June 10, 2025
Selva di Val Gardena
Today will go down in the memory banks as an epic day. The Cole’s notes version is that we had two rides today. First, the ride over the Passo Gardena to Ortesei (600m of climbing, 700m descending) and second, a gravel ride from the top of Alpe di Seceda to the base at Santa Cristina followed by a road ride to Selva di Val Gardena (1100m descending, 130m climbing). So, 1800m down and 730m up. Did I imagine in my wildest dreams I’d be doing this three weeks into this trip? That would be a firm ‘no’ but in the scheme of things, we like to grab opportunities that present themselves and today was one of those days.
Corvara, Forever in our Hearts
We enjoyed our stay at Manfred’s La Tranquillitè so much, that we almost felt sad to leave. I learned this morning that Manfred’s parents bought the building in 1963 and he had it renovated twelve years ago. Each year, between seasons, he does touch-ups to keep it in top shape. The love and attention he puts in to maintaining it definitely shows. In fact, it looks like the reno has been just completed. It is immaculate. All the modern, but subtle, touches are in place but these are secondary to the human touches. All in all, a great place to stay awhile and explore the area.
We were the only ones in the breakfast room at 8:15am, where we enjoyed the yogurt, fruit, nuts, cereal, eggs, ham, cheese, toast, cake, croissants, juice and 2 coffees each. David mused how nice it would be to wake up to this breakfast buffet every morning. If only! It would mean we’d have to do the equivalent amount of work every day and that’s very unlikely so we will stick with the usual cereal, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee.
Twist and Turn
We said goodbye to Manfred and the staff, then pushed off and headed over to the main drag where the climb of the Passo Gardena begins. The weather was perfect, about 12 degrees, blue skies and no wind to speak of.
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1 day ago
The road to the summit, like many of these climbs, has a number of twists and turns. Gardena has 19 hairpin bends, with a maximum grade of 12.1% and an average of 6.7%. We stopped along the way to absorb the incredible mountain backdrops.
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The best news of all to report is that the rest days in Corvara paid off and while it was hard work, the ride felt like it should: exertion balanced with recovery and steady state riding. What a relief. We took some time at the summit to absorb the incredible mountain vistas and get the mandatory summit sign photos.
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1 day ago
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As we surveyed the roadway below us, I asked David it the road I was seeing was the one he rode on Sellaronda day, but he had no recall of it. Safely navigating through the other cyclists was top of mind and he didn’t see this view at all. So, it was a do-over, but in a good way.
We headed down the twisties, enjoying every one of them. Traffic was light so it was very enjoyable. You make good time on the downhills, better than the cars, and we soon came to the junction where the Sellaronda takes a left turn and heads up the Passo Sella. We turned right and enjoyed a lot more downhills and twisties. Soon, we were entering the Val Gardena and the first of the towns that lie in this famous valley, Selva di Val Gardena.
If you’re not sure why Val Gardena seems familiar, it is likely because the men’s world cup downhill has been held here since 1969 and you remember watching the ‘Crazy Canucks’: Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, Steve Podborski, and Ken Read. They were well-known for their fast and aggressive skiing. Dave Irwin won the downhill race at Val Gardena in 1980. Rob Boyd won the downhill race, not once but twice in Val Gardena. Dave Murray also won in Val Gardena. On the women’s side, Betsy Clifford won the women's giant slalom race at Val Gardena in 1970. So, yes, Canadians have made their mark here.
We stopped for a coffee when we reached Selva, then checked in at our accommodation. It was only 1:00pm so we started looking into our options for some more cycling. The valley is dotted with gondolas and lifts and two of them are especially well-known for their quick access to some of the world’s most scenic places. We settled on the gondola to Seceda. It’s actually Alpe di Seceda, but it’s simply called Seceda in these parts. We tried to make a plan, but there are so many choices, we decided we’d be better off making the decisions on the move. So, we dropped our bags and set off for Ortesei, where the gondola is located.
Up, up and Away
The ride to Ortesei, where the lift originates, would have been much less confusing had we known there was a rail-to-trail bikeway starting outside our doorway. Oops! We followed the signs for the lift which led us to a series of three long and steep escalators. There were no bike options, no elevators, or signage for how to reach the ticket office, so we gingerly placed our bikes on the escalator step as we stepped on. Not the safest option but it worked. The escalators are contained withing tunnels that burrow through the mountain and emerge at the base of the lift. Nine of this is visible from the town centre. The lifts are frequent, so we were soon whisked away, up the mountain.
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Soon, we exited the cable car, took a few steps and this was the view. Breathtaking. Most people seemed to be walking a narrow trail to the left so we went the opposite way.
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Rock and Roll, Literally!
We surveyed the landscape and consulted our map to guess the best way down, then we set off. These roadways/paths are rough and rocky and are regularly crossed at an angle by culverts to divert the runoff. Most of the culverts are steel u-channels, about 5”wide. Others are two wooden 3x3’s and others were concrete channels. The type, the spacing and the gravel consistency on either side of the culverts made them an added challenge for our small 20” wheels. The first rule was to cross them head-on at 90 degrees; second rule was not to brake when crossing them if that’s possible. So, aim for the culvert at 90 degrees, let off the brakes to cross it and then brake again to stay in control. With that, we were off, rolling downhill over the rocks and gravel.
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The flowers were jaw dropping and I just had to stop, crawl up the bank and take a few shots. I yelled out to David, ‘flower stop’, but he didn't hear me and kept on descending around the next bend. I think by the time I emerged, he had images in his mind of me taking a tumble. But, all was going very well!
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We did stop at a refugio for drinks, large lemonades are popular here. Very refreshing.
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The young server, dressed in liederhosen, recommended the way down to Selva from there. He suggested we aim for the hotel that we could see far off in the distance. He seemed to understand cycling, so we took his advice.
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Make no mistake, there was a lot of off-the-bike scurrying downhill on foot all the way down the hill. Better safe than sorry. By the time we were about 3/4 of the way downhill, our hands were cramping, making short rests mandatory! Eventually, the dirt ruts turned into concrete and then pavement and we began seeing signs of civilization. We rode past the base of the Reiser lift as we entered the upper reaches of Santa Cristina. A large gravel truck lumbered past us, on its way up hill. We commented that we couldn’t see a need for any more gravel than was already there!
We zipped down the hill and spotted a bike lane heading our way, so quickly hung a left, and had an excellent cruise back to our hotel.
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We had a short rest, then headed to a nearby pizzeria for an excellent dinner. Service was fantastic too, so we will probably come back tomorrow night. It’s warm enough to sit outside for dinner, another big plus to the timing of our trip.
The video for today does not cover the off-road riding, just the Passo Gardena ride. The camera was safely stowed in the hotel for the afternoon ride. You’ll just have to imagine the two crazy Canucks on their Bike Fridays, barreling down 1100+ metres of rough gravel and rocks, with wide eyes and big grins in our faces.
Please ignore this dead link. Technical issues arise from time to time 🙄 .
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1 day ago
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 584 km (363 miles)
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1 day ago
1 day ago
One can just imagine the big wide grins on your faces! Yehah!
1 day ago
18 hours ago