Traverse of the Alps Part 2

 Getting to the start

This was a trip that was not meant to happen, but somehow our determination overcame all the obstacles...

Coronavirus kept us on our toes until the very last minute. We planned and booked this trip last September, and since then 3 flights got cancelled to start off with, so that we had to rearrange the start and finish of the route. Little did we know that this was just the appetizer! In the cocktail we had to add mechanical failures, severe weather which brought floods, road closures and cancelled trains, we really made it by the skin of our teeth.

In the original plan we were supposed to fly to Milan, get a train to Bellinzona and start cycling from there. Instead, we had to fly to Geneva. Two trains and 6h later we finally arrived in Airolo, which is a cute little village at the feet of the San Gottardo Pass. We have always traveled with boxes, but this time we packed the bikes in the bags we bought last year in Basel. You may think it would be easier this way, and somehow it is when it comes to get them on trains, but dragging that 22kg bag around and up and down stairs destroyed my legs and shoulders.

We opened the bags outside the train station in Airolo, and there we got the first surprise: 1 x derailleur and 1 x quick release broken. Paul confirmed himself to be the magician as he managed to fix everything, I'll never complain again about all the time he spent checking out bike stuff online!

Bikes reassembled, we went to check in to the Hotel Forni, and then for a pizza and beer at the restaurant nearby. Eating on the terrace in the sunshine made us forget the long day. There we were, we couldn't believe we were really going to start the Traverse of the Alps part 2!

 

Day 1 – Airolo to Disentis – 58km / 1468m up

And the holiday officially started! The day before we were too spaced out by the trip to realise where we were, but a good night sleep brought back energies and enthusiasm. It was a bit of a baptism of fire as we would need to climb 2 passes, the first one being the Passo San Gottardo at 2,106 m.

We set off at 8am, and despite the chill of the morning the fleece didn't last long as the sweat started pouring down...I wished that feeling would last longer... The 14km climb was relatively steep, but I must have got stronger thanks to all the training during the lockdown as it felt much easier than the Passes the previous year. I was not going particularly fast, but still I cycled all the 14km, mostly cobbled, fully loaded and with headwind, and kept an average 8km/h. And I didn't even have to use the lowest gear! There was little traffic going up as most cars would take the A road. A black squirrel and a marmot crossed the road and they were not particularly bothered by our presence. It was a pleasure to ride those twisty cobbled roads with infinite hairpin bends, and with the increasing elevation the views were getting better and better until we finally saw the Ospizio, and we knew that the end was near. 

Up to the San Gottardo Pass

We reached the pass in 1h 40min, and as soon as we stopped we put on all our layers as the wind was freezing. The time for a few pictures and down we went to the village of Andermatt in search of warmth. It was a painful and slow 12km descent and it took us ages to get some heat back to our bodies. We went to grab some food in a store and had a pleasant chat with Paul, a cyclist himself from New Zealand who got stuck there 6 months before due to Coronavirus...he didn't seem too bothered. We were still cold and shivery and went to a café for a hot coffee. Luckily we had another pass in store for the day, and we couldn't wait to get started just to warm up a bit. 

  

The road to the Oberalppass (2046m) was way busier that the previous one. The start of it was a series of steep switchbacks with kind of the same gradient as the previous pass, but I started to feel a little less motivated, I blame cars, they should be blamed for everything... The good news was that 3km to the top it flattened out and it was an unexpected fast ride to the Pass from there.

This pass was not as cold as the San Gottardo, and I was pleasantly roasting in all my layers. We took a few pictures, chatted with another couple of tourers on their way to the Rhine route, and then started the 24km descent to our day destination with a break half-way through for a sunny lunch. We reached Disentis and our beautiful Hotel Catrina and spent the rest of the day chilling out on the balcony. This looked like a huge resort but there was nobody around, which was probably good news for us as it meant fewer cars around too!

Day 1 went as planned, a rare exception in this trip...

 

Day 2 – Disentis to Bergün – 83km / 1000m up

Well, today it was not exactly an enjoyable cycling day, certainly not what we expected.

I slept like a log and stuffed myself at breakfast as I was expecting a long day on the saddle exploring the Swiss cycling network, following the n.2 to Bonaduz and the n.6 to Bergün. No Passes, sunshine, what can possibly go wrong?

