Dolomites Day 3

Woke up today morning with aching legs and thought: "Na, cant do it".

Had breakfast and looked at the tour. Shortly after, I went to Jon's to ask if he was doing a group 1.5. Answer was yes, so I went with Jon, Moni and Patrick. It turned out to be a “walking wounded” group. Jon felt sick and had a cold, Moni also didn't feel to well and had a cold and Patrick had a blister on his foot. I had aching muscles and after my experience yesterday I had no "bock" to go with group one. So group 1.5 started of first in a nice speed uphill. Not a steep hill, thought. Carried on like that in brilliant scene between the Dolomites. Forest left and right and the mountains behind that. Pictures at Picasa.

On the way we stopped to do a Geocach at which group 1 and 2 overtook us. We found it and carried on through the valley.

Arrived at the bottom of a cliff and just saw group 2 going up it. After a 5 min. stop we followed them and soon got of. 35% steepens with slipy concrete to go up. Carried on and always thought: "The end must be here soon". Met some friendly mountaineers on the way which took some bikes after we had met group 2. These we met at about half way.

After that it was gravel to the top were there was the first hut. Lay in the sun shortly between to brilliant looking mountains and had our lunch. Then went on to the hut which was there to have a coffee. At the hut Jon and Moni decided to turn round and go back and they were looking a bit peaky so they went down while me and Patrick carried on with group 2 to the next hut.

Cycling (or pushing) through a nice shrub-forest to the next hut and the scenery was always getting better. At one point we saw where group 1 was going to cycle and me and Patrick thought "Thank goodness we didn't cycle with them". Carried on to the next hut which had an old WWII aircraft run next to it (could have flown up, why didn't we think of it before). All raced to the hut which then turned out to be full so we carried on to the next.

At one point Kurt said if the hut wasn't round the next curve he would turn round. It was only three so we went to that hut (sorry, forgotten the name) at about 2200m hight.

Again, great view and even better when you have something to eat to. After a meal me and Patrick started of at going downhill as Dad said the rest could take a while. Patrick raced of straight away and I lost him shortly but found him stuck behind a heard of cows which were being taken down the mountain. Good way to stop him actually, but he found a short cut past them to which I said I wouldn't go down there. So I somehow got past (scattering the herd in the forest ;)) and carried on behind him. Where we had lunch we stopped and had a nap four a while until the rest came.

After that came Wolfis nightmare. As Patrick cycles down nearly everything he wasn't just going to stop at a 35% drop of concrete if his father told him to. He didn't by the way and no, we didn't find a smear of blood on a cliff wall somewhere. It turned out not to be that steep and slippery actually. A lot cycled down on the concrete and Moni got up at some points to.

But then the herd from before was back, with two cars behind. I didn't get past the herd but I did manage the cars. When I was in front of them it felt like they where going to slip onto me so I went behind them again.

Arrived at the bottom safely and carried on to the hotel which we actually only had to roll to. Ate an ice cream and then went to showers to clean up.

After about an hour group 1 turned up and said that we missed a lot: views and apparently they where filmed to.

Track at GPSies and so ended our last long tour of the Dolomites which look stunning.