Fiera del Primiero to Alleghe.

July 14, 2022

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For those purists out there, you may be wagging your finger at us and 'tsk tsking' us for what we chose to do this morning, but we don't care.

After having rode part way up Passo Cereda on our way to our bike and hike adventure yesterday, we knew full well that riding up this pass with fully loaded bikes again today was not going to be a pleasurable way to begin the day. So, why do it again, right? With gradients in the 16-20% range for parts of this climb, we chose to do the unthinkable.

We asked the hotel shuttle to take us the 8kms to the top of Passo Cereda, saving us 600m of climbing; and they kindly offered to do so. A big shout out to Hotel Castel Pietra. A great place to stay with accommodating and friendly staff, bike storage and incredible breakfasts. Highly recommended if you ever pass through here yourself one day.

Erica, the lovely and personable manager of the reception at our hotel, offered to drive us herself. After loading our gear and bikes into the van, we were off by 9am. Erica clearly knew this stretch of road well as she careened into tight hair pin corners like a Formula One driver as Sue and I braced each other at each turn, being thrown from side to side in our seats. It was actually quite impressive. And, during all this time, Erica was able to keep up an interesting and thoughtful conversation about her life and experiences. Thanks Erica!

Our room at Hotel Castel Pietra in Fiera del Primiero.

View from our balcony looking towards Passo Cereda and the route we cycled yesterday up to Cant del Gal.

The view from our balcony in the opposite direction. There's that pesky church that kept us up with its hourly bells all night. Why?

After disgorging ourselves from the van, we tipped Erica for her time, thanked her and said our goodbyes. We put our panniers back on our bikes and after a final check to make sure we had everything, we looked forward to a great descent from the top of Passo Cereda.

Alpine view from the top of Passo Cereda.

Susanna descending from Passo Cereda. The dramatic Dolomites that sharply rise like limestone parapets are hard to ignore. You really have to concentrate to keep your eyes on the road as well!

The drop off of the other side of Passo Cereda towards Agordo is equally steep. We made the right decision to get a lift up here. Besides, there are more mountains to climb in store for us in the coming days.

As we descended, we came to a sign with an important word we had learned a few days ago: "Chuisi". This time we took the "closed" sign seriously and contemplated what we were going to do next. Do we keep descending and take the risk that road would be open to bicycles, or do we head back up to the pass which was now 200m above us and ask at the Refugio cafe about the situation?

So, we took the time to wait and see what the behaviour of traffic was on the road. We watched as motorcycles and cars seemed to ignore the sign and continue to descend down the mountain. We waited a little longer to see if they would be turned around, and watched carefully for the same cars on the way back up. But, they never did arrive. Below us, we could see the road snake its way down the mountain, so we got out the camera with the zoom lens to see if the cars that we observed travelled on unimpeded.

I waved down a driver who was headed down and asked if the road was 'apire' or 'chiusa'. We never really did understand the exchange, but we kind of deduced that the road was fine. So, we went for it.

Can't think of a better place to make this decision.

At Mis. If your interested in playing find the mountain game, then this handy infographic will help you.

While in Mis, we took time to read about the history of this area. Along with the usual timber and mining industry, there was also a thriving chair making industry as well. An efficient use of the off cuts and straw being the main materials.

Aren't you tired of views like this yet?

Below is a sign that we found in Gosaldo that listed the population of each of the small farming communities that made up the area in 1933. Notice that the cows and sheep are also included as part of total of the communities' population.

Clearly two different people were in charge of wood stacking. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Panoramas help to a capture the grandeur of the area. You need your head on a swivel on this tour.

We continued to descend past the towns of Sarasin where we reached a fork in the road at Gosaldo, took the right prong and headed into Agordo where we had a coffee and pastry. The ride after that deteriorated somewhat as we were forced onto busier roads for the remainder of the ride into Alleghe.

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 292 km (181 miles)

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Comment on this entry	Comment	4

Scott AndersonI’m really enjoying this journal, Patrick. It’s one of the rare ones that makes me envious of someone else’s experience.
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1 year ago

Patrick O'HaraWow, Scott. That's high praise coming from you. I feel the same when I read your journals. The big difference for me is finding that I have more time and comfort to put some effort into my journal this trip. There's nothing like lying down on a nice soft bed, propped up with pillows and having the time to write and post photos. Thanks for the compliment. It means a lot.
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1 year ago

David MathersBike touring challenges your creativity. The day Anne and I wanted to ride the Aspin and Tourmalet return in one day was a bit too far so we found a solution...shuttle car to the top of the Aspin and away we go. 20 Euro tip...problem solved!
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1 year ago

Patrick O'HaraHi Dave. So true. It was the right decision for us. Besides, we have more opportunities to hurt our legs in the coming days.😩
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1 year ago