The morning was chilly, and we set off at 8am well-dressed even if the sun was out. We were expecting to follow the main road as we did the day before for 33km down to Boraduz, but surprise surpise the n.2 sent us down to the valley below, which was freezing, and graveled, and with insane climbs which would bring to nowhere, all this while we could see the perfectly paved straight road in sunshine on the other side of the mountain... We thought someone from Sustrans must have planned that network as it was more an apology to car drivers that a sensible cycling route. I bet if the road and cycling lane were inverted nobody would commute to work by car. 

 

The n.2 went on mainly on gravel with occasional stretches on perfectly paved road which were just teasing us, and then it turned into single track... We covered 35km and reached Llanz at 11ish, where we stopped at the shop to refuel and get our lunch. We didn't check the profile well, and were surprised when the road started climbing again. It was a long climb by a huge gorge up to a village called Carrera, after which we were on a beautiful balcony road overlooking the gorge. 

 

 

We then started the descent to Bonaduz and there we made a big mistake linked to the geography of the place. Basically we could have got a straight road from there to Thusis, but instead we kept going down looking for the n.6, which turned out to be an insane series of climbs to go nowhere. We stopped for lunch, with a full belly we always think better. We checked all our options, and since the route had slowed us down, and since there was no way I would climb to Bonaduz again, we decided to get the train to Tiefencastle. As advised by the Swiss network, we were planning to get the train from Thusis to Tiefencastle anyway to avoid a series of dangerous tunnels, adding another bit, given the circumstances, didn't seem too bad. We missed the connection in Thusis by 2 min and waited 1h for the next train with an ice cream in our hands, it was hot!

Two trains later we found ourselves in Tiefencastle and got on the n.6. It started with a steep descent, followed by an equal steep ascent that luckily flattened out to the next village. Then the n.6 took us out of the road on a flat track by the river which was not well singed at all...we got lost a few times, and in one of our wandering around we ended up in a marijuana plantation. Honest, today was so surreal that I couldn't make it up even if I wanted! We turned back, found a map and realised we had to follow the track by the river to a place called Filisuz, which was 10km away and kind of enjoyable. It did look flat, but I was on the first ring so that we must have been going up all the way. We got there at 3.40pm, we had the chance to take a train but the check in at the hotel was at 4pm, and we were 7km to destination and it was a sunny day. Our conscience forced us to cycle there (someone described cyclist as convicts of the road...) and I'm glad I did, but right there I was cursing myself. The first 4km were ok, then we rejoined the main road and the last 3km were on a 10% no stop gradient, at the end of day this kind of unexpected stuff really kills me. I remembered a zen friend of mine who told me to always enjoy the present, right then with buckets of sweat coming down by body and lorries passing by I thought “the present sucks!” We finally made it out of the gorge (granny gear forever) and reached flat grounds where we could see the small village of Bergün and I felt like crying, but all my liquids had already gone on sweat so that the emotional moment was short-lived. Sure enough we will remember that climb for a long time! 

We finally reached the Hotel Albula, which was a bit of disappointment (tiny room and no idea where was the balcony I booked) but we were so tired that as long as the shower worked we were ok with it. After the shower and a light snack of 2,000 calories we were feeling more human, and really enjoyed strolling around this mountain village which is at 1367m of elevation, definitely well positioned to go up Pass number 3 the day after.

 

Day 3 – Bergün to Pfunds – 40km / 1200m up

I woke up with 1 thing in mind: Albula Pass! The thought of climbing a Pass always brings a bit of anxiety and fear. Add to that a 110km day and you feel like hiding yourself below the blankets. But it was sunny, and it had to be done.

Sharp and energised by breakfast we left at 8am in the chill of the morning ready to cycle 14km and climb 950m to reach the Albula Pass. Even though the first half had a 10% gradient, the road was quiet and I had a great time, me I love climbing! Then it leveled out and started climbing again with a more human gradient. We soon gained elevation and once we got off the tree line it was a blast! The sky was spotless, it was not cold and the views were just stunning. In 2h we reached the pass at 2300m.

