Day 11: Karrersee to Canazei (60km, 1500m)

After eating all the bread we had with us, we rode over Costalunga pass and immediately started the short 10km to Vigo di Fassa, in the Fassa Valley. The Fassa Valley was quite touristed, with lots of traffic but also a grocery store. We saw a lot of cyclists, mostly day riders, but also a couple on loaded mountain bikes who didn't look a day over 15.

By the time we got to Canazei I was eager to find a stop for a couple of nights. The tourist information center gave us a bunch of hotels and apartments to check out, but I noticed a section of town that was restricted traffic (residents only), and we decided to focus our search there. The first hotel we talked to offered us about 28 Euros a night including breakfast. The room looked acceptable, so we took it.

Having dumped our lugguage, Mike and I decided to scout out Pordoi (2239m) and Sella (2244m) while Roberto explored the town. We tried Pordoi first, and got to the top and ate lunch there. The weather looked iffy, but in retrospect we should have kept going and done the full Sella Circuit. Instead we descended and went up Sella, which was just a bit steeper than Pordoi, enough so that I thought I bonked while going up it. Having satisfied our need to do that much riding today, we descended and met up with Roberto before showering and going to dinner.

The grey look of the sky did not put Canazei in a flattering light, but Roberto had found an internet cafe and I dropped by the Pharmacy to buy some skin cream to keep my bed bug bites from itching too badly. We also managed to get Italian SIM Cards for our cell phones just before dinner, which was an unimpressive meal in all respects and utterly forgettable.


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