# Ride Reports from the Dolomites



## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

So, been a while since I posted a ride report, but I figured my very recent trip to ride the Italian Dolomites certainly warranted some reports! First off, the home page for my reports can be found here:

Home Page

Now, on to the first, brief ride report:

Colle Santa Lucia - 7/08/2006









The group arrived from various parts at Marco Polo airport in Venice, Italy. We loaded a bunch of bags and bikes cases into the bus and made our way to Alleghe, located in the Veneto at an altitude of 1000m.

Our hotel is Sport Hotel Europa, and is, as the name implies, geared toward the active types, though primarily the skiers in the winter. But being a "sport hotel" does not mean second rate. The hotel was excellent, the staff and service was impeccable. They also have a great kitchen and the meals were wonderful. In this part of Italy that meant a fair amount of meat on the menu - and I didn't have a problem with that! Although, one should perhaps consult with Mark Dolin about his opinion too (he was rooming with Phil)... It should also be noted that the hotel was home to the Discovery Channel Cycling Team during the 2005 Giro d'Italia while Paolo Salvodelli was in the Maglia Rosa! 









With the late hour, today's ride would be short, only to the nearby Colle Santa Lucia. Not a proper pass, but a solid climb in its own right and an important link that we will be riding often this week on our way to other climbs. 









Colle Santa Lucia is not long, but its grades are those of the big passes, meaning 6-8% average. This "short" climb provided more climbing than a typical 3 hour ride in Dane County, Wisconsin.









What in the world have I gotten myself into here! Those that ride with me back home don't exactly consider me a climber, and I'm wondering, as I turn over the 36x26 gear on this "welcome ride" whether I have enough gearing for the week? 









At the overlook at Belvedere we pause to admire the fantastic Dolomite Mountains. In the 16.5mi round trip we had 1710 feet of climbing, it's going to be a challenging week...


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*Dolomites Ride Reports, Ride 2*

Here is the second installment...

7/09/2006: Passo Duran - Passo Staulanza 









Woke to a glorious morning in Alleghe. The view from the balcony of the hotel room is not bad, not bad at all! The temperatures were already quite comfortable here in the valley, but still cool enough to warrant a vest as we begin the ride.

Today's route started with a steady ride down the valley road to the village of Agordo where we would begin the ascent of Passo Duran. During the ride from Alleghe to Agordo, we lost almost 1300 feet of altitude, then we turn left, and begin the climb. 









The Giro d'Italia climbed Passo Duran in 2005. This would be our first ascent of many famous climbs in the Dolomites that have formed the long history of that great race. 









The Duran was a harsh welcome to riding in the Dolomites. It is a long climb and steadily steep. Once again, I was in my easiest gear just trying not to blow up!









The Duran is not by any means one of the highest passes we will do this week having descended quite a ways to reach it, but it is a hard climb averaging nearly 8% 









After a short break at the top of the Duran to eat a bit and put on some clothes for the descent to the village of Dont (how appropriate) before beginning the ascent of the Staulanza. 









The Staulanza started off nicely enough. It was a much more enjoyable climb that the Duran. 









But as we neared the top, my body started to feel the need for more calories! Much like during the first full day of riding during the 2004 trip, my system was a bit lacking on the calories, so by the top of the Staulanza I was getting pretty tired. 









But the top of the pass was not far away, and at the top with an altitude of 1773m, was cappucinno and cookies! 









After cresting the top of Passo Staulanza, it was all downhill back to the hotel. Or so we thought. On the lower part of the descent, there was a curious lack of cars, or any traffic whatsoever. It just seemed like a pleasant bonus at the time, but the answer was soon revealed. 









The road was completely taken out by a rather large rock slide! 









We were at essentially the bottom of the descent, and to be perfectly honest, there just wasn't any way this group was going to be able to climb back up the mountain and go down a different road. We were going cross country. We gingerly made our way down and across the bottom of the slide. No one fell, and no bikes were dropped upon the rocks. 









After dinner tonight, we watched Italy win the soccer World Cup. The town was silent while the game was on, but just after, the parties began...<BR><BR>

Here is the screenshot of the graph of the downloaded data from my bicycling computer. Just over 44 miles and 5900 feet of climbing.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Now that is how to ride a bike!*



Asiago said:


>


Don't let anything stop you, I love it.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*Dolomites Ride 3*

The Third Installment:

7/10/2006: Passo Pordoi - Passo Fedaia









Yet another beautiful morning in Alleghe.