 

The views on the other side were breathtaking, it was flat at fist and then the descent started. We didn't meet any cyclists up to that point, but they were all coming up from the other side. In no time we reached La Punt where we stopped for a snack, still full of adrenaline for the stunning climb. From there we knew it would have been a long cycle in the valley. It started off as an idyllic paved path, flat, well surfaced, surrounded by beautiful mountains and passing through picturesque villages. Then somehow it degenerated into a MTB track up and down the hills side. By km 35 I had enough. We reached Zerez at 12.30 and we realised that we would never make it to destination if we kept on that thing, and we had no idea what the rest of that route would throw at us. It was a no brain decision: train! We had to wait a bit for the train and just chilled on a bench at the train station, and noticed a cycling sign saying “Livigno 71km”. I didn't realise how close to Italy we were, we have been to Livigno the year before and had I known before I wouldn't have minded popping there again. After 2 trains and 2 buses we reached Pfunds, bye bye Switzerland, we will not be back there for a loooong time!!

We reached our Hotel Edelweiss at 4pm and really enjoyed chilling out in our mini apartment. The village is actually quite nice and was empty of people, so far we didn't really meet many tourists around. We felt a bit bad by the amount of cheating we did, but then we knew the day after we would make up for it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 – Pfunds to Innsbruck – 115km / 948m up

After 2 days of hellish path today it was a blast! And I'm so glad as it did wonder for our morale. I love Austria, or to be precise, the Tirol region. They are so much ahead in terms of cycling infrastructures that it did feel to be in the future, if a future will exists.

At 8am we left Pfunds well dressed waiting for the sun to come out in the valley. We were a bit skeptical to start off with and were ready for anything the Austrian cycling network would through at us, but they just threw perfect lanes, signs, indications, benches, views, this is truly a 5 star route! You can't get lost even if you want to, there are signs both on the ground and boards with distances in decimals. We crossed the bridge at Pfunds, and from there we quickly gained terrain on a flat and smooth cycling path, just for bikes!!! Pedestrians are usually on a separated lane, and I even saw a sign saying dogs have to be kept on lead on cycling lanes, I think I'll move there!

We reached Laneck, the biggest town we would pass that day, at km 35 and it was not even 10am. We stopped to get lunch and stock, and then we moved on. I lost count of how many bridges we passed on, and cure villages with their churches and towers, all kind of old and picturesque, and we would regularly pass by benches and nice stopping places. Next time the Council runs a survey on how to improve cycling in Edinburgh I'll tell them to go there.

We reached Innsbruck at 3.30pm with 115km in our legs, and I was not even tired. It did feel all flat so that I was surprised when Paul told me that we climbed 900m that day. We spoiled ourselves by staying at the Hotel Central, literally in the centre, and had a great time visiting town, especially the old town, and planning our day off tomorrow. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm very fond of this picture as it shows me queuing at that fountain, where a sparrow was drinking at leisure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 – “Day off” in Innsbruck – walk up to Seegrube / 1000m up

The day off turned out not to be much of a day off, I actually felt more tired than in any of the other cycling days..this means it was a great day too :)

We have been checking the weather forecasts for a few days, and they all agreed that a heavy downpour was approaching. We woke up with sunshine though and were determined to get the most of it while it lasted. When we entered Innsbruck we could see a cable car going up a mountain, and we both agreed that the view from up there was worth checking out (we could actually see it from the window of our toilet...) It did look like a short trek, but gosh we were wrong!

We took the cable car to Hungerburg first as there was no other way to get at the feet of the mountain, and it felt a bit like being in a James Bond movie as we were sucked into the earth and then re-emerged going up steep to Hungerburg. From there we planned to walk up. There were no signs giving directions to Seegrube, and we figured out that they wanted to put off people from doing so, so that they would take the cable car. This made us even more determined to find it. What we found was the Seegrube Direkt, a vertical climb, like at bits we were wondering if we needed ropes, which would make us gained 1000+m.

