Venzone to Trevisio.

July 22, 2023

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We weren't going to fooled again with the weather today. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! So, we arose early to beat the thunderstorms that were forecasted for later this afternoon. We wouldn't want a repeat of yesterday now, would we?

Well. This morning, Sue arose early, but I arose even earlier.

Ever since arriving here in Italy, I've been getting ready to get up at 3:30am every morning, and I'm afraid that I've created this new sleep pattern now; automatically ready to spring out of bed in the middle of the night. Sue's not happy about it either, as you can imagine.

So, what do I do from 3:30am to around 6am? I work on the journal, of course. I have a problem. And, this problem sees me fading fast in the middle of the afternoon, just as we're in the middle of cycling. So, I'm cycling tired, as was the case today.

But, first. Coffee. We're off to Trevisio today!

Looking south along the braided Tagliamento river.

Today was a 10/10 cycle day. You can't get much better than a whole day on a converted rail trail away from car traffic, and incredible vistas all day long. If you ever get a chance to cycle this route, I highly recommend it. A world class cycle route for sure!

Somewhere along the Tagliamento River along the Alpe Adria.

And, then there were the countless tunnels. Some of them were short, but some of them were quite long. The longest one being about a kilometer in length with no lighting whatsoever. Think of pitch black, then think even darker than that.

As Sue and I entered the longest tunnel, I had my front light on, but it was quite dim to begin with and clearly needed a good charging. Sue's light was no better, so we cycled basically blind. I tried my best to follow the middle white line using my increasingly diminishing headlight, with Sue following behind. It was actually quite unnerving. I had the good sense to get my phone out and put it on flashlight mode to illuminate the way. I imagine there have been many cyclists more unprepared than us that have resorted to walking their bicycles with one hand in contact with the cold damp wall as guidance until the light at the end of the tunnel finally emerges. Between the two of us, our meager lights brought us safely to the end.

Near the town of Resuitta. The Resartico River, a tributary of the Tagliamento in view.

Another small tributary of the Tagliamento.

Here we're about 15 kms from Tarvisio. You can't go wrong with a cabin/mountain shot!

All along today's route the old train stations are still standing; some in better shape than others, but many have been repurposed and have become cyclist social centers for travelers all along the Alpe Adria. The one at Chuisaforte was particularly lively, with cyclists of all ages and abilities and purposes gathering to eat, drink, socialize and take a needed break. Some were on day rides, others were clearly long-distance tourers, and there were many families with small children on scoot bikes or being toed in trailers. The circus of humanity on bikes was here and it added such a festive atmosphere to the place that it was hard not to stop and take a break ourselves. So, we did.

We ordered two of these panini sandwiches. Take a look at the size of that thing. It was almost as big as Sue's head. Look at those slabs of cheese. We split one of these and saved the other for dinner.

Bathroom graffiti at Chuisaforte station.

More awesomeness. The man peeing in the urinal turned around curiously and looked at me standing behind him; wondering why I had my camera out. Sorry, pal. Don't flatter yourself!

This one was well lit. Perfect tarmac and smooth sailing in the coolness of the underground!

We eventually took out our other lights. We're not completely daft.

I remembered watching the time trial in the Giro d'Italia back in May which used the Alpe Adria bike path. When I saw Roglic painted across the path, it jogged my memory that I was now cycling across the exact same path.

Arrived in Trevisio. Our view from our room. I'm pretty spent. Hopefully, I can sleep in to at least 4am tomorrow!

We dodged a HUGE storm very much like the one we cycled in yesterday. But, then there's always something fantastic about getting through a storm...

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 132 km (82 miles)

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