Day 3: From Sampeyre to Marmora

Grumpily, while eating the first croissant at breakfast, I come across a hard piece. However, the tooth fragment does not belong to the baker but is a newly broken piece of my canine tooth, of which I bit off half yesterday during dinner (Agnolotti alla piemontese with a built-in stone).

After consulting my trusted dentist, I get on my bike and take it a bit slower for the first 1300 meters of ascent to Colle di Sampeyre. The important things are 1) not to exert myself too much, 2) to reach the top in good condition, and 3) not to let the Australian women on road bikes overtake me from behind.

After about 2 hours, I arrive safely, but unfortunately, we still have to wait for almost another hour for the rest to arrive. However, you can pass the time by observing road cyclists and older scooter riders coming, chatting, and leaving.

At some point, we set off again and ride down into Val Maira, which is very diverse and offers great views, the Mecca (!!) of mountain biking in the area.

Unfortunately, the village of Stroppo in the valley bottom is nice, but the only restaurant in town has closed in the meantime, and I have only seen one person in the whole village... We take a break at the "Piazza", where there is at least running water, trees, and benches in the shade. The final climb then leads up the truly original and wild Val Maira to Marmora. Amazing valley.

After climbing 300 meters in altitude in hot weather, we finally reach Marmora and we are pleasantly surprised: The village is beautifully restored, both the houses from the inside and the outside, and the food is excellent. There are landscaped terraces with meadows to relax on with sun loungers, and all residents/guests seem relaxed. Highly recommended!!