 

 

 

 

It honestly felt never ending, what we thought would be a 45min climb took us almost 1h 45min, every time we looked up the end was never coming, tricky optical illusion! It was hot and we gave up on wearing a t-shirt as it was all sweat. Paul went in hunger crisis so that we had a little break before the final push, and finally at 10.45am we reached the cable car station where he rewarded himself with an apfelstrudel and ½ liter of a disgusting drink which he enjoyed immensely...weird! The views from there were really worth the sweat, we noticed that the mountains in the Italian side were a bit blurred, and expected rain to come soon while enjoying what would be the last sunshine for a few days. We were tempted to get the cable car to go down but when we saw it was €17 each we decided to invest that money in ice-cream and walk down on the gravel road instead. The amount of cyclists coming up that gravel road was insane. Most had e-bikes, but there were a few hardcore, the prize going to the man cycling up with his child in the trailer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to town we went through all the choirs and even managed to change 100 CHF into euros.. With our ice-cream fund enriched we then went to spend it, on ice-cream, and then just wandered around with no aim. By 4pm the first downpour started, but we had such a great day so far that we really didn't care, the best part of it was seeing the cable car station from our marble toilet. We still managed to go out for dinner and get back dry, but by then we were resigned at a few days of heavy rain.

 

 Day 6 – Innsbruck to Bruneck – 38km / 350m up

And rain it was! Like pouring rain all night, luckily by the time we finished breakfast it stopped a bit, just in time for us to reach the train station... My Mum and brother would meet us in Bruneck, and we decided time before that in order to spend more time with them we would have needed to get the train to Fortezza so to make it a shorter day. This fitted perfectly as the rain didn't stop, and it became heavier the higher we went. We could only get the ticket to the Brennero Pass, then we were told we would have had to buy a separate one for the next bit in Italy. Fair enough. We boarded the perfect Austrian train, where there are no steps to get on and dedicated places to bikes, and reached the Pass in 30 min. You can say when we entered Italy as nothing started to work...there was no ticket office, and the machine wouldn't sell bike tickets. We had only 8 min before the train left, and when I asked a guy what to do he told me to just get on the train and try to get it on board. So we did, we lifted the bikes up the 3 big steps and abandoned them in the middle of the coach. We did manage to buy our ticket on board without having to pay a supplement, and nobody seemed to bother by the bikes either, welcome to Italy!

The train was half empty, so that it was a bit of a shock when we got off in Fortezza and there was a see of people coming and going from/to every direction...wtf!? We pulled ourselves together and finally started cycling at 10.30am following the route n.3 towards Bressanone. It was a dedicated cycling lane but the start was a bit messy as poorly signed. After a few wrong turns we managed to get on with it and finally found ourselves paralleling the main road, where a huge traffic jam was forming as we went the opposite direction. I think we could still see it 10km after it started. It was raining a bit by then, and I can imagine how they would feel pity of us cycling in the rain, while we had a great time and felt pity of them stuck in their capsule.

The path then developed into a pleasant flattish cycle in the valley. The last few km to Bruneck were fast, and we got there when the proper downpour started, it would not sop for at least 12 hours. The bad luck was that Paul broke a spoke 1km to the end. We staid at the Hotel Blitzburg and our room was the best of all the trip, or ever! This was lucky as we would spend some time in it given the weather outside...

By 3pm also my family arrived, so that the afternoon was spent catching up while poor Paul was fixing the spoke in the garage. Unfortunately his tool was a bit old and kind of screw up the other nipples while truing the wheels. He said the wheels would cope but I suggested checking for bike shops when we would get to Lienz the day after.

Despite the rain it was a very pleasant evening, spent eating pizza at the Leone d'Oro and just enjoying each other's company (I would like a Hausgemachte...).

 

 

 

 

Day 7 – Bruneck to Lienz – 83km / 900m up

Today was a bit of a comedy of the absurd. The original plan was for my brother to join us on the route n.3 up to San Candido, and he would then take the train back while we would keep going back to Austria. Things went not quite as planned...

We met for breakfast at 7.30am, and outside it was pitch black with thunders and lightening like the end of the world was coming. While outside the apocalypse was building up, we were stuffing ourselves with goodies, thinking it would stop at some stage soon for us to go...or not. Then it was 9am, then 10am and still pouring down. We started to go through all the alternatives: we get the train to San Candido and cycle from there, no let's cycle there and get the train from there, what if we wait noon and just take the train and bla bla bla. Sometimes you just need a kick in the ass to get started, and that came when Paul checked for trains in Google and it turned out they were cancelled up to San Candido for floods...oh well, cycle it is then!

