Tornanti_2...Three Weeks Of Carve Till Ya Barf!!

It’s a place that just grabs you…it’s also intimidating and somewhat rough and hostile.













Just sit and gaze….
The crew has spread over a few k’s along the top, everyone going at their own pace, stopping at their own place….sitting there, soaking it up….taking a few snaps.














A last look back before the track drops into the valley again, leaving the bare, high ridges.

FASCINATING !! The colour is REAL!



The first little town is Tualis and we double-back via Ravascletto to Sutrio



Can’t remember the name of the place…but how’s THAT for holding a bell-tower straight-ish?





I skip on the more southern, old-road, approach to Monte Zoncolan, the 2 roads merge only a few k’s up the hill and we’ve already had plenty of spectacular single-laners lately…the new 2-lane road it is then.

Squiiiiiirt….

And that seems to stop abruptly near the top…ending in a huge carpark, which obviously caters for the skiers through the snow-season up here.

Hmmmm…..it’s supposed to go through, though?

A quick check with some road-workers and “Yup…just out the top-end of the carpark, see there?”

The delicious singlelaner snakes its way into the saddle…..riding smack-bang up the ski-slopes.



You know it’s gonna be good…2m wide over 10.5k’s, 3m high (meaning tunnels), 14% drop, slippery and “strada senza barriere”….no Armco or anything to stop your free-flight if you goof-up.













No pics taken on the descent…things were a bit intense….earning a coffee in Ovaro.

Not having had a piece of straight road for the last few days, the 1k stretch of “near-straight” is a strange, but welcome sight : time enough to get comfy on the bike again, peel the pants out of the bum-crack, hike the kneepads into place…before it’s back into the twisties.

The tack to the west up the Val (Valley) Pesarina to the Sella Razzo is more open and flowing…the pace is up.







The Sella Laverdet is closed…they’re still repairing the bridge near Campolongo/ Santo Stefano then.

Let’s tack east then, sort of doubling back…dropping down another valley towards Lago di Sauris.











The Lago is a stumper!!





Cruising along the shoreline, there’s a small road turning left, up the hill…Lateis.
Nearly past, I hit the anchors….Lateis, Lateis…that rings a bell!

There was something about a Gasthof in one of the forums…let’s check it out!
A few k’s, a few twisties up the lush paddocks, and there’s the Riglarhaus (German again? Here?)…

“No problems, 3 rooms, here are the keys, have a look...and…dinner from 6.30 to 9.30, breakfast from 7.30” ….a wide smile finishes the exchange.

Man, what a PLACE!! The thick timbers, the overflowing flowerpots, the views, the setting….THIS IS GOLD!!
AND the price is right, yeeha!

A quick look at the rooms in the building down the road, all done…we keep the keys and keep going from where we left the main road at the dam.











…and down the twisties for the 10k’s to Ampezzo….where autumn has really struck, the slopes are burning with colours.

And smells! There must’ve been a shitflicker here before us…the road turns into a slalom-course.

Tacking west again, I overshoot the turn-off to the tiny Passo del Pura….
Dave? Tim? Marty? and I are getting caught up in some “play” with a couple of German guys on some K12s or FJRs/ whatever…and get carried away for the next 10 k’s or so, up the shallow Passo di Mauria.


After the U-turn (and finding the turn-off) the Passo del Pura turns out genuine surprise.
Small, scenic and totally void of traffic right up to the small “ristorante” in the saddle.
BEWDIFULL!!

….finishing up at the dam of the Lago di Sauris again.





You just can't take her anywhere !!







“Last one home pays the first round, aye?”







I can’t help it…going for a quick tootle after seeing this little road above Lateis









Another day closes….and like yesterday, I can’t even remember where we started in the morning.

Roads, countries, where was what??

It all starts getting a bit blurry.

Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH FUN?





The Riglarhaus….another of those places one doesn’t forget in a hurry.

The rooms are traditional, lots of carved timbers, a little balcony, cute and cuddly….the tucker's excellent!!



And the first round is mine….I came last.

Geeez Pete, it's just not fair m8.:bang: Please tell me there is still much, much, much more to come.

Mr.Farkles said:

Geeez Pete, it's just not fair m8.:bang: Please tell me there is still much, much, much more to come.

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Mate....this is only Day 6......out of 19 on-the-road.

Yo...there's a few itsybitsys left

That Panoramica... a dream it is indeed!b

Eugene said:

That Panoramica... a dream it is indeed!b

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YEEEAAAHHH
IT IS !!!

asphalt said:

YEEEAAAHHH
IT IS !!!

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Indeed.

Although I wouldn't recommend it as the place to start learning to stand up on dirt roads, especially if you have a morbid fear of heights.

But then, I wouldn't recommend a number of things I've tried.......

(don't get me wrong.. give me half a chance and I'll be back up there in a heartbeat.... or heart flutter)

moike said:

Indeed.

Although I wouldn't recommend it as the place to start learning to stand up on dirt roads, especially if you have a morbid fear of heights.

But then, I wouldn't recommend a number of things I've tried.......

(don't get me wrong.. give me half a chance and I'll be back up there in a heartbeat.... or heart flutter)

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good morning moike
right ......
either you look in the deep, or up to the threatening loose stones, as big as a weekendhouse :devil:

with many greets from vienna
hans