Europe Day 12: 48 Miles

Lugano, Switzerland to Chiggiogna, Switzerland

I entered the Alps today but didn’t really do much climbing until the last 6 or 7 miles of the day. If those last few miles are a preview of what’s to come, then I am in for a real challenge tomorrow. Today, on the other hand was a relatively easy day with great scenery and a bike path that provided perfect riding conditions.

I had a quick breakfast at the hostel this morning and got on the road around 8:45 AM. The first 11 miles of the day were technically a climb, but the grade was mostly 1% to 2% so it wasn’t difficult. If anything, the climb messed with my head because the road visually appeared to be flat, but I was going much slower than I would on a normal flat road. As soon as I started climbing, I saw the signs for the Swiss 3 bike route again. I’m happy this section of the trip has signs. I can navigate from point A to point B without a problem, but it’s nice to know that the route I’m taking is meant for cyclists. There were points in Italy where I questioned if I should be on the busy roads I was on with a bicycle.

At the top of the of the 11 mile climb I got a nice view of the valley I would be riding in for most of the day. I then had a 3 mile downhill which felt very much unearned. The majority of the riding was on a bike path that kept me away from any cars. It was mostly paved, but there were also sections of crushed gravel which was fine to ride on as well.

The bike path kept me on the outskirts of the small towns I was riding through, but one section got me close enough to the center of a town that I decided to make a quick stop at a grocery store. I wasn’t hungry yet but picked up a banana and a premade sandwich to eat for lunch later. The food in Switzerland is very expensive, so I figured a cheap sandwich from the grocery store was my best bet. I went in search of dinner in Lugano last night and found the prices at the pizzerias to be somewhere between 1.5x and 2.5x more expensive than what I had found in Italy. Crossing the border suddenly made an $8 pasta dish $20.

By noon I had logged 30 miles and was starting to get hungry, so I stopped and had my lunch on the side of the road. From there it was 18 more miles that slowly climbed uphill until I hit a 2 mile section of switchbacks that took me up a few hundred feet of elevation. The rest of the day was a steady climb until I got to Chiggiogna were I decided to stop. I saw a sign for camping and a restaurant and didn’t need much more than that. Chiggiogna is the start of the big climb tomorrow. Just like the climb I did over the Apennines, I decided to stop right at the bottom of the climb today so I can start climbing fresh tomorrow. Tomorrow will be 21 miles of uphill to my highest point of the trip.

Since I had started the day off earlier than normal, I arrived at the campsite around 2:30 PM. Camping cost $19, but includes a shower, electricity, WiFi and proximity to the restaurant which is nice. I had some confusion checking in and it turns out I was charged $2 extra because they didn’t realize I didn’t have a car. I set up my tent and headed to the shower only to realize it was coin operated. Luckily when I went back to the reservation area, I received the $2 I had been overcharged on my credit card back in coins. I do need to find an ATM because I only have Euros and U.S. currency on me at the moment.

Tomorrow I have a short ride planned in terms of mileage, but it will likely be the biggest challenge of the entire trip. It is 21 miles to the top and then I will have 16 downhill miles to a hostel.

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