Brilliant ride report. Great photos. Dead envious 
Never trust a Met man...
- Thread starter MikeO
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They were having some sort of festival here - all the cattlemen and girls were in traditional costume and the cattle were adorned with bells and flowers. I don't know what they were celebrating, but I'd put money on it ending with people eating steak...
They have it every year, it's a celebration for bringing the cows down from the hills after summer....
They don't eat them
20th September 2015
A fair night's sleep - I open the curtains to see a pure blue sky - that'll do nicely...
I ablute and then attack the breakfast buffet. I pack the bare minimum onto the bike and set off at about 09:30 into a cool, crisp mountain morning...
I refuel at the filling station, which is mobbed by scooters...
Whilst I'm refuelling, one of the riders wanders over towards my bike with a cigarette - I tell him to fuck off and he demonstrates a clear understanding of English...
My knowledge of Italian is improving day by day. Apparently the local police have got electronically controlled velociraptors. Better stick to the speed limits...
I turn right at the first roundabout towards some pass or another - can't remember the name - who cares? Look at the view...
The road continues to narrow...
...as the altitude increases...
It's cold here at altitude - there was a frost last night...
...but things are fine as long as you keep in sunlight...
Eventually the road peters out into a goat track and I turn around and retrace my steps...
The air is incredibly clear - the rain over the last few days has cleared all the pollen and pollution out of it.
I ride a few more kilometres along the valley and then turn left...
It's a Sunday morning and there is something of a festival atmosphere in the air. I see dozens of hikers and every parking spot is filled...
Nice ass...
I carry on further up the road, the surface of which which is gradually deteriorating in quality...
...until it becomes a forestry track...
...which is exactly what the Adv was really designed to be on...
The temperature when in the shade at this altitude is really quite low - and I see frost from last night melting on the roofs of a couple of the more sheltered huts I pass.
Good - with any luck it will have killed a couple of billion mosquitoes...
Once again, I eventually run out of road, so turn around and head back down...
There's a festival of some sort in town and the local chaps and girls are all getting ready for a parade...
Overseen by the local Carabinieri - looking like U-Boat captains...
Where now?
I wander about aimlessly on the valley floor for a few kilometres before heading up another random pass...
The unfortunately named Paso Nigra gives you the occasional glimpse of a spectacular panorama as you crest it and then descend the far side...
It's not as well populated by bikes as the larger passes, but it's a great ride...
...and look at the view!
...this is zoomed in to give a better view of the the distant mountains - all snow-capped now. [Sean Bean] Winter is coming[/Sean Bean]
Onward!
I have no idea where I am now
...so I tell Bettie to take me back to the hotel by a winding route. She immediately tells me to turn around, so I trick her into recalculating by telling her there's a roadblock. She thinks about it for a bit and then we set off...
Autostrada far below...
She then directs me up a hugely twisty road - no time for pictures - too busy riding and overtaking cars on the way up...
I stop to give the old girl a rest at the top and they all pass me again...
What a great day...
Right at the top, I stop and chat with Christof (in red) and Christian (in blue)...
...who, like me, have stopped to admire the view. Christof is Austrian and rides here a lot. I tell him he's very lucky and he says "Pheh - after a while it's all the same". His English is brilliant (I should probably ask him about the velociraptors - the more I think about it the less likely it seems
) and he tells me that this is probably the best time of year to ride the Dolomites, as the weather is more stable. My previous visit had been in late June and early July, which he thinks is more likely to produce unstable weather. July and August are OK, but the passes are completely clogged with caravans and campers, so he rides elsewhere then.
I tell him to come to Norfolk, if he ever wants a complete change...
There's a classic car rally of some kind going on in the area - I keep coming across old cars like this - the Germans apparently oblivious of the irony of them wearing Irvin flying jackets...
I say my farewells and set off once more...
The road is tiger-striped with shadows from the sun to my right...
I find it impossible to just ride on when I see a vista like this - it has a view, a barn and a road - if it only had a bridge (and some food) it would be the definitive ride report pic...
It's about midday and I'm feeling a little peckish, so decide to look out for somewhere to grab something to eat...
You know, I have a feeling Velo might refer to speed, not velociraptors. Either that or this is a velociraptor camera...
I'm steered past this spectacularly coloured lake - none of my photos are photoshopped or enhanced in any way, by the way...
