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From Italy to Zurich by bike was the first step toward the North Cape. I already knew before I left that there are several routes to the North Cape by bike. Having only ten days of actual preparation, I initially thought of going via the Simplon Pass and then via the French Via Francigena, particularly in the Besancon area.
So I started to put down maps, using both Google Map and Komoot (here’s my profile). I quickly realized that the Via Francigena was not the best route. In fact, starting from Angera, i.e., my town on Lake Maggiore, there is a more direct route to Northern Europe: the St. Gotthard Pass! The choice of this route, moreover, would have reminded of my cousin Caterina, who died of a fulminating illness three months before this trip. The route chosen, in fact, passed through the German Fairy Tale Route: Catherine had written a book about fairy tales called Stories for Sweet Dreams, and passing through the little villages of the Brothers Grimm seemed a fitting way to remember her.
The first two stages, thus linking Italy to Zurich, were therefore definitely difficult, as they took me to the 2,106 meters of altitude, starting at 200 meters in Angera.
Let’s go into detail about the first two stages that took me to the North Cape by bike!
From Italy to Zurich by bike: preparation
The departure from Angera was not easy at all! The night before departure I had a few beers with friends, and several bets had been placed on the success of the project. Having had only ten days to prepare, I had not yet tested the bike in the first place. In the afternoon before the departure I got together with my friend Fabrizio. When he saw me with my beautiful Wilier bike loaded he said ‘Nooo really you are leaving therefore!’ The answer was a simple ‘I’ll try!
I knew that I had to carry very few things, described in my full post on North Cape. Here I will just say that the bikepacking solution, accompanied by a small bag to put under the frame and a mini backpack to carry on my shoulder. This way I had everything I needed for the five-week trip! Obviously, I had very few shirts and clothing to change, but I had room for the bikepacking repair kit and, less essential but still necessary, for my little drone!
In between beers, Fabrizio confirmed that he would accompany me as far as the Italo-Swiss border, giving us an appointment for 8:30 a.m. the next day. Other friends, meanwhile, continued to be dubious about the plan: some were very hopeful, others said that in Zurich I would take the train home. I myself was very hesitant, but by now I was in the sporting mood and ready to go!
From Italy to Zurich by bike: arrival in Airolo
The next morning, therefore, I woke up with a decent headache and the classic question โBut who makes me do it?!โ The last checks before the start occupied me several times: the Garmin had to be charged, ditto the GoPro and the two powerbanks, the bike wheels well inflated, the two water bottles well filled… the time flew by more than expected, and the good Fabrizio had to wait for me until 9.15 am!
So, on June 29 at 9:15 a.m. my โRolling North by Bikeโ began!
From Angera, I simply followed the Lombard coast of Lake Maggiore for 50 km to the Swiss border at Zenna. Lake Maggiore is definitely worth a ride, and I did the complete tour several times (165 km, this is the itinerary).. Fabrizio and I were lucky enough to pedal on a beautiful sunny day: Laveno, Castelveccana, Luino, Maccagno are towns that, with the sun, are really beautiful and give the desire to pedal for a long time! Fabrizio kept telling me โDamn job, you did well to resign, now you can do whatever you want!โ
In fact, when I said that I prepared the pedaling to the North Cape in only ten days I am saying pure reality! I resigned from my long-standing office job on June 16 and, in order to taste the freedom right away, I decided to start pedaling to the North Cape.
Fabrizio, at each little climb, was curious about my state of fitness and how much the bikepacking slowed my pace. I replied that I had good feelings, and that those 4 or 5 km/h lost in speed did not weigh me down that much. In Maccagno, after 40 kilometers, we stopped for a cappuccino and a pastry: it felt right to say goodbye to Italy with one last breakfast!
In Zenna, at noon, after 50 km of escorting, Fabrizio decided to say goodbye! His company had definitely been appreciated, and now it was just my turn to continue the other 3,950 km! After saying goodbye to Fabrizio, I also said goodbye to my home lake: at the 65th kilometer I said goodbye to Lake Maggiore to continue to Bellinzona.
After refreshing myself, I finally took a beautiful bike path that took me all the way to Biasca. In the distance I was beginning to see the Gotthard valley, but I could also see the climb ahead! In fact, the first stage ended uphill! From Biasca a steady climb took me to Airolo: finishing the first stage going from 200 to 1,150 meters was still tiring!
