Cort-in-a trap

Suspicious minds will know that old saying ..

“Wise is he who starts his cycling day by heading UPWARDS, for to him shall be given the eternal reward of a downhill finish.”

We, however, went contrariwise.  Only fools rush in…

Nonetheless it was an exciting day out.

Crossed the border into ‘ the real Italy’ ( Veneto province ) where zero German is seen on signs , and drivers are appropriately aggressive.

As a secondary challenge, we had picked the day of the Dolomite Cycle Challenge , in which we got accidentally involved. ( Reminded me of a holiday to the Isle of Man in the 1970s,  when our VW Beetle missed the exit signs and got sucked into a few  practice circuits with TT race motorbikes. Never seen my mum so tense).

The ride down was easy enough – it was a converted railway at about 2-3% incline, and we barely had to pedal in 13km.

Stopped for a drink at hotel Amadeus on outskirts of Cortina. Then turned back up the hill. It was shortly after that when things went awry.

A young chap in a hi-viz vest was standing aimlessly in the cycle track , but as we approached he suddenly got animated and waved a flag at us. The gist of it seemed to be that we should leave the cycle path and take a detour via the busy main road up the valley, as a cycle race would shortly be heading down the track  . National and gender stereotypes instantly bubbled up : I tried to engage him in a polite chat about the need to  signal such a change BEFORE unsuspecting tourists were committed to a return journey. The Dutch contingent just told him ” no way, mate ” and set off up the track. Asserting my complete independence, I followed her. Because I love her too much, baby.

As a result we spent the next hour or so leaping into the undergrowth to avoid packs of sprinting cyclists bombing downhill at us. Well, that’s what WE did – there were quite a few other non-combatants on the track who just seemed to assume it wasn’t their problem ( e-bike riders, mostly. Tchah. )

Anyway, the scenery was fab ( more pointy Dolomitic peaks, of which you’ve seen quite enough by now) and we avoided any collisions. In fact we had enough energy left to extend the ride on the NE end by heading to a  recommended view point by a lake

And further down again , and even more famous view – an Italian version of the 3 Peaks ( copyright, Yorkshire)

Lianne joined me in a refreshing beer to celebrate…