Thursday 25 July 2019
Today it’s time to leave the Dolomites and head east into the Carnac Alps. We ride along the pretty SR48 and make a small detour up to the lake at Misurina in the hope of an early coffee.
 |
| The lake at Misurana |
No luck with the coffee, they don’t open until 10am, so we continue on through Auronzo before joining the main road (SS52) for a brief time.
But we are determined to stay off the main roads today. It is school holiday time and the traffic in the Dolomites can be rather heavy at this time of year.
 |
| We find our coffee at a small bar near an impressive church, high in the Carnac Alps |
So we turn off onto the SR355, a small road that winds up into the Carnic Alps and up and over Monte Zircolan, used 6 times in the Giro d’Italia, it is a very demanding route up to the summit with multiple hairpins and three tunnels.
 |
| Climbing up the SR355 |
 |
| On the SR355 |
The lights in the roof of these tunnels brighten up just ahead of you as you ride through. It is a little disconcerting riding lead because I am essentially riding into the pitch darkness. Just as I want to grab the brakes the path ahead is illuminated for me. Cracking idea but a bit scary.
 |
| One of the tunnels on the way up Monte Zircolan |
It is hard work getting to the top. But once on the eastern side we drop down a short way to a modern ski resort. This means only one thing in this part of the world. And sure enough the road quadruples in width, the hairpins are wide and easy and the surface is excellent all the way down to the valley floor. Got to keep those tourists buses running through the winter snows you know.
 |
| At the summit of Monte Zircolan |
 |
| Eurobimble fighting for room on this well stickered post |
 |
| Lonely and windswept, on the summit of Monte Zircolan |
Finally we are down and it’s time to rejoin the SS42 for the run up to the Austrian border on the Plockenpass. ‘This is a fun Pass on the Italian side with a good surface and a series of tunnels containing hairpins. The Austrian side is fast and sweeping.
 |
| Plockenpass |
And so we arrive in Mauthen at the foot of the pass and possibly the best hotel in the Alps.
On a previous eurobimble, four or five years ago, Mick and I rode through Kötschach-Mauthen and started the climb up the Plockenpass into Italy. It was early evening. I can’t remember what our destination was that day but it couldn’t have been much further.
Heavy storm clouds had been gathering for some time and as we started up the steep inclines the heavens opened. It was biblical in its proportions and we didn’t need to discuss our options. We did a quick u-turn and hightailed it back down to the relative safety of the valley floor.
Don’t try this at home kids but I’m tapping away at the satnav as we ride down, desperately looking for the nearest hotel. And up pops Gasthof Edelweiss just at the foot of the pass. Within minutes we are there and one of those serendipity moments has found us the perfect billet.
 |
| Bierhotel Loncium, formerly known as the Gasthof Edelweiss (still in the satnav under that name to this day) |
It’s late now so I’ll save a full description of this wonderful billet for tomorrow’s post.
Comments
Post a Comment