We quickly pulled ourselves together and by 11.15am we were on the saddle. Coming from Scotland we are used to this, but it felt a bit too much even for our standards. We thought the route would be flat but it actually climbed for 35k, all the way to San Candido. There were also some interesting deviations bringing us up a hill where the storm and wind hit us badly, but luckily we got away with it and after about 1h it settled down. We passed through a village and managed to grab the last 2 pizzette before it would close in 2 min...perfect timing! We went on again, getting lost here and there due to lack of signs, and finally entered a forest when the sky opened again. Luckily we found a nice hut where we got some shelter until it lasted. From there is was a short cycle to San Candido, which we reached at 2.30pm for lunch... Before reaching it, we passed through the village where we stopped the night before we started walking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites a few years before (I honestly didn't expect to come back there in my life!), and also the junction from where we would have cycled from Cortina. It was like a loop being closed.

Should I stay or should I go?

Slurping myself on the last pizzetta

 

Arrived in San Candido with sunshine...and all the train are cancelled!

In San Candido we were planning to get the train as it was a bit late and there were still 45km to Lienz, but, the trains got cancelled due to flooding. This was actually a blessing, as we had a very nice lunch in San Candido, the sun finally came out, and all the route to Lienz was a beautiful dedicated cycling path by the river all the way DOWN to Lienz, I basically just sit on the saddle and let the bike carry me downhill. You could see the difference as soon as we entered Austria, the level of signposts and infrastructures is just a different level.

We staid at the Hotel Sonne, in the centre of Lienz, which had a strange smell of Soviet. We had a very pleasant evening strolling around the centre and eating at a Chinese restaurant, I came out of it drunk and after all the misadventures of the day gosh I needed that!

 

Day 8 – Lienz to Villach – 35km / 400m up

I didn't realise the disasters the storm caused until I ready the Italian news in the morning. It turns out that it caused so many damages, and 5 people lost their life in the floods. The Brennero Pass has also been closed. Despite the several misfortunes, we have been very lucky, we literally made it by the skin of the teeth, one more day and we would have been stuck there...all was working out for the best in some weird twisted way.

We woke up well rested in this weird soviet style room which really didn't make any sense, went for breakfast and found the room packed full of people, where they all came from we had no idea as we met nobody around. We took it super extra easy as we had to wait for the bike shop to open at 9am. At 9am sharp there we were with the bikes. The first 2 wheels the guy found missed a bit, but luckily there were another 2 available, which I was told were more for a road bike that a touring bike but they would have done (as I write we are back home and Paul is super pissed off as they forced the wrong spacers and possibly screw the fork...all this for only €500). We were told to get back at 10.30am, and all things considered at least my heart was in peace as I knew he wouldn't fall down a cliff because of the wheels.

Time to get started! We had a long and flat 115km ahead and we put on the turbo power. All went well on smooth and perfect lanes until we crossed a bridge and entered the Karnten Region where things started to degenerate in a messy path, all gravel and by the river which got flooded the day before. We managed to cover 30km with a few deviations to avoid the flooded bits, which then turn to “road closed, good luck”. We went through the closed bits and it was more or less ok, just a few deep ponds but nothing too bad. It was getting worse and worse though, and washed out and muddy like slippery and all got badly dirty. By then it was 1pm and we covered 35km, and more rain was forecasted. We quickly realised that there was no way we could have made it to destination, so that it was another train journey for us. In the big scheme of things this worked out perfectly, as we got to Villach at 3pm, checked it, and then walked to the tourism information centre (in pouring rain), asking if they knew anything on the conditions of the cycling paths to come. On the way there we passed by the river and gosh it was swollen, with trunks floating down and who knows what else.

I'm so glad we went there to ask, as we then found out that we wouldn't have been able to cycle through Slovenia as only a few check in points where open to foreigners due to coronavirus. The option was to either get a train there, the first one being at past midday, or to the border to Italy. That's how Slovenia got cancelled...next time will be!

