3 Passes 1 Day

Top of Passo Giau

Another great day of sunshine and hills in the Dolomites. Three passes done, all over 2,000m, and 3,000m in total ascended again for the third day on the trot. It seems I never left the ski fields though, or the overbearing rocky peaks, but am positive I saw Alberto Contador so that was a little different.

Firstly, Alberto. Riding along and a guy going the other way in Tinkov-Saxo kit cycles the other way. A wry smile and nod between us, and I am sure he is the one...he isn't racing the Vuelta...just saying! Had my mind going for a while anyway and if it wasn't him it was his doppelganger.

The Dolomites really are an outdoors mecca, and I can see why. There are so many hiking trails, “panorama” stops (scenic lookouts), mountain bike tracks, rock climbing rocks (is that what they are called?) and ski fields. In fact I don’t think I spent one minute today not in eye shot of a ski field – I left a ski town with about four main lifts in the town, then went over a hill under the lifts, down the other side under a different fields lifts into another ski town, then repeated, twice. It really is well set up for skiing in this area, but I am thankful it is not ski season as prices for food and accommodation are high enough as it is.

Expense aside, it really is a nice area and there are a lot of people out doing things all the time. There is a bit more traffic (lots of motorbikes!), people, touristy things but they don’t impact it too much. Actually there seem to be two groups of people here; the bikers or the outdoors people. You can see why the bikers come here; for the twisty roads! They are generally 40 and over and look like they are touring with friends in a group. Seems like fun!

So first thing this morning it was a warm-up-less, straight-into-it climb out of Cortina for Passo Giau. This is the “easier” side to do, and it is a lovely climb not being too extreme in the gradient stakes. There were a few 12% ramps in the second half but they weren’t overly long when they came. The last few kilometres are quite amazing as that is when you see the buildings at the top, and the mountain opens up so you can see the remaining winding road up to the top. At the top are the usual trappings; restaurant, souvenirs, and lots of people. After that climb I was feeling strong and energetic!

Panorama from the Giau

Down the other, you can see it is the harder side for sure. There are a lot more steep sections. Glad I did the other side first thing in the morning for sure. After the summit I stopped at the first little town and grabbed some stuff like bananas from a supermarket and kept on going to Passo Fedaia. Fedaia supposedly was meant to start out the same as Giau, but then increase in steepness for the last 5kms, and boy it did! I don’t know if it was the heat (I was sweating very uncomfortably) or just the miles in my legs but I had to have a stop on that climb.

Unlike other climbs there were no signposts counting down to the top. I guessed when it was 5kms to go as it went from 6-8% to 10-13% gradient, but it still a bit of a mental game (did I calculate right and so on). Then with about 4kms to the top there is a big long straight and you can see a building on top of a hill, and the easy assumption is that that is the top you are heading for. You can’t see the road, but you also can’t see anywhere else the road could go, and it is not only 4kms away. Heartbroken!

Anyway, as you push up this long straight at 15%, someone has kindly painted on the road “3km”. Your mind still plays games though – is that to the top, a restaurant, roadworks, what? Then, at the end of this what feels like a million miles straight you suddenly see the road dive off away from the hill with the building on, the road start to flatten out to less than 10%, and another set of buildings. Hurray, a new drive and motivation sets in and with it renewed energy. Funny how that happens. From there it remains at a quite nice gradient where you can get a rhythm with as the road winds its way up the side of a hill. At the top is the top of a couple of chairlift huts and a restaurant or two.

I was hoping for some nice lakes at the top as well just past the top, like at Misurina yesterday, but they were in fact reservoirs that were running quite low really. Still didn’t stop people going for swims and so on though…wonder if that is where the town water comes from?

So down a really nice descent I went as the reservoir situation wasn’t quite what I was after, and headed for Passo Pordoi. My homework concluded that the whole 11km climb did not get above 10% once – just what I needed me thinks! I was confused a couple of times though as there kept popping up signs for Passo Selle, which I was planning to do tomorrow, and kept wondering if I was going the wrong way. No drama though, thankfully, as the road for Selle turned off about half way up Pordoi which put my mind at rest. The climb was similar to the others in that it was under a ski lift most of the way, but also had these massive ramps over the road, which I think are so the skiers don’t have to cross the road when they come down the mountain. That’s what I surmised anyway. Once at the top the views were quite different to the other two passes in that you weren’t encroached by these massive peaks all around you, and you could see off into the distance quite a bit more. All you could see is more peaks of course, but still, it was a different perspective and gave an appreciation just to the sheer size of the Alps.

Top of the Pordoi where a coke is EUR 2.90

I headed straight down from Pordoi to Arabba for the night. I think it is on the outskirts of the high end ski town market as it only has one ski field that I saw – the town also has a little bit less touristy feel.

I am staying right next to te bottom of that ski lift

So another great day, and really happy to have done three of the Giro d’Italia stalwart climbs, with another couple on the cards tomorrow (Sella and Gardena).

Highlight: Ski towns have quite a cool vibe I think and loved soaking that in, even if it is not ski season.

Lowlight: That straight of death leading up to Fedaia.

Lesson learned: Salt marks from when sweat dries show up very easily on black clothing.