MTB Friuli | The bike Eagle THE BIKE EAGLE April 25th, 2016 Zone: Physical effort: Technical effort: Tabacco Map: /, 41 .PDF Guide Park Track Altitude profile, stage 1: Mortegliano - Udine Altitude profile, stage 2: Udine - Mortegliano The MTBFriuli team decided to realize an itinerary which represents the two main website keywords: MTB and Friuli. The bike Eagle route fulfill completely this two requests: the trail travels in plain and hills zone, with high level uphills and descents, the travel is mainly on different quality bottom dirt roads, parts along secondary tarmac roads, several bike paths, parts on trail and fords - a fine mix for mountain bike. The track shape - really hard to understand when biking - needs to be seen on the map, where it becomes the Friuli Eagle, historical-geographical regional flag. Sure enough, the Friuli historical principality was known as Patria del Friuli (Friuli Homeland) during the 1077 - 1420 d.C. Aquileia patriarchy, when the flag was just the heraldic eagle. Note: the presentation of the track depends on the environmental conditions that we found! We suggest to evaluate the weather and snow conditions for this kind of track. DESCRIPTION There is not a suggested place set as a trail departure, anyway MTBFriuli group decided to begin from Mortegliano town. This allows to reach the Buttrio and Rosazzo hills with a good warm up. This itinerary, 216 km long, crosses and shares parts with a lot of some other region's bike trails. A lot of then are part of MTBFriuli website: Campeglio - Valle, Remanzacco - Tanamea Pass - Venzonassa Valley, Sammardenchia - Bicinicco, Codroipo - Corno Stream, Bertiolo - Flambro - Risorgive Park, Pozzuolo del Friuli - Percorso Vita, Castions di Strada - Ariis - Torsa, Mortegliano - Biotopo, Martignacco - Hills, Percoto - Rosazzo Abbey - Buttrio, Basiliano - Ragogna - Martignacco, Povoletto - San Daniele - Panoramic. Additionally, part of the hills trail corresponds with the ConTOUR FVG's second day. Part of this page second stage corresponds with the risorgive part of ninth and last stage of ConTOUR FVG. Moreover, running along The bike Eagle route you will spend some time on different parts of the Region's Interest of Bike path Network (ReCIR), which is a wide network of bike routes all along the region territory, connecting also with other surrounding Countries and Regions. With this page shared bike paths are: "FVG 1 - Ciclovia Alpe Adria", "FVG 3 - Ciclovia pedemontana e del Collio", "FVG 4 - Ciclovia della pianura e del Natisone" e "FVG 5 - Ciclovia dell'Isonzo". The route extension is remarkable, even if staying always around Udine city. The bike Eagle runs along Udine province 34 municipalities: Mortegliano, Pozzuolo del Friuli, Bicinicco, Gonars, Santa Maria la Longa, Trivignano, Pavia di Udine, Manzano, Buttrio, Pradamano, Premariacco, San Giovanni al Natisone, Corno di Rosazzo, Moimacco, Cividale del Friuli, Torreano, Faedis, Attimis, Povoletto, Remanzacco, Udine, Tavagnacco, Reana del Rojale, Pagnacco, Moruzzo, Martignacco, Fagagna, Pasian di Prato, Campoformido, Basiliano, Mereto di Tomba, Codroipo, Lestizza, Bertiolo and Talmassons. Knowing that, the track is 216 km long: 108 on dirt road, the 51% of the route. There are 102 km on tarmac road, the 47%. A not negligible part, 8 km long, is along trails and bike paths. Splitting in the two stages, the first day is 118 km long - 51 km (43%) on dirt road, 63 km (54%) on tarmac and 4 km on trail or path. 98 km at the second stage - 57 km (58%) on dirt road, 37 km (38%) on tarmac and 4 km on bike path. As just written, the track is mainly in the plain with some uphill in hills area of Buttrio, Rosazzo and Martignacco, in addition to the first mountains close to Faedis town. The resulting total elevation gain is 1050 m, split into a lot of different small uphills along the 216 km. Specifically, the first stage has 760 m of elevation gain and 680 m of elevation loss; the second stage 290 m and 370 m, respectively. STAGE 1 But the path is more than this. The path length allows you to arrive and explore different environments and historical towns. The starting point chosen by MTBFriuli group is Mortegliano town: this permit to arrive to Buttrio and Rosazzo hills and Cividale mountains with a good warm up. Thereby, the first area crossed is the medium-low plain farmland, passing close to Mortegliano, Trivignano, Percoto and Pavia di Udine towns. Roads are mainly across the countryside, used usually by farm vehicles, passing beside barley, wheat, corn and soybean fields. Generally alongside the roads there are lines of trees, useful during summer for the shadow made. Proceeding you go on in the middle plain, turning after eastward reaching the Torre Stream