Marmolada Out And Back – Last Ride In The Dolomites

There was much less stress at the breakfast buffet than there was at dinner last night. Most of the other hotel guests must have been sleeping late because the dining room was almost empty. The longest line was at the coffee machine.

I kept an eye on the weather to see if it would be practical to ride up to Lake Marmolada on Paso Fedaia. It looked promising. I put on my cycling gear and took off. I wasn’t the only one. Almost everyone on our tour was riding ahead of me.

We started climbing immediately after Canazei. The temperature was cold, but the climb kept me warm without a jacket. I was using my lowest gears most of the way. The straight sections of the road seemed to be slightly steeper that Paso Pordoi, yesterday’s climb. There were a few switchbacks that allowed me to rest.

When I got to the top, I realized that I had done the climb three years ago on our BAC Trans Alps trip. I recognize Lake Marmolada and the cafe where I took photos of some of our group having refreshments. Today was too cold to sit outside and rest.

I continued on to the end of the lake and looked at the spectacular view heading down the other side of the pass. Then I turned around and made good time going down the hill back to our hotel. I got back at 11:30 just in time to clean up and go to lunch. Ann had just return from a long walk.

Here is a link to today's ride.

Ann and I got into the car and drove 3 km back to Canazei to buy gas. We also had lunch in a restaurant where we saw about 40 bicycles in front. We figured that cyclists know where good and plentiful food is. Ann had a large vegetable soup with wurst. I had grilled local meat with French fries. I’m not sure what kind of meat it was. It was thinly sliced and salty – perfect after a bicycle ride.

We headed back to the hotel where I spent an hour packing my bicycle. Tom K. who is new to cycle touring watched me because he in in the market for a bicycle that he can pack up and take with him. He also helped me fit the bicycle pieces, tools and extra equipment into my suitcase.

Dinner at the hotel was almost as chaotic as last night. We had to wait an hour for our first course while other tables were finishing their second course and lining up for the dessert buffet. Ann and I both had orchiette with broccoli for our first course and roasted rabbit for our main course.