I eventually join the road I first arrived in Canazei on - when the weather was so dreary, just a few days ago...
...it's a little better today...
Eventually I arrive back at the valley floor and, spotting an Imbiss, park the bike...
...noticing a few more members of the vintage car rally. She looks really impressed, doesn't she?
I have no idea what this is - any guesses?
I order the "Mikki's Special" - which turns out to be...
...frankfurters split and stuffed with cheese, then wrapped in bacon.
What's not to like?
I walk back to my bike, feeling my arteries hardening as I do, then get kitted up and ride the short distance back to Villa Emma.
Great day's riding...
As I type this in the lounge (internet connection is better here), Johnny English, dubbed into Italian, is playing on the TV...
A fair night's sleep - I open the curtains to see a pure blue sky - that'll do nicely...
I ablute and then attack the breakfast buffet. I pack the bare minimum onto the bike and set off at about 09:30 into a cool, crisp mountain morning...
I refuel at the filling station, which is mobbed by scooters...
Whilst I'm refuelling, one of the riders wanders over towards my bike with a cigarette - I tell him to fuck off and he demonstrates a clear understanding of English...
My knowledge of Italian is improving day by day. Apparently the local police have got electronically controlled velociraptors. Better stick to the speed limits...
I turn right at the first roundabout towards some pass or another - can't remember the name - who cares? Look at the view...
The road continues to narrow...
...as the altitude increases...
It's cold here at altitude - there was a frost last night...
...but things are fine as long as you keep in sunlight...
Eventually the road peters out into a goat track and I turn around and retrace my steps...
The air is incredibly clear - the rain over the last few days has cleared all the pollen and pollution out of it.
I ride a few more kilometres along the valley and then turn left...
It's a Sunday morning and there is something of a festival atmosphere in the air. I see dozens of hikers and every parking spot is filled...
Nice ass...
I carry on further up the road, the surface of which which is gradually deteriorating in quality...
...until it becomes a forestry track...
...which is exactly what the Adv was really designed to be on...
The temperature when in the shade at this altitude is really quite low - and I see frost from last night melting on the roofs of a couple of the more sheltered huts I pass.
Good - with any luck it will have killed a couple of billion mosquitoes...
Once again, I eventually run out of road, so turn around and head back down...
There's a festival of some sort in town and the local chaps and girls are all getting ready for a parade...
Overseen by the local Carabinieri - looking like U-Boat captains...
Where now?
I wander about aimlessly on the valley floor for a few kilometres before heading up another random pass...
The unfortunately named Paso Nigra gives you the occasional glimpse of a spectacular panorama as you crest it and then descend the far side...
It's not as well populated by bikes as the larger passes, but it's a great ride...
...and look at the view!
...this is zoomed in to give a better view of the the distant mountains - all snow-capped now. [Sean Bean] Winter is coming[/Sean Bean]
Onward!
I have no idea where I am now
...so I tell Bettie to take me back to the hotel by a winding route. She immediately tells me to turn around, so I trick her into recalculating by telling her there's a roadblock. She thinks about it for a bit and then we set off...
Autostrada far below...
She then directs me up a hugely twisty road - no time for pictures - too busy riding and overtaking cars on the way up...
I stop to give the old girl a rest at the top and they all pass me again...
What a great day...
Right at the top, I stop and chat with Christof (in red) and Christian (in blue)...
...who, like me, have stopped to admire the view. Christof is Austrian and rides here a lot. I tell him he's very lucky and he says "Pheh - after a while it's all the same". His English is brilliant (I should probably ask him about the velociraptors - the more I think about it the less likely it seems
I tell him to come to Norfolk, if he ever wants a complete change...
There's a classic car rally of some kind going on in the area - I keep coming across old cars like this - the Germans apparently oblivious of the irony of them wearing Irvin flying jackets...
I say my farewells and set off once more...
The road is tiger-striped with shadows from the sun to my right...
I find it impossible to just ride on when I see a vista like this - it has a view, a barn and a road - if it only had a bridge (and some food) it would be the definitive ride report pic...
It's about midday and I'm feeling a little peckish, so decide to look out for somewhere to grab something to eat...
You know, I have a feeling Velo might refer to speed, not velociraptors. Either that or this is a velociraptor camera...
I'm steered past this spectacularly coloured lake - none of my photos are photoshopped or enhanced in any way, by the way...