This was the most depressive day ever, in between all the trains we had to catch, the non stopping pouring rain, and all our route to be preplanned, it felt a bit like a failure. We just had to get on with it, and once recomposed we decided to get the train to Tarvisio at the Italian Border, and follow the Alpe Adria cycling lane down to Udine, which is where we should have passed anyway...where there is a will there is a way!

Haha, see the connection?

Day 9– Villach to Venzone – 63km / 135m up

Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry. After the misery of the day before we could do with a proper cycling day, and that's exactly what we got!

The rain didn't stop from 4pm the day before till we left in the morning, and the first thing I checked was if the trains were running. All seemed to be good. We got on the train to the border and were a bit anxious given the number of police officers around...will we be able to get out of here we thought? Luckily all went smooth and we got to Tarvisio with no problems. It was chilly but the sun was finally out again, but the biggest surprise was an astonishing cycling path all the way down to Venzone. The path used an old railway line, and it was an engineering work of art, I lost count of how many tunnels and bridges we went through, all this separated by cars for km and km. This route leads all the way down to Grado, and to be honest this bit was probably the only one worth cycling of all that route, however it was worth it just for those 50km!

We passed thorough a few small sleepy villages and stopped here and there as it was a short cycling day and the check in was at 3pm. At some stage the beautiful path finished abruptly with a sing “path closed in 200m”. From there we were sent to the busy A road, but luckily there was a shoulder and it didn't feel too bad. The signs disappeared and the dream was basically over, but from there it was just a few km to destination.

We both liked Venzone a lot, it's a small village but the centre within the walls is so pretty and historic, and the sun, like the hot sun, was finally out and would not leave us again until the end of this adventure. Thinking of it, it was truly a miracle that we made it so far. 

The day that I discovered the Pudding of bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 10– Venzone to Udine – 58km 

The route today was definitely not as stunning as yesterday, kind of flat and boring as we left the mountains behind. But we were getting closer to our objective, and we were actually cycling rather than being on a train, something to celebrate!

It was pretty much all flat and went through forests (unpaved and washed out but cyclable) and it started to get more urban and busier as we approached Udine which we reached at 12.30. We spent the afternoon arranging our return home, and then just strolling around, enjoying the good weather, food and just the vibes in the air. Udine is a bit too posh for my taste and I would never live there, but it's well worth a visit (one afternoon was enough..). 

The farewell to the mountains

 

Day 11 – Udine to Caorle - 118km

The final day!!!! We woke up early and eager to get started and get it done. We knew it would have been a longish flat day, and we wanted to get there early so to get the most of the seaside.

All the route was pretty much uneventful. We followed first the n.2, then in Cervignano we got on the n.3 which was not signed at all. It was a bit of a navigational nightmare all the way through, and Paul had to stop at every 3km to check the GPS. The last 30km went on very fast though, and as we could see the "Caorle" signs our mood and speed improved despite the heat. Finally at 3.30pm we entered this beautifully coloured village, and after climbing the ramp to the promenade we reached the Adriatic See! I must admit that this was a special moment, more so due to all the misadventures we had to face. It was definitely more of a “jump the obstacles” than a cycling trip, but I'm glad we went, and I'm glad we ended up there! 

The rest of the day was spend spoiling ourselves with ice-creams and good food, and walking along the promenade in sunshine and at sunset. Traverse Alps = done!

 

Bonus Day (12) – Caorle to San Stino di - 28km

We originally booked a flight from Verona, which got cancelled, and then from Venice, which also got cancelled, so that at the end we flew back from Bergamo. This meant cycling 28km to the first train station (it was a lovely cycle and so pleased we had to do that!), and then changing 4 trains, and being Italian trains we ended up lifting the bikes up and down huge steps and stairs...Italy is not ready for cycle tourers... We made it to Bergamo at the end, and spent a full day wandering around and eating great food. Somehow I didn't lose any weight...

Conclusion

Although we had to catch the random train and the total cycled distance was a meagre 722km (we cycled 400km in 2 days and a half in preparation for this!), all the hiccups spiced up a bit the trip and made it memorable. No day was like the other and our normal routine was completely upside down. Was it worth it? YES!!!!