Big Cycle Trip Part 3, Year 2!

Day 1, Scuol to Silvaplana, 69km

So there we were, back on the road again. Three of us this time, Hilary, Mary, me, setting off from Küssnacht early on Tuesday morning, to complete our circumnavigation by bicycle of our adopted homeland. With two languages and two cantons remaining, the plan was to start in Romansch-speaking Engadine and end in Italian Ticino, with a little side trip into neighbouring Italy.

Our intrepid leader sets off uphill

A four hour train journey took us to Scuol, chosen for its famed sgrafitto. But it was downhill to the town from the station, and we could see the 400m climb looming, so we skipped Scuol and laboured up. 400m over 5km isn't a great way to start a bike trip! But at the top was lunch, a very welcome and delicious flammkuche. Forgoing the beer (wisely, as it turned out) we set off again, on a gorgeous rolling ride through the fabled Engadine villages, each one prettier than the last, their delightful sgrafitto'd buildings drawing gasps of admiration.

Sgraffito in the Engadine

And soon we were offroad, on a pretty trail through woods and deep valleys. Lovely. But it didn't end! Slow on the uphills in the gravel, we were almost as slow downhill. Not quite slow enough on one corner for Hilary, who took a shoulder-wrenching tumble (the only tumble of the trip). As our counters ticked slowly over to 40km, and knowing we had another 30 or so to go before dark (and dinner) we gave up the trail and headed for the road. Nothing like as pretty, but a whole lot easier. And so eventually we rolled into St Moritz - and out of it again, and on to smaller, prettier Silvaplana. It wasn't quite dark, but approaching problem time (not all of us had lights) so our hotel was a truly welcome sight. As was the still-open restaurant, where we ate a delicious and thoroughly deserved dinner before falling into bed.
69 km, 3200m of total climb, over 3000 cal consumed...



Day 2, Silvaplana to Chiavenna, 51km

Top of the Maloja Pass

Couldn't pass a pink bike without a photo opp

A few of those hairpins

This was to be a more restful day after the big first day - and did we need it! Some repairs to Hilary's bike in the local bike shop, a stroll around Silvaplana and quick ride across the lake for Mary and me, and back on the saddle. Rolling lakeside along the Silvaplaner See and then the Silser See, dropping into the cute between-lakes town of Baselgia, we soon reached the top of the infamous Maloja Pass. Here we stopped to look over the edge at the steep descent that faced us. A passing motorist who took our photo commented that he was nervous driving up it - which didn't do a lot for our confidence. But, brakes alerted, we set off. Fortunately, on a Wednesday morning there wasn't lot of traffic, and those who were on the road were very cautious and courteous. The first few hairpins were testing, but then we were rolling, and soon, around two thirds of the way down, the road widened and the turns deepened and we were flying!  I clocked a top speed of 59km/hour, and Mary got up to 64. Exhilarating! And we were so happy not be riding up it!

Then followed a gentle downhill riverside ride to the Italian border at Castasegna, and more downhill into Chiavenna, with plenty of daytime left to explore and shop, and eat and drink.
51 km, downill, 765 cal



Day 3, Chiavenna to Lecco, 77km

Mary prepared for rain

wet but still smiling

Rain! Lots of it! Mary arrived for breakfast wearing shower hat and goggles, prepared for the ride. It showed no signs of stopping so we waterproofed up our bags, donned our jackets, and set off. It wasn't so easy to find the bike path out of Chiavenna in the rain, but eventually we got there, and so began a lovely ride. The rain was persistent, but soft and warm, and the cloud-shrouded mountains looming on both sides inspired awe and silence as we rode along the valley. We stopped for a rain-soaked photo on pretty little Lago di Mezzola, and then on to Colico and the start of Lake Como. We made the most of a brief respite from the rain, stopping for an excellent coffee (and American Mary's interesting banana-peanut butter breakfast supplement).