I eventually join the road I first arrived in Canazei on - when the weather was so dreary, just a few days ago...
...it's a little better today...
Eventually I arrive back at the valley floor and, spotting an Imbiss, park the bike...
...noticing a few more members of the vintage car rally. She looks really impressed, doesn't she?
I have no idea what this is - any guesses?
I order the "Mikki's Special" - which turns out to be...
...frankfurters split and stuffed with cheese, then wrapped in bacon.
What's not to like?
I walk back to my bike, feeling my arteries hardening as I do, then get kitted up and ride the short distance back to Villa Emma.
Great day's riding...
As I type this in the lounge (internet connection is better here), Johnny English, dubbed into Italian, is playing on the TV...
What scenery.
Keep the pictures coming Mike.
oh, and the words as well
Keep the pictures coming Mike.
oh, and the words as well
Just extended my stay by another night - they're now giving me family rates, as I'm such a good customer...
You lucky man, perfect weather Mike. Where you parked in the lay by is Julie and I s usual Dolomites hotel just on the edge of Arraba Hotel Olympia. Oh how I wish I was there right now. Keep it coming 
cafemaestro
Registered user
Fiat 500 Modelo C Topolino Giardineria circa 1951-54
You lucky man, perfect weather Mike. Where you parked in the lay by is Julie and I s usual Dolomites hotel just on the edge of Arraba Hotel Olympia. Oh how I wish I was there right now. Keep it coming
We stayed there last year.
The Dolomites are my favourite area to ride.
Great pics & report Mike.....really enjoying the read & glad you're having a fab trip
21st September 2015
A fair night's sleep - a crowd of young Italians were staying last night and decided to play a game called "Stamp as loud as you can whilst throwing furniture around the room" on the floor above me.
I have a quick breakfast and then get out to lightly pack the bike...
It has been considerably cooler - the windscreens of the cars in the car park are frosted over...
More importantly - so has my seat...
Ah well - let's sort that out...
That should do it - if not, I'm quite prepared to escalate...
I press the starter at exactly 09:00 and set off into a chilly, clear morning. I turned right yesterday, so let's go left today, eh?
Canazei and the surrounding villages are just waking up - getting ready for just another week...
...the roads are very quiet - most of yesterday's motorcyclists are probably sending out invoices, fitting tyres or selling washing machines today...
...if I may use an Americanism - sucks to be them...
Do you remember those stereoscopic viewers you used to have when you were a kid (he typed, ageing himself horribly)?
You know, this sort of thing? Do you remember, when the focus was right, how unreal and super-sharp every image was?
Well, that's the type of view I'm getting here in the thin, clear mountain air - it shrinks distance and allows you to see forever...
Mind you, it is a bit cold...
...despite the sun doing its best. I quietly turn the heated grips on to 'Low' and ride on...
I can only imagine how cold that water is - I certainly don't plan on taking a dip...
I'm soon starting the long descent into the next valley...
There's no sign of frost anywhere, but I'm cautious in the sheltered stretches - I'm a good 2000m higher than the hotel here...
The Italians and Austrians are experts at building Alpine roads...
...and at tunnelling...
I stop here for a few minutes, savouring the view and the quiet, broken only by the sound of the waterfall...
..and of the council digger - with one of the workmen getting a lift in the bucket...
A striking piece of steel sculpture in the same village...
Onward!
I soon reach the lowest point of the valley, and start climbing towards the next col...
Looks like it might be a big one...
Let's go then...
The road wends its way through several villages, then it's time to start the fairly steep climb up the end of the valley...
...serried rows of avalanche fences above the road...
Roadside helipad...
Needs more cowbell...
What a glorious day...
One or two more turns before we get to the top, though...
Nearly there - if you look back down the valley you can see the road coiling back on itself as it snakes up the mountain...
Eventually I reach the top of pass Pordoi, which - like most of the passes, is well stocked with shops selling rubbish and expensive cafés and hotels...
Although this one also has an artillery piece...
...and a memorial thing to cycling...
Looks like a fun time to be had on the far side...
...and looks aren't deceiving...
I have a very rapid descent down the far side of the col...
...and meet a few motorcyclists coming up - I'm clearly not the only one on leave...
It's still cold in the shadows of the evergreens here - although there are no signs of the frost from last night...
I realise that this road is going to take me back to Canazei...
