Valle d'Oten

While I slept under a view of the moon and stars, somebody turned this game into ultra mode.

When I woke up, the valley below was filled with clouds like a basin of milk, warming in the morning sun. The sublime view pulled me out of my tent and kept me watching for an hour, as the clouds boiled and swirled below.

The descent was also ultra. A steep single track hiking path went down the hill, with barely enough space for me beside Schopper.
The surface was varied: mud, grass, gravel, roots, rocks and leaves, but none of it was ridable. So I hiked and pushed.

At a gravel section, I tried to ride down. Soon, we flipped and I ended in a handstand with Schopper held up by my legs. Despite us both being upside down, all the bike bags stayed attached - impressive.

The asphalt section was more rock than road. It felt like we descended in a slurry of stones, slipping and sliding and scraping our way down.

When we got to Pieve di Cadore a couple of hours later, I sat for a celebratory coffee. I felt like I owed Schopper an apology.Read more