Stella Alpina Day 4 - a trail ride and meetings

This morning I discovered that an indicator had ceased to work. A blown bulb I assumed but not the case. The ground lead from the bulb holder had broken. I managed to find enough slack to strip back a little and trap it between the bulb and holder. It doesn't look like a good long term solution but maybe it will last a few days.
Then I went off on my little trail ride (50km in all). Annoyingly, within a few km I'd lost my map and case; I retraced my steps but there was no sign of it. Luckily I was carrying a spare map but the absence of the case could prove to be a nuisance on the journey home as I had used it on the way to Italy.
I did a very easy ascent to a tiny chapel, well within a few hundred metres, I walked the last bit.

There was a stunning view from this little ridge.

I met a local Beta Alp rider who visited the area every weekend from his home in Turin. He felt like me about the machine, pretty good already but too heavy and not great suspension. We discussed the local legal trails a little before we both went on our seperate ways.
My descent took a different route to what turned out to be a nearly abandoned village. There I helped a French family move their Renault Kangoo which had become stuck on a steep slope
with one driven wheel off the ground. By wedging a stone under the free wheel and clearing dirt from the other we got it moving.
Then I continued uphill but the track steepened and narrowed. Either I'd gone the wrong way, or it was right but becoming potentially tricky, and maybe too narrow to be able to turn around safely. No sooner had I thought this than there was a nice level area in which I turned and headed back to the village.

Below the houses there was another track, which actually went thorugh one of the buildings. It was steep and stony but easily done feet-up at a slow pace. Then there was an unlocked barrier and just by the main road the red ring sign - so maybe not legal. Anyway I made a quiet retreat. Back to Bardonecchia, but I couldn't help going past where I'd last had my map. It wasn't there.
On the tarmac stretches I'd seen a few big trail bikes so it seemed that the event was getting going. Back in town it was evident that this was the case. In front of the 2 bars near the station was a posse of motorbikes.

Of course there were the obligatory BMWs

as well as less typical trail bikes


I introduced myslef to a group of English motorcyclists who in turn introduced me to Mario who'd started the whole thing 40 years ago. This group had been up to the col today as they thought tomorrow, Sunday, would be far to busy. I'll find out tomorrow.