...so decide to cut my riding day in half. I'll go and upload this morning's pics in the hotel and write up this morning's journal, then wander out again this afternoon...
I get stopped by a roadworks chap with a red lollipop a couple of kilometres short of Canazei, and encounter a pack of bikes tearing up the hill...
Entering the town, I turn around to take a couple of pics of this beautiful little Fiat 500. By the look of it, it has been modified from original and the engine cover seems to be permanently propped open to allow for some modification within...
I park at the Villa Emma at about 11:00 and have one of their tiny but delicious thimbles of coffee whilst uploading this morning's pics and updating the journal...
More later...
A fair night's sleep - a crowd of young Italians were staying last night and decided to play a game called "Stamp as loud as you can whilst throwing furniture around the room" on the floor above me.
I have a quick breakfast and then get out to lightly pack the bike...
It has been considerably cooler - the windscreens of the cars in the car park are frosted over...
More importantly - so has my seat...
Ah well - let's sort that out...
That should do it - if not, I'm quite prepared to escalate...
I press the starter at exactly 09:00 and set off into a chilly, clear morning. I turned right yesterday, so let's go left today, eh?
Canazei and the surrounding villages are just waking up - getting ready for just another week...
...the roads are very quiet - most of yesterday's motorcyclists are probably sending out invoices, fitting tyres or selling washing machines today...
...if I may use an Americanism - sucks to be them...
Do you remember those stereoscopic viewers you used to have when you were a kid (he typed, ageing himself horribly)?
You know, this sort of thing? Do you remember, when the focus was right, how unreal and super-sharp every image was?
Well, that's the type of view I'm getting here in the thin, clear mountain air - it shrinks distance and allows you to see forever...
Mind you, it is a bit cold...
...despite the sun doing its best. I quietly turn the heated grips on to 'Low' and ride on...
I can only imagine how cold that water is - I certainly don't plan on taking a dip...
I'm soon starting the long descent into the next valley...
There's no sign of frost anywhere, but I'm cautious in the sheltered stretches - I'm a good 2000m higher than the hotel here...
The Italians and Austrians are experts at building Alpine roads...
...and at tunnelling...
I stop here for a few minutes, savouring the view and the quiet, broken only by the sound of the waterfall...
..and of the council digger - with one of the workmen getting a lift in the bucket...
A striking piece of steel sculpture in the same village...
Onward!
I soon reach the lowest point of the valley, and start climbing towards the next col...
Looks like it might be a big one...
Let's go then...
The road wends its way through several villages, then it's time to start the fairly steep climb up the end of the valley...
...serried rows of avalanche fences above the road...
Roadside helipad...
Needs more cowbell...
What a glorious day...
One or two more turns before we get to the top, though...
Nearly there - if you look back down the valley you can see the road coiling back on itself as it snakes up the mountain...
Eventually I reach the top of pass Pordoi, which - like most of the passes, is well stocked with shops selling rubbish and expensive cafés and hotels...
Although this one also has an artillery piece...
...and a memorial thing to cycling...
Looks like a fun time to be had on the far side...
...and looks aren't deceiving...
I have a very rapid descent down the far side of the col...
...and meet a few motorcyclists coming up - I'm clearly not the only one on leave...
It's still cold in the shadows of the evergreens here - although there are no signs of the frost from last night...
I realise that this road is going to take me back to Canazei...
...so decide to cut my riding day in half. I'll go and upload this morning's pics in the hotel and write up this morning's journal, then wander out again this afternoon...
I get stopped by a roadworks chap with a red lollipop a couple of kilometres short of Canazei, and encounter a pack of bikes tearing up the hill...
Entering the town, I turn around to take a couple of pics of this beautiful little Fiat 500. By the look of it, it has been modified from original and the engine cover seems to be permanently propped open to allow for some modification within...
I park at the Villa Emma at about 11:00 and have one of their tiny but delicious thimbles of coffee whilst uploading this morning's pics and updating the journal...
More later...
Last pic Mike of Lake Fedai ,did you ride across the dam wall. Lovely little refugio that does home made cakes. When you said water looks cold, we visited in mid September and Julie had a paddle came out and her little feet were blue
mcinlb
Registered user
Stunning pics, only been in the Dolomites once, got to go back.........
Last pic Mike of Lake Fedai ,did you ride across the dam wall. Lovely little refugio that does home made cakes. When you said water looks cold, we visited in mid September and Julie had a paddle came out and her little feet were blue
I went across the dam when I visit here in 2012, so didn't today.
