When planning our parental leave trip, a big ride in the Dolomites stringing together many of the iconic passes was high on my list of goals. GCN’s video about linking the Giau, Fedia, Pordoi, and Falzarego was a source of inspiration while logging miles on the trainer these past few winters, so I decided to make it happen.
The Giau might be my favorite pass in the Dolomites. It has far less car traffic than many and ends with panoramic views in both directions. The Eastern side is a more reasonable gradient than the West, so I decided to begin the ride from Cortina heading up and over the Giau. In the early morning, it was calm and still a little bit chilly. I was greeted with a bluebird day and views of the gorgeous peaks near and far.
The Giau descent was marvelous once I made it past a couple of trucks. I’d ridden up this Western side earlier in the trip with the threat of thunder and hail, so to cruise down it on a perfect day felt like I was getting away with something. The 29 switchbacks went by all too quickly.
I decided to climb a little bit past Colle Santa Lucia before descending down to Saviner di Laste. This section had some gorgeous views including a church framed with Dolomite peaks behind. Almost immediately as I was leaving Saviner di Laste, a sign said that Passo Fedia was closed. I had a moment of panic since my planned route had me going over the Fedia and then up and over the Pordoi from the West, but I decided that the worst-case scenario would require descending back down the Fedia to the East and then going up and down the Pordoi from the East as well.
The Fedia starts out with a similar gradient to many of the other nearby passes and is tucked into a relatively tight valley for a ways, which makes the beginning not very memorable. But once you hit the ski area, it becomes memorable. First for the unrelenting gradient and a long, straight section. Then for the steep switchbacks. Then for the large, gorgeous lake and mountain views from the top. Knowing I had a long day ahead of me, and expecting it to be longer than planned with the closure, I tried not to push too hard on this section. At the far end of the lake, I hit the road closure and had to turn around. At least it was a fun, fast descent with very few cars!
From the valley, I followed a sign pointing North for Passo Pordoi and began a long arc to get to Arabba where I planned to stop for lunch. This section packed more of a punch in terms of climbing than I was expecting, including a number of switchbacks. By the time I made it to Arabba, I’d done 55 miles and 9,500 feet of climbing. Lunch was sorely needed. My waitress looked at me funny after I ordered a pizza diavola, two Cokes, and water, asking “is that all?” in a tone that implied I looked like I needed more. So I added spaghetti bolognese. It was an absurd amount of food, but I finished almost all of it.
From Arabba, it was straight up the Pordoi. Thankfully for my stomach, it wasn’t all that steep. I maintained a good, sustainable pace and took in the sights. I also enjoyed the moment when a large group of pro Israel–Premier Tech teammates slowly passed me. I guess their best climbers were all off at the Tour de France…
From the top of the Pordoi, I knew I just had to grind out one more real climb. The descent was fun and I had a bit of time to settle in on the flats before reaching the base of the Falzarego. Similar to the Pordoi, the gradient was never nasty on this one and so I was able to focus on getting the last bits of power out of my now pretty tired legs. I was amazed that the hydration and fuel I’d consumed throughout the day, along with three months of accumulated parental leave fitness, helped prevent me from cramping. I still had a bit in the tank when I made it to the pass, much of which I put into the pedals on the descent.
In all, this was the most vertical I’ve ever done on a bike (or otherwise) in a day at 14,291 feet. That vert was packed into only 90 miles of distance, meaning it was either up or down just about all day (7.5 hours moving; 8.5 hours elapsed). I’m so glad to have had the fitness, weather, and legs that I did for this adventure. I can now leave the Dolomites content.