This is getting close to the end of the old railway line.
Today was a perfect day of cycling through a beautiful place. And to make it even better, the rain mostly held off. As our pictures show, it was a day of pretty villages perched in valleys along the river, dwarfed by towering cliffs. We lost count of the tunnels we rode through and the trestles we crossed at towering heights. The waterfalls were spectacular. We continue our solitary path of riding south to north. We are seeing more cyclists approaching us who are in groups, supported by a bus. We have learned that many of these groups take the train from Salzburg to Tarvisio and then ride south to Grado. The main challenge for us today was the steady, but gentle climb from 400 to 800 metres accompanied by a stiff headwind. We were very cold once we reached Tarvisio. The rain had started some km back, but we were still excited by what we had experienced. We continue to have low mileage days because of the weather. It is surprising how exhausted we are after an average of only 40 km. Trying to keep warm and dry are a priority. The rain has been so fierce that we cannot stay dry in our rain gear. Many stops are necessary. We arrived at the Hotel we had booked on booking.com only to discover that they were overbooked. Thankfully, the owner had contacted a nearby hotel and secured a room for us. It was a good thing for us, as the place we ended up staying at was a far superior hotel with breakfast included and we didn't have to pay for the upgrade. That was nice as we tend to pick the most desirable place for the least price. For once, we got one of the most desirable for a higher price. We will enjoy the comfort of our upgraded digs. It feels like we deserve a little TLC. Speaking of bad weather, Mary Ellen has been suffering without warm tights to wear on the bike. We have been unsuccessful at finding any stores that sell something appropriate. Tarvisio is a ski resort in the winter and has a plethora of outdoor shops - and she found a pair of Italian tights, half price. What a day!!
As we found on our last cycling trip to Italy, villages Bars are truly the hub of the community. Despite it being a cold, windy, wet night, the place was hopping with locals - on one side were the regulars who come in for a coffee, wine, beer and a visit - and on the other side were the people eating. At the end was a master pizza chef who twirled pizza dough on one finger, creating thin yummy crusts in the wood fire pizza oven. Conversations are as one in a bar - everybody contributes from all sides of the room. As we ate, many locals came in and joined in on the conversation and waited to take home, usually about 5 pizzas. What a great time we had and an insight in to village life.
Chiusaforte was proud to be part of the Giro d'Italia route. It is a very sleepy town with just this general store, a pharmacy, the Bar and a butcher. Surprisingly, this wee store had an English guide to the Italian section of the Alpe Adria. We have looked in many big centres and couldn't find anything in English, so even though we will be leaving Italy tomorrow, we couldn't resist buying it.
We do seem to like to buck the trend - yes, we are going to Austria, not Grado. We have so loved this route, that we plan to ride it again someday and we will head to Grado that time. For us, it is a good link to go south from Germany. We are dreaming of a trip to Greece and this would be part of the plan.
We have ridden so many tunnels and trestles, that we have lost count. They are all so beautiful and give us awesome views. It can be disconcerting to look down from the trestle through the metal grates.
We have ridden so many tunnels and trestles, that we have lost count. They are all so beautiful and give us awesome views. It can be disconcerting to look down from the trestle through the metal grates.
And there they go - happy, "bus people". We enjoy seeing people of all ages and fitness levels on this route. And, it is a good day as we have some sunshine.
We have seen so many spectacular waterfalls along the way. This time of year they are at their peak which is a good thing about travelling here in the fall and spring.
The village of Dogna is nestled in the valley with a massive highway in front and the mountains behind. The roads are truly a master of engineering in this area and a vital link for the communities and businesses.
We almost booked accomodation in Dogna and we are so glad we didn't. The access from the trail was straight down - not to mention straight up when we would leave.
As we struggled up the hill with our bike, this cat impassively watched our struggle, clearly not impressed by us. We think the cat has seen many cyclists do this very thing.
This section is not ridable, as you must firs ascend a narrow climb, followed by 2 90 degree turns and then up this incline. An Italian cyclist insisted on relieving me and helping Barry with Seavo. Thanks!!
Pontebba was very proud to be on the official race route of the 2013 Giro d'Italia, In Italy, this race and its participants are revered. Many consider the Giro to be a far tougher race than the Tour de France. We are also very proud of our fellow Canadian, Ryder Hesjedal who won the Giro in 2012.