Today has been one of the best I can remember spending on two wheels. I'm currently uploading 196 pics from this afternoon on a fairly slow connection - I think you'll find they're worth waiting for...
I think you'll find they're worth waiting for... :
You can take the I think out of that sentence, we all know they are definitely worth waiting for, although it is really starting to annoy me, the weather, the roads, while we are all working!
You can take the I think out of that sentence, we all know they are definitely worth waiting for, although it is really starting to annoy me, the weather, the roads, while we are all working!
21st September 2015 - part II
Feeling invigorated, after 10cc of coffee, I set out once again, this time turning right...
Circling above the peak ahead are dozens of paragliders...
I am soon retracing my steps from this morning...
...one of the paragliders swoops low towards the town...
...like most roads, this one is a completely different experience ridden the other way. I'd say this afternoon's direction is definitely the most scenic...
I meet plenty of riders coming the other way - it was clearly too cold for them earlier...
You keep getting glimpses through the trees...
...of the peaks just hidden from view...
...always remembering that the view behind is pretty good too...
I keep a fairly good lick of speed on heading up the pass...
...but am unable to resist stopping for a good photo-op - which means progress is slower than it might be...
When I was a kid I used to look at contrails and wonder where people were travelling to. I don't care today - it's unlikely to be anywhere as pretty as here...
It's not warm here - I wonder how cold it is up there?
I crest the top of the pass and start down the far side - I can't believe how far I can see...
You have to keep an eye out for these tour buses, which troll up and down the passes, full of blue-rinsed ladies and frail old gentlemen. As you can tell from this pic, it's best to slow to a crawl some way short of the turn to let them manoeuvre...
I have a brief tango with an Italian in a black Boxster with the hood down - which must also be a great way to see this area - right up to the point where he got baulked by traffic and I waved him goodbye...
Still no takers at the roadside heli-pad...
I keep on thinking of reasons why it would not be a good idea to move here...
Bloody cold in winter, of course...
...another couple of switchbacks...
Can't speak Italian. No problem - I've done Latin - how difficult can it be?
Just imagine waking up to a view like that every day - would you really get tired of it?
I wonder how many days like this they get per year - I'm not kidding myself - I know I'm seeing it at its best and emptiest, but it's so beautiful...
Of course, I'd have to get Marnie to obey commands in Italian...
...and that's something I've singularly failed to achieve in English - perhaps I ought to shelve the idea...
The weather is perfect, the road surface great and the Adv's on song, as I head into new ground - towards Cortina...
Inevitably I spend some time waiting at roadworks...
I crest the pass and the panorama is absolutely stunning...
No matter what direction you look in, the scenery is spectacular...
I have a very fast run down the other side of the pass towards Cortina. The trees are of such a height that it's almost impossible to take a picture that does justice to the panorama on the horizon...
The Dolomites are a Unesco World Heritage Site - and I quite understand this. What eludes me is how I could have been unaware of their existence three years ago. Don't get me wrong, I was aware of the name and the geography of the area, as I am of most of Europe, but the first time I saw the unique form of the mountains I was blown away by the sight. I was quite familiar with the Alps - how did my education miss out the Dolomites?
No matter - it may be the Italian Tourist Board's best kept secret, but the cat's out of the bag as far as I'm concerned...
I start the final descent into Cortina, and stop at a pull in to take some pictures...
...and there's Cortina...
In the vale of huge peaks.
Who knows, perhaps it was this very point in the early 1960s where marketing executives from Ford UK stood and said "Yes - we'll name a medium sized family saloon after this place"?
I ride down into the town, find a filling station and fill up at an eye-watering €1.57 per litre for 95 unleaded.
I'm glad I'm staying at Canazei - if this is an example of the cost of living, I couldn't afford Cortina (see what I did there?)...
I set off back the way I came - I intend to take a left fork and get another couple of passes in. It seems rather redundant to ask Bettie to calculate a winding route here, I doubt there are other types, but I do anyway. She tells me she can get me back to the hotel for 16:35, which sounds about right. I definitely don't want to be out too late as I have to pack up and start heading home tomorrow - dammit...
I'm soon - once again - on new roads...
...and making good speed towards Canazei, some 45km away...
I'm not sure I'll be beating Bettie's ETA today, though - I find I can either ride fast, or look at the scenery...