In Airolo I had booked the last available room: my Filini organization had been saved by the skin of its teeth!
I had already visited this small town when I toured the three Swiss passes-St. Gotthard, Furka, Nufenen. Airolo is therefore a beautiful mountain town, surrounded by high mountains…and high passes! The Motta hotel welcomed me for the night, and a pizza at Borelli’s was my reward for the 138-kilometer (138-kilometer) tappone (Komoot track)!
From Italy to Zurich by bike: the St. Gotthard Pass
During the night I woke up with a start: universal downpour! I went back to sleep with strong doubts about the success of the second stage: would I get water on the Gotthard? As soon as I woke up I immediately opened the window: the weather response was black clouds! The locals told me that I would avoid the water: however, the weather forecasts differed widely.
Thus began the ascent to the Gotthard Pass. This marvelous pass can be reached in three ways: the highway, a wide scenic road, and the Tremola, the historic road with arching gradients and marked by cobblestones for a full six kilometers. Excluding the highway, of course, the choice fell on the scenic route: I had already ridden the Tremola during the wonderful Three Passes Tour and decided it was best to climb up the easier scenic route. As the name implies, the scenic route is truly spectacular! In fact, you can see Airolo from above, the valley leading to the Nufenen Pass, and you always have the fantastic Tremola in front of you!
Before starting the climb, I had estimated a VAM of 600 meters per hour. The estimate turned out to be correct as it took me an hour and a half to overcome the 900 meters of elevation gain. Reaching the 2110 meters of the Gotthard Pass was a great satisfaction! In fact, besides admiring a beautiful landscape, I already knew that that would be the highest point of the whole trip!
There was one big problem, however. It was June 30 and it was really cold, and black clouds were still threatening above me! Hesitantly, I began the descent. All the way to 1450 meters in Andermatt I suffered from a bitter cold! After a few kilometers I stopped to admire the wonderful Devil’s Bridge: the stop was short-lived because the universal downpour began! Going downhill in the cold and a heavy downpour was not exactly my dream, and besides it was raining so hard that I could not see the road well: I risked accidentally entering the highway!
From Italy to Zurich by bike: Lake Lucerne and the arrival in Zurich
Finally, after about 20 minutes of water, the sun came out and I began to appreciate the wide Swiss valleys. Canton Uri, with its small towns (like Amsteg), is a real treat for the eyes! Pedaling here is a spectacle: roads with little traffic and with, often times, a dedicated bike lane!
I stopped in Altdorf to eat a sandwich. After a few kilometers I pedaled along Lake Lucerne: the view is simply fantastic but I found the road a bit dangerous and definitely a lot of traffic!
A little later I encountered another lake, that of Zug. The road in this case was definitely less busy and I enjoyed the lake ride so much, and the small town of Zug is also worth a visit! From Zug to Zurich I now had only thirty kilometers to go: black clouds, however, hovered over Switzerland’s largest city!
So I arrived in Zurich, where I was hosted by Christina, a friend I had met years ago also in Zurich thanks to the Couchsurfing site. Just enough time to leave the bike at her house, take four steps to get to the first bar to get some well-deserved beers after 135 kilometers and it broke out, again, the universal deluge!
We ate a homemade pasta dish at her home: in the next installments, home dinners will be a common thing! The stage from Airolo to Zurich was 135 kilometers long: this is the Komoot track!
Zurich is not the last city in Switzerland visited; Germany, however, was now close by!
FROM ITALY TO ZURICH BY BIKE: INFORMATION
- I started from Angera, which is my hometown: its Rocca is one of the things to see!
- The elevation gain of the first two stages of the journey to the North Cape was over 3,500 meters: counting the mileage, over 270 kilometers, these were not easy stages!
- From Italy to Zurich by bike there are many lakes: Maggiore, Airolo, Lucerne, Zug and finally Zurich!
- The busiest area is around Lake Lucerne. This area, however, is truly spectacular!
- The Gotthard Pass is truly a delight. The Tremola had impressed me, but the Panoramica is also a road worth a ride!
- This is just an appetizer of the main courses: the journey to the North Cape is still a long one, and here is the German part!