Then lakeside all the way to Lecco. But we hadn't quite taken into account all the hill-climbing towns. We climbed, and descended, and climbed, and descended through each little village, and rode at top speed through the dark "gallerias", or tunnels, cut into the hillside. Narrow and unlit, with cars racing by in both directions, they were a little too scary for comfort. But then Lecco appeared, at the end of the lake, and as we approached it, the sun emerged. Not for long though. Showered and changed, we strolled the streets and shops, until caught in a fearsome hailstorm. Learning that a bar was right next door to the shop we were in, we made a five-pace dash for for it, and sat over campari sodas until the storm passed and we could go enjoy another Italian dinner.
77km, lots of climb, 2700 cal




Day 4, Lecco to Capolago, 74km

Bellagio picnic

Around Lake Como again, a couple more scary gallerias then a reasonably gentle ride towards Bellagio - but getting to Bellagio, our lunchtime goal, meant more climbing. Amazing what a difference a few days makes though. It was easy, more or less! And Bellagio was well worth the climb - and descent. A gorgeous Italian lakeside town, packed with tourists. Rather than attempt to find a restaurant, we opted for a picnic, buying the makings in a deli - cheeses hard and soft, bread sweet and sour, tasty Italian tomatoes...

Lake Como

Cycling lakeside again, more climbs and descents through villages, and a steep ride down to the lake at Blevio, where, we believed, a ferry would take us across the lake to Cernobbio. Not so, we discovered. Apparently it no longer runs - or we'd missed it, we couldn't quite work out what two Italian motorcyclists were trying to tell us. So back up the hill we went, and on into Como. Possibly the least attractive of all the towns we'd been through, though that may be unfair - we saw only the busy and uninspiring lakefront. And then we had to get out of Como and up to the Swiss border at Chiasso. We probably should have retrieved the Cernobbio option, but wanting to avoid the busy, narrow lakeside road, we headed straight up the hill. Not a pleasant experience, but we got to the border, and then, relieved to be back on familiar cycling ground, went looking for the ubiquitous pink Swiss cycling signs. Route 3 we were looking for, and it starts in Chiasso. But not a single sign did we find. Then, backtracking off a very busy main road, we suddenly came across one and followed it to the station. And then there were no more. What happened to the famous, excellent, Swiss signage? So out came the iphones, and google maps found us a road to Mendrisio. And lo, there was a sign, which took us up and through the town and then dropped us again. But eventually we made it to Capolago, and our popular little Albergo Svizzero. Showered and ready for a drink, I went down to the garden bar just as the heavens opened. But there was a vast, solid cover over the top, and it was still warm. So we sat over beers and then an excellent dinner with a local white merlot.
74km, lots more up and down, my watch counted 1735 cal but it must have been more - I haven't got that much fitter!

Final border crossing

Day 5, Capolago to Ascona, 73km

From the bottom of the sixth and penultimate lake on our tour, Lake Lugano, we took the southern side up and around to another Italian border crossing. A stop in Porto Ceresio for a last delicious Italian espresso and chocolate croissant got us happily back on our bikes for the final leg, around the Italian side of Lake Lugano to Lavena, and on to Lake Maggiore. A gorgeous(!) ride through the gorge, unexpectedly downhill - there's a lock which drops the river to the level of Lake Maggiore. More lakeside ups and downs to the Swiss border and eventually on across the delta, through farmland and into Locarno. And there, in sunshine on a corner, was Restaurant Sensi, beckoning. A leisurely, end-of-tour (almost) lunch, with a little more of the local vino, and then on to Ascona and a bit of a rest before the Sting concert back at the Moon and Stars Festival in Locarno that night.
And what a way to end our trip - what a man, what a singer, what a concert!

Besos from Bogota

Sprawling Bogota from the cable car

Our street in Getsemani, Cartagena

 A (very rare) gorgeous sunny morning in soggy Bogota and Gary and I have just returned from a run – a bit of a gasper at 2300m, but a welcome blast after a week of unrelenting eating and drinking! On Sunday the city closes off a number of streets, including half of Carrera 70, a main thoroughfare running north/south across the 450 or so east/west Calles, and conveniently just around the corner from our hotel. And Bogotans get out and use them, on bikes, roller blades, walking, running...

Bogota’s a huge city, even more apparent when you take the (Swiss-made) cablecar to the top of one of the surrounding mountains. It sprawls from mountain range to mountain range across a vast high valley. We’ve seen only a few small portions of it, and we’re staying in one of the better areas, surrounded by great restaurants and cafes, and just down the road a cluster of shops and malls – so our only glimpse of the other side of Bogota has so far come only on our drive into the city from the airport. We started here in Bogota 10 days ago, then flew down to Cartagena for a couple of days of sun and sea. Cartagena is gorgeous (once you get past the Sunshine Coast style highrises). We stayed in Getsemani, a very old suburb, which originally used to house the artisans and workers who serviced the elite in the adjacent and very beautiful old walled city. Getsemani is now gentrifying somewhat, but is still a bustling blend of drugpushers , backpackers, family homes and the old interesting hotel like the one we stayed at, a gorgeous old place, only 7 rooms built around a courtyard, huge cool rooms with unglazed louvred doors and shutters, ceiling fans and cold showers, for which we were very grateful after sweaty days exploring the old town, or lazing on a Rosario island beach...