I elect not to ride fast.
Halfway up this pass, two guys wearing Hi-Viz jackets and equipped with the red/green lollipops that are used to stop traffic in this part of the world wave me by with a green sign. Odd - there were no warnings of roadworks and there are none in sight...
I get to the crest of the Passo Giau and stop to the a picture - a chap with a two-way radio comes bustling up and tells me I can't park there. I tell him I've stopped for a second to take a picture and he's fine with that.
The top of the pass is alive with people and - as best I can guess - there's a photo-shoot going on here. There are a couple of big Audis with huge camera platforms on their fronts and rears and a car under the covers with a crowd around it.
I ride on...
If you're going to have a photo-shoot, it's hard to think of a better location or better weather...
Onward!
During one of my (frequent) stops to take a pic, an Italian on an 1150 Adv SE comes past me - he's obviously on a similar agenda to me (ie none), as we pass each other several times on the way down the pass...
This isn't getting me any closer to the hotel - let's move it along...
Well, maybe after one more pic...
Right - that's enough - let's go...
The chap on the SE, passing me for the fourth time, must be thinking "That guy would be a nightmare to tour with"...
I'm definitely feeling the cold when out of the sun now. I turn the heated grips back on to low...
...and start to get a shuffle on, waving goodbye to my Italian friend as I pass him for the last time...
I'm soon reciprocating my original route, from first thing this morning. I stop to take this picture - and I'm sure I can hear the tinkling of bells, even through my earplugs...
I look around and can't see anything, so set off up the hill...
Sheep - hundreds of them...
They are slowly being herded further down the valley to their winter grazing areas...
I ride on, past Lake Fedai - looking no warmer this evening.
I notice a rider crouched down beside his bike, so I turn around to see if he needs any help. It turns out to be Lars, a Swede of advanced years, who was using the seat of his Ducati as a tripod to take a picture of the lake.
I ask if he needs any help "Have you got a beer?"
I have a very rapid ride back down the hill to Villa Emma - arriving on the dot of 16:35 - Bettie obviously knew the stops for pics would be frequent...
I honestly can't think of a day when I've enjoyed myself more on two wheels.
I have a couple of beers (and then dinner) whilst I wait for the 196 pics (just from this afternoon) to upload.
Time to plan where to stop tomorrow night...
Feeling invigorated, after 10cc of coffee
, I set out once again, this time turning right...
Circling above the peak ahead are dozens of paragliders...
I am soon retracing my steps from this morning...
...one of the paragliders swoops low towards the town...
...like most roads, this one is a completely different experience ridden the other way. I'd say this afternoon's direction is definitely the most scenic...
I meet plenty of riders coming the other way - it was clearly too cold for them earlier...
You keep getting glimpses through the trees...
...of the peaks just hidden from view...
...always remembering that the view behind is pretty good too...
I keep a fairly good lick of speed on heading up the pass...
...but am unable to resist stopping for a good photo-op - which means progress is slower than it might be...
When I was a kid I used to look at contrails and wonder where people were travelling to. I don't care today - it's unlikely to be anywhere as pretty as here...
It's not warm here - I wonder how cold it is up there?
I crest the top of the pass and start down the far side - I can't believe how far I can see...
You have to keep an eye out for these tour buses, which troll up and down the passes, full of blue-rinsed ladies and frail old gentlemen. As you can tell from this pic, it's best to slow to a crawl some way short of the turn to let them manoeuvre...
I have a brief tango with an Italian in a black Boxster with the hood down - which must also be a great way to see this area - right up to the point where he got baulked by traffic and I waved him goodbye...
Still no takers at the roadside heli-pad...
I keep on thinking of reasons why it would not be a good idea to move here...
Bloody cold in winter, of course...
...another couple of switchbacks...
Can't speak Italian. No problem - I've done Latin - how difficult can it be?
Just imagine waking up to a view like that every day - would you really get tired of it?
I wonder how many days like this they get per year - I'm not kidding myself - I know I'm seeing it at its best and emptiest, but it's so beautiful...
Of course, I'd have to get Marnie to obey commands in Italian...
...and that's something I've singularly failed to achieve in English - perhaps I ought to shelve the idea...
The weather is perfect, the road surface great and the Adv's on song, as I head into new ground - towards Cortina...
Inevitably I spend some time waiting at roadworks...
