Arabba is located 100 km north of Monte Grappa in the part of the Alps called the Dolomites, this is where I had to go, for another planned event, the Sellaronda Bike day, which is held two times a year, and where the roads are closed to motorized traffic, so cyclists from near and far can drive the famous Sellaronda stretch. The route, which is only 52 km. and 1629 hm. is done on 4 of the most famous climbs Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi and Passo Campolongo, probably one of the most beautiful and fantastic mountain circuits in Europe.
Since I was here in good time, I wanted to try to climb some of the other famous mountain passes on these edges and why not start with the dreaded Passo Fedaia, dreaded for the almost highway-like straight section where over 1 km it rises by almost 13 % and over the last 3 km increases by 11.3%. But at the top you are rewarded with a restaurant and a small lake, then after a few kilometers comes the Fedaia dam and finally a super descent to Canazei, from where the ascent to Passo Pordoi starts. This climb is very smooth and pleasant and never exceeds 10%, you drive mostly in the shade.
The next day was Sella Ronda day, that is, my own Sella Ronda day, but clockwise, that is, Arabba, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena and Campolongo, the opposite way of the recommended way on the Sellaronda Bike day. It was a super nice trip and I was looking forward to driving the recommended route counterclockwise with everyone else who joined.
I had one more day to try some of the other climbs, I decided to try the Passo del Valparola. This was a nice and relatively easy climb that starts out soft, to finish somewhat harder. At the top you will find a cafe, a small lake and a museum about the First World War, in addition to the beautiful view.
The next day was Sellaronda Bike Day, but when I got up something didn't seem quite right, it had been cold at night and now I got up to snowy mountain tops and a wet cold rainy day. I decided it was time to move on, but it wasn't to be, because when I had emptied and filled the car with water and driven to the toll booth to pay, the car wouldn't start.
As it was a Saturday the insurance asked me to wait until Monday morning so the car could be towed to a workshop. Fortunately the weather was much better on Sunday and I had winter clothes with me, so I decided to ride the Sellaronda route, this time in the recommended direction. I can't say if I prefer one over the other, what impressed me the most was the huge change in the landscape now that there was snow on the mountains and piles of snow on the roads.
Monday morning, the car was transported to a workshop 1.5 km from the city, after a few hours they found that they could not repair the car and after a week of tug-of-war with the insurance, I finally got the car transported to an authorized Ford workshop in Brunico.
My routes:
Climbs:
Passo Gardena
Passo Sella
Passo Pordoi
Passo Campolongo
Passo Fedaia
Passo Valparola
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