ford. As in the majority of rivers and streams in Udine province the gravel environment is still wild and natural: arriving there you will pass from the farmed countryside to wood to gravel stream bed. The river parts are usually well kept and can be crossed by bike or by foot. Exiting the stream gravel on the bank you reach the farmed zone of Manzano, which now is mainly covered by vineyards. You arrive to the surrounding area of Buttrio town: the wine land, where you can find a lot of wine bar, which you pass beside and a lot of related events. But it's not enough: at Buttrio there is also a hill, erected in the middle of the plain. So, when you climb that you gain some views to the province: the just traveled plain, the hills that you will reach and the area beyond Udine, that you will travel at the second stage. From all this amazing landscape top of the hill you will descent across vineyards, passing beside a small lake and starting a new 1 of 5 9/1/17, 11:24 AM MTB Friuli | The bike Eagle uphill. A descent in North-West direction, toward Friuli plain and Carniche Alps, will bring you to the farmland. There dirt and tarmac road end inside the Torre Stream. It will be crossed two other times, moving North and crossing Pradamano town. Starts now the descent to South-East, first in the countryside upper than Buttrio, passing so to the unforgettable bridge of Orsaria town upon Natisone Stream, reaching after the Rosazzo hills. An important The bike Eagle's part: a lot of secondary tarmac road uphills and descents on the hills, in addition to many dirt roads in vineyard and some parts on trail. A mandatory break at Rosazzo Abbey with landscape to Udine and Gorizia plain. A trail leads down to the village of Noax, which is the begin of some uphill inside vineyards, opening the view to Cividale mountains and Giulie Alps. You cross again the Natisone Stream between Ipplis and Premariacco villages, traveling now in North direction. You will pass beside the Unesco historical Cividale del Friuli city, passing for Torreano village, arriving after to Campeglio. Now you will run on tarmac road, with some small uphills to Faedis town first and to Reana del Rojale after. Overstepping another hill you arrive to some vineyards in Povoletto district. As soon as you see the plain you turn right, climbing a vineyard hill on dirt road first and trail after. After, a fast descent on a cement road will lead you to the tarmac road toward Magredis-Ravosa villages. The landscape to Giulie Alps, which are like a wall on the plain, will distract you from taking again the dirt bottom road belong Torre Stream. Now you travel down to Remanzacco, toward the city. In a few minutes along the Cividale road you will get into the Udine city and its old town. First Primo Maggio Square, so Manin Street and last Libertà Square: the historical part of Udine, with a lot of Venice empire leftovers, reaching so Udine Castle, on the top of the hill. STAGE 2 The second stage begins in Udine center; running in its close to traffic historical old town and on some bike path you will exit fast from the city. You move for some kilometers beside a railway along dirt countryside roads in North direction, opening again the view to the region Alps. Riding quite all on dirt roads, you arrive to Ribis village first and after to Tavagnacco town on tarmac road. Now start again uphill and descent and views to historical buildings, from middleage to eightteen century, with mainly villas and walls. Remarkable the Santa Margherita village, which you pass beside on the North side. You arrive so the main square of Martignacco town, passing beside a big church, moving later to dirt road. You return to South-East direction, passing through Nogareto di Prato town and, on tarmac, to Pasian di Prato. Over Pasian di Prato square you proceed along a leisure bike path up to Bressa, there begins a long series of dirt roads. Beyond Variano village you will ride in North direction, enlarging the view to Giulie and Carniche Alps. At Plasencis village starts the descent, first at Mereto di Torba, after Pantianins and Beano villages. From the mountains vineyards you passed to the city, to the high plain and so to the reclaimed land, that has wide dirt roads, straight for some kilometers. For the second time you cross the Pontebbana highway (a road from Pontebba/Pontafel, in Austria country in 18th century, to Venice), arriving to the Rivolto Military Airport: the such beloved Frecce Tricolori home. You run alongside the mesh, with full view to the airstrip: unavoidable goose bumps in case of their drill, so recurring in sunny days especially in spring, the suggested period. From Nespoleto village you go ahead up to the arrival quite all on dirt roads.