I crest the pass and the panorama is absolutely stunning...
No matter what direction you look in, the scenery is spectacular...
I have a very fast run down the other side of the pass towards Cortina. The trees are of such a height that it's almost impossible to take a picture that does justice to the panorama on the horizon...
The Dolomites are a Unesco World Heritage Site - and I quite understand this. What eludes me is how I could have been unaware of their existence three years ago. Don't get me wrong, I was aware of the name and the geography of the area, as I am of most of Europe, but the first time I saw the unique form of the mountains I was blown away by the sight. I was quite familiar with the Alps - how did my education miss out the Dolomites?
No matter - it may be the Italian Tourist Board's best kept secret, but the cat's out of the bag as far as I'm concerned...
I start the final descent into Cortina, and stop at a pull in to take some pictures...
...and there's Cortina...
In the vale of huge peaks.
Who knows, perhaps it was this very point in the early 1960s where marketing executives from Ford UK stood and said "Yes - we'll name a medium sized family saloon after this place"?
I ride down into the town, find a filling station and fill up at an eye-watering €1.57 per litre for 95 unleaded.
I'm glad I'm staying at Canazei - if this is an example of the cost of living, I couldn't afford Cortina (see what I did there?)...
I set off back the way I came - I intend to take a left fork and get another couple of passes in. It seems rather redundant to ask Bettie to calculate a winding route here, I doubt there are other types, but I do anyway. She tells me she can get me back to the hotel for 16:35, which sounds about right. I definitely don't want to be out too late as I have to pack up and start heading home tomorrow - dammit...
I'm soon - once again - on new roads...
...and making good speed towards Canazei, some 45km away...
I'm not sure I'll be beating Bettie's ETA today, though - I find I can either ride fast, or look at the scenery...
I elect not to ride fast.
Halfway up this pass, two guys wearing Hi-Viz jackets and equipped with the red/green lollipops that are used to stop traffic in this part of the world wave me by with a green sign. Odd - there were no warnings of roadworks and there are none in sight...
I get to the crest of the Passo Giau and stop to the a picture - a chap with a two-way radio comes bustling up and tells me I can't park there. I tell him I've stopped for a second to take a picture and he's fine with that.
The top of the pass is alive with people and - as best I can guess - there's a photo-shoot going on here. There are a couple of big Audis with huge camera platforms on their fronts and rears and a car under the covers with a crowd around it.
I ride on...
If you're going to have a photo-shoot, it's hard to think of a better location or better weather...
Onward!
During one of my (frequent) stops to take a pic, an Italian on an 1150 Adv SE comes past me - he's obviously on a similar agenda to me (ie none), as we pass each other several times on the way down the pass...
This isn't getting me any closer to the hotel - let's move it along...
Well, maybe after one more pic...
Right - that's enough - let's go...
The chap on the SE, passing me for the fourth time, must be thinking "That guy would be a nightmare to tour with"...
I'm definitely feeling the cold when out of the sun now. I turn the heated grips back on to low...
...and start to get a shuffle on, waving goodbye to my Italian friend as I pass him for the last time...
I'm soon reciprocating my original route, from first thing this morning. I stop to take this picture - and I'm sure I can hear the tinkling of bells, even through my earplugs...
I look around and can't see anything, so set off up the hill...
Sheep - hundreds of them...
They are slowly being herded further down the valley to their winter grazing areas...
I ride on, past Lake Fedai - looking no warmer this evening.
I notice a rider crouched down beside his bike, so I turn around to see if he needs any help. It turns out to be Lars, a Swede of advanced years, who was using the seat of his Ducati as a tripod to take a picture of the lake.
I ask if he needs any help "Have you got a beer?"
I have a very rapid ride back down the hill to Villa Emma - arriving on the dot of 16:35 - Bettie obviously knew the stops for pics would be frequent...
I honestly can't think of a day when I've enjoyed myself more on two wheels.
I have a couple of beers (and then dinner) whilst I wait for the 196 pics (just from this afternoon) to upload.
Time to plan where to stop tomorrow night...
Bloody hell Mike..What a day!!!
Not jealous in any way of course. A working monday in the East Midlands and it was pissing down was far preferable!!
Thanks again for a tip top RR...
R
Not jealous in any way of course. A working monday in the East Midlands and it was pissing down was far preferable!!
Thanks again for a tip top RR...
R
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