite to eat & drink, before heading for the Passo Pordoi. This was the baby of the bunch in terms of length (4 miles) & gradient. The scenery was once again out of this world – I now know why this loop is considered the most stunning 25 miles of road cycling in Europe!

From the summit we could see all the way back to the Passo Valparola, some 25 miles away & all around us were more towering mountains. This was my favourite downhill of the day, with 31 hairpins (eat your heart out Alpe d’Huez, with your measly 21) on almost perfect tarmac.

We stopped in Arabba for a quick espresso & caught up on the action in Le Tour, before racing to the day’s final climb, a 7 mile ascent of the Falzarego, which would take us back to the car. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out the engineers for this road were cyclists, as again the gradient was fairly consistent & never above 9% (much like a typical Alpine climb).

Almost the entire climb was in pine forest & the shadows from the trees gave regular respite from the sun overhead. At one point it had been necessary to tunnel one of the hairpin bends into the rock face, as there was so little room to climb the final cliff face.

This was an awe inspiring day of cycling, with scenery the exceeded even my wildest expectations. The icing on the cake was the friendly gradients, so we were able to enjoy the views. After a quick photo opportunity at the summit, I also made a visit to the souvenir shop to buy a fridge magnet for my cycling memorabilia collection.

As we were putting our bikes back in the car for the 30 minute drive to the hotel, disaster (of sorts) struck – Sean somehow managed to clip his spokes into one of the clips that hold the seats in place. We spent 20 minutes attempting to free the wheel, but to no avail, so in the end we had to remove the rest of the bike from the wheel, so it would fit in the car. This was done in a bit of a rush, as the skies were darkening by the minute & a thunder storm was on its way! We’ll have to try & find a mechanic to help us tomorrow.

Daily Cortina Trivia Feature (stage 3) – The opening scenes in the 1963 version of The Pink Panther (starring Peter Sellars) were filmed at The Hotel Cristallino in Cortina d’Ampezzo. More useless trivia tomorrow!