Day 6 - Canazei (I) to Canazei (I)

Day 6 - Canazei (I) to Canazei (I)


Wednesday 19/06/2023

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Today's plan was riding the Marmolada Loop. Before we could crack-on and discover this treasure, we had to wait for Konrad to come back down from the mountains.

Konrad - I left the hut with a Kiwi I met the night before after breakfast, having enjoyed a beautiful sunrise at 5am. The ice was more solid today rather than slush which made things easier to hike on. We hiked down to another rifugio and had a coffee, before taking the cable car down from Sass Pordoi. After a short walk and two more cable cars, I got back to camp and got ready to join in on an epic ride. 3152m to 1500m was a bit of a temperature shock but it was pleasant to be back out of the snow. 

Once reunited, we jumped back on the bikes and headed back up Passo Sella. We then rode to Pian de Selva which was busy but very beautiful (more traffic made up of supercars and campervans).

We then rode to Corvara which is a very pretty town and then South back to Arabba on Passo Campolongo which was a really nice section and where the traffic pretty much ended. We then rode to  Pian Falzarego and stopped by a WW1 trench network in the mountains. We didn't go in but it was a really stunning place to rest-up.

From there we descended into Cortina d'Ampezzo for lunch. It was very hot (28C) so we found a shady spot to rest and eat. Busy town and not as pretty as Corvara, but it was a welcome break.

We then made our way onto the Passo Giau which was really one of the highlights of the trip. We stopped at the top of the pass, took some photos and another break before riding down to Caprile where we encountered some supercars on tour accompanied by a fast press car. We had fun trying to keep ahead of them but eventually let the Ferrari and Porsche GT3 through. 

We went through Passo Fedaia in the shadow of Marmolada which was a riding highlight and we stopped in a lovely scenic parking spot next to a huge mountain. From there we came back down into Canazei and reflected on what was probably the highlight of the whole trip.

Whilst the area is really busy it is all prettier than the Pyrenees and even the Alps. Brilliant day, one of my best days of riding ever.

We had a couple beers in the sun when we returned (we are a bit sun-burnt now) before heading into town for a beer and food. We have given-up keeping-up with the football now. Tomorrow we are aiming for the Stelvio, but apparently the road is closed on our route for 2 days due to the danger of an avalanche. We will play things by ear, but we may not be able to do it which would be a shame.


Mileage: 1163
Beers / Drinks: 46 beers + 5 bottles of white/red + Konrad's mountain tally
Fines: 0 (me and Leon may have fines in post)
Bribes: 0
Ass pain: 2/10
Mechanical issues: 2 - puncture and my heated grips have broken (long start, flat battery and overheating excluded)
Accidents: 0
Wetness: 0/10 
Coldness: 2/10 (very warm but a cold night)
Theft count: 0
Country Count: 6






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