September 24, 2021
To Feltre
This tour just keeps exceeding my expectations – full of revelations about the land, the people, and most of all myself.
I went to bed last night still unsure of my route down to the Venetian Plain. One option was to continue on the Munich-Venice route, which drops south into Treviso. A second option would be to follow along the Piave River to Belluno and Feltre, continuing in foothills of the Dolomites before dropping south. This latter route would involve more climbing and likely would be more scenic; however, I was still uneasy about the route south from Feltre. Added to the equation this morning was the question of the best way through Longarone to avoid the construction traffic. My hostess at the Auberge was a delightful woman who came to my rescue. After breakfast, she took me outside and pointed out the back way to the cycle route. She packed me an extra croissant for the road and I resolved to face the challenges and unknowns of staying on the Dolomite high I’d been experiencing these last few days. It turned out to be an excellent choice – full of wonder, surprises, as well as the joy and satisfaction of testing myself and passing with flying colors.
Traffic was light when I left the Auberge at 8:45 – probably a lucky gap in the one lane traffic. After a few hundred yards, I dipped down and around the stadium, following a small road through the industrial zone and across the Piave River where I picked up the Munich-Venice cycle route. After another couple of miles, I re-crossed the Piave on a one-lane bridge with a traffic light and headed for Belluno.
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The next six miles to Belluno were on small roads or bike trails that skirted a series of small towns or villages. Soon, I reached the bridge over the Piave River and left the marked I4 cycle route, heading for the central district. Except I really did not have a clear idea where that was. Not expecting Belluno to be such a large town (2017 pop. 36,000), I stumbled around a bit aimlessly before finding a passageway that opened onto Piazza del Martiri, an oval shaped “square” lined with an amazing array of pastel-hued buildings that surrounded a central park. At mid-morning in full sunshine, the plaza exploded in light and color, leaving me with my mouth agape. I managed to cross over to the park, find a bench, and just sit and stare for about ten minutes before I found a table at a little café for an espresso and a panini to go. As I made my way along the piazza and little passageways, I was struck by the number of arches –porticos, windows, lamp posts – arches were everywhere.
I could have lingered in Belluno for a day or more, but I had many miles yet to go. So, I got back on my bike and promptly got lost. My inbound and outbound RWGPS routes were in a knot, leading me up steep passageways that led to stairs, which we ascended! I could see the bridge, but could not find it. Until finally, a sign for Feltre!
The next twenty miles were some of the finest cycling I’ve had – through the foothills of the Dolomites with soaring peaks on my right and the verdant Piave River valley on my left. A two and half mile climb out of Belluno took me up to Bolzano/Bellunese, then down to Bolago and over to Mas, all the while on the small roads of the I4 cycle route. As I neared Mas, I was struck by the sight of a towering steeple – not a stone steeple from long ago times but a very, very modern steeple that fronted a very modern church. Chiesa di Santa Maria del Cammino, completed in 2006, is “an attempt to transfigure the Madonna, woman, into architecture…the exterior of the church was imagined like a gray-blue "mantle", between whose "folds" there are tall narrow windows that illuminate the nave.” I think they got it!
I was still pondering my near religious experience, when I noted that my RWGPS route diverged 180° from the I4 bike route signs. This sometimes happens when going through a town, but I thought this might be a more significant route deviation. While considering which way to go, a man walking by asked where I was headed. I answered Feltre, and he pointed to the I4 cycle route – Bella, he said. So I trusted him and turned right, taking me further up into the foothills. It was another stretch of great cycling along small roads, with a little up, a little down, then a bigger up to Sospirolo where I rejoined my RWGPS route. I can’t compare the two routes, but the road taken was a joy.
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It was a nice gentle downhill from Sospirolo to Paderno where I faced the final and toughest climb of the day – a series of switch backs over 1.3 miles, averaging over 6%, reaching up to 17%. It took a couple of rest stops, but I was soon in San Gregorio Nelle Alpi with a wonderful view across the Piave River. From there it was all downhill (mostly) to Feltre.
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After checking in to my guest house, I cleaned up and relaxed before heading out to dinner around seven. My target was a restaurant recommended by my host, a small place around the corner – but they did not open for dinner until 7:30. I made my reservation and spent the next thirty minutes exploring the streets and frescoes of Feltre, a very charming town with lots of character. It was Friday night and folks were out enjoying their apertol, adding to the overall good spirit of the day. I arrived back at the restaurant at the appointed time for a very fine meal of sea bass and flat beans. I couldn’t resist the tiramisu – it was necessary after all for comparison with the “best ever” version I had at Tre Cime de Lavaredo. Verdict: Different, but quite tasty – more coffee in this one but maybe the mascarpone cream falls a little short – too close to call, yet.
I walked back through the arch way to my guest house, reflecting on what a wonderful day it had been. And to think I almost missed it! Instead, I went to bed with that good feeling of having challenged oneself and met the task. I am very much looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings.
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 413 miles (665 km)
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