I start out early from Lugano and after one short hill, I ride down into valley just before Bellinzona and start following the Ticino river.
I follow the river upstream into the Valle Leventina, which I already know from hiking and bouldering, but I’m pleasantly surprised how well they keep the cycle path away from the main roads.
I take a long break at the river just before Faido, then continue to Airolo. Here the main climb to the Gotthard pass starts and it’s quite warm in the valley. Temperatures remain high, but a strong headwind is more of an issue, especially on the few straight sections. I ride up at medium pace, in just over 90 minutes.
The ride down is pretty nice, especially as there is a bike path on the road from Andermatt to Göschenen that partly leads over the main roads’ tunnel galleries. Cool idea!
In Erstfeld, after a quick bath in the Reuss, I board the train to Basel. I skip the remaining 250 km home, as although Switzerland is very nice, it’s mainly so in the mountains and the valley floor is full of big roads that I’d have to follow or at least ride nearby. It’s just not worth it.
150 km, 3300m elevation
This ends the Trans Italia tour.