Wow. Another stunning day in the Dolomites. We are enjoying this area so much. We woke up in what I like to think of as the princess room, enjoyed an epic breakfast and then got back to climbing, this time fully loaded.
Saying goodbye to Lucky, the cutest hotel dog ever. We bonded.
Kathleen ClassenTo Steve Miller/GrampiesIt has to be the dog. The cyclist looks a bit past her best before date hehe. Reply to this comment 5 years ago
Saying goodbye to the princess room. Unbelievable view, ceiling, space, bed and robes. We loved it, and the sweet woman at the front desk loved that we loved it. She was so good to us.
Off we zoomed, downhill. It is always nice to have a bit of a warm up before you start climbing, but I am not sure the first seven km counted because there wasn’t much pedaling involved. The scenery was stunning. It is so interesting to do the same route in reverse because the views are completely different.
This mountain was so beautiful you are going to see it a few times.
The downhill inevitably ended and the climb to Passo Falzarego began. It was 11 km up, starting at about 1400 m. It was beautiful. Lots of switchbacks, a few tunnels and just straight out spectacular. There was even a castle 👍.
We wove our way through several charming villages.
We love this area, we have loved these passes, and we have been amazed by the whole experience. The Chief Navigator, Chief Booking Agent and Chief Photographer took the following photograph which I think just sums up the whole amazing experience. I love it. We are so, so lucky.
If you ever have the chance to come here, on a bike, on a motorcycle, in a car, in a tour bus, do it. Whatever works. It is amazing.
We of course, lean to the biking option, but are very aware of our good fortune that we are both able to do it. We stopped part way up for a snack, banana and chocolate hehe, and that took us to the top.
Looking down at one of the tunnels. More of a snowshed really, and we were lucky enough to go through when there were no vehicles. The traffic was very light and mostly motorcycles.
We met a motorcycle tour group at the top (we didn’t know you could do that) and one of the participants was from Vancouver, with a matching Canadian flag to ours. She was lots of fun. Another member was from Florida. The leader of the pack was from France. He has toured from Alaska to the southern tip of South America on his motorcycle. A great group having a great time.
He was carrying our Vancouver aquaintance’s bag, which made me giggle because it reminded me of Keith insisting on carrying my handlebar bag several times.
Then we were going down. The descents are so much fun. I was feeling hungry and suggested to Keith we stop on the way down where we had stopped on the way up for a bite to eat. He wanted to keep going to Cortina, and since we had just morphed from 7 km an hour to 30+km an hour it wasn’t going to take long so I was fine with it. I swooped around the hairpin at the restaurant and he yelled. He was in the driveway on the other side of the road and he had changed his mind 👍. I am so glad I heard him as we had an atmospheric and delicious lunch.
This picture is also from the patio of the restaurant. It gives you an idea of the traffic. The cars are bunched up here because they are being careful passing the cyclists. It wasn’t particularly busy. Impossibly, there are no motorcycles in this picture!
Jacquie GaudetI think about that, the setup on the white bike, and then I wonder where I'd fit in my warm layers and rain gear. Reply to this comment 5 years ago
Kathleen ClassenTo Jacquie GaudetI don’t know how it could work unless they were unbelievable minimalists or out for a very short time. There are tubes and tools needed as well. For a few nights, or a week maybe? Reply to this comment 5 years ago
Then we were overlooking Cortina, and before we knew it we were checked in and showered. We have had another great Italian dinner and are looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures. We had such a great time tonight at dinner talking about the Sellaronda and what an amazing experience it was.
5 years ago
5 years ago