Instead of riding down the valley this morning, we headed in the other direction. The day began with climbing out of Caprile up part of Santa Lucia and over to the lower slopes of Passo Falzarego. But rather than climbing Falzarego, we made our way over to the village of Arabba at the base of Passo Pordoi, which is just barely the highest pass in the Dolomites at 2239m. Time to saddle up. 









As we made our way up to the village of Cernadoi, we caught a glimpse of the glacier atop the Marmolada, the name of the mountain on which Passo Fedaia is found. We would get much closer to this snow field later in the day...









Once in the village of Arabba, we began the long climb of the Pordoi. I really enjoyed the Pordoi. It was long at a bit over 15k, but not too steep only averaging in the 6-8% range allowing for a very comfortable climbing pace.









Another nice aspect ot the Pordoi is that the switchbacks are number, 33 of them ascending from this direction. Each switchback also had a small concrete pylon engraved with the altitude so it was easy to keep track of how many switchbacks you had to the top along with the vertical feet still to gain. I was taking the Pordoi at a nice steady pace, as this self-portrait doesn't show much strain... 









Here's a shot looking back down the Pordoi. This side of the pass climbs almost entirely through alpine meadow which lets you see the switchbacks snake down below you. In this case, they snake down and around to the left behind that ridgeline in the left side of the picture. Arabba is far below. 









The Pordoi is a great climb. The only problem was that there was quite a bit of traffic. These passes are quite popular for drivers, tour busses and lots and lots of motorcycles. 









One great aspect of all these climbs is that at the top of each is a spectacular place to grab a cappucinno! 









Also found on Passo Pordoi is the monument to the great Italian Cyclist Fausto Coppi. Requisite picture taken... 









The descent off the Pordoi takes us to the village of Canazei where we would turn left and head for the Fedaia. 









The Fedaia was a much harder climb for me. Part of it was that my legs haven't exactly come around just yet, but also, the Fedaia is steep enough that I was not able to really rest anywhere. 









One thing is certain, however, and that is the fact that Passo Fedaia is an absolutely spectacular climb. 









Approaching the top of the climb, I came across this little shrine tucked up into a little overhang on the side of the road. 









And while I was stopped, Phil and Mark came flying by. Personally, I'm glad I wasn't on my bike when these two came by. Just a bit of effort being exerted there... 









At the top and an altitude of 2157m, we were much closer to the glacier. 









Passo Fedaia is also famous for the high alpine lake that is found on the pass. Like the lake in Alleghe though, the level is low. 









The descent off the Fedaia was a steep one. It was a little humbling to think that we had clearly gone up the "easy" side. Sheesh. Once lower down the descent, I took a picture looking back up towards the pass. Obviously well down below treeline in this shot. 









We had to motor to get back to the hotel in time for lunch. We made it, just.

Here is the screenshot of the graph of the downloaded data from my bicycling computer. Just over 49 miles this time with 6140 feet of climbing.


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## Velo Vol (Mar 9, 2005)

Great report.

There wasn't any signs warning of the landslide?


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

*awesome*

and some kick ass pass(es).
thanks!


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

*Man I love mountains!*

The Dolomites make my Sierras look boring. I love the deep valleys and canyons! Incredible pics and nice report! Someday I've got to go.


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*Um, kinda...*



Velo Vol said:


> Great report.
> 
> There wasn't any signs warning of the landslide?


Well, there were signs talking about (I think) the road being interrupted. But apparently no signs saying road closed as our two guides thought nothing of them as we went by... Ha!


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Incredible scenery. Hope you had plenty of time to stop when you came upon the landslides. I've been on roads that were closed to flooding or bridges washed out, but never landslides.


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*yep*



tarwheel2 said:


> Incredible scenery. Hope you had plenty of time to stop when you came upon the landslides. I've been on roads that were closed to flooding or bridges washed out, but never landslides.


Yeah, we had plenty of time. Fortunately the rock barrier wasn't hidden around a corner. The rock barrier was actually placed in a location that let folks see it from a fair ways away. The rock slide was a distance beyond the rock barrier, just after the opening of the tunnel you see in the background of the first picture. The rock barrier was obviously placed where it would allow for plenty of stopping time, which may not have been the case had it been placed just uphill from the actual rock slide.


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