And then back up to Medellin, drug city turned elegant tourist mecca. We arrived early evening and left by midday the next day, so caught barely a glimpse of the place, but what we saw was fascinating. Most astounding, the Botero museum with its outdoor park of the local boy’s glorious vast fat sculptures. And then the excitement of renting a car in Colombia – we went with reputable Avis, just in case, but still ended up with an expensive 4 wheel drive which didn’t quite make it up the first hill – and there were to be a helluva lot more to come. So back down the hill we rolled, and an hour later we were on the road again in a Ford Explorer. A good move, as it turned out, because that big solid car with reasonable acceleration was just what we needed on the 300km, 5 hour drive up and down countless winding mountain roads  to Maraquita. Stunning drive, through gorgeous country – but a lot of slow trucks which Gary overtook like a local. We got to Maraquita with just enough light left to find the way to our hotel, a simple but superb place perched on a hilltop overlooking plains and mountains, with a big open terrace on which we lingered over local style dinner and a few bottles of Chilean wine. A platform cantilevered over the hillside provided the perfect spot for early morning yoga before Gary’s friend Pablo flew in from Bogota and off we went visiting potential factory sites and avocado farms. First stop was a gorgeous piece of land, with a small but perfect house serendipitously featuring an avocado-shaped swimming pool, and the most wonderful bamboo and thatch barbecue area. Not sure how peaceful it would remain if a large avocado oil factory were to be constructed nearby, with trucks entering all day long...

Next day, another piece of land and then a private plane ride back to Bogota for Gary and Alex and the others, while Steve and I drove the rental beast back to Bogota. The main road was closed because of slips and mudslides, so we took a smaller road, which began slightly ominously with a police roadblock and a warning sign which my Spanish-speaking companion missed but which we began to suspect might have said something like “take this road at your own risk”! Anyway, at least there were very few trucks, as we climbed another vertiginous 2000m up a twisting mountain road, in excellent condition - for the first few kilometers. And then the devastation began. It’s unstable country at the best of times, but after months of rain, the steep hillsides were simply collapsing. And despite the valiant efforts of the repair crews, in many places the road was reduced to a rubble-strewn track over muddy streams and around giant boulders. Great fun to negotiate in our big beast, though there was the old road slippage tumbling away down a thousand meter drop which was slightly worrisome. And plenty of time to stop and take photos of both the slips and the magnificent views back down the valley to the Magdalena River. Despite detours, we made the 200km to Bogota in a respectable time of 4 hours, then took another hour of Nairobi-style driving to negotiate the few km to the rental car depot!

Dinner that night with the NZ ambassador to Chile, Peru and Colombia, a wonderful woman who was not only a great host, but who also set up some very positive meetings. So while Gary met next day with local politicians, Steve and I went sightseeing with Pablo’s wife Andrea, ending a long morning of gold museum (extraordinarily good) and Botero museum (more fat ladies - as well as a superb collection of 20th century art) with a very long lunch at one of Bogota’s many superb restaurants. Then yesterday another very long lunch, this time at Pablo and Andrea’s house in the country, a stunning place overlooking rolling hills reminiscent of NZ’s Northland, and filled with massive pieces of furniture recovered from demolished monasteries and theatres. The afternoon floated by, glasses and plates endlessly topped up by two attentive white-coated waiters, and too soon it was time to go back into town and get Steve off to his flight home.

Hiking with altitude

With only a few weeks to go before the Jungfrau Marathon, Hilary wanted to hike at altitude. So we met up on a chilly summer morning in Andermatt (1436m), fuelled up with coffees, and set off, following an easy trail up through the Unteralp valley towards the Vermigel Hütte, at 2047m. We'd done this part last year, but then we went left up a crazy mountain biking trail and over to Oberalppass - Hils was in training for the Jungfrau last year too!
This time though, after a quick stop for an apple juice  at the hut, we continued right, following the steep trail up towards the Sella Pass. With Hilary setting her usual cracking pace, we were above the tree line in no time at all, crossing patches of sticky snow still trapped, even at summer's end, in the high reaches of the schisty slopes. The trail, though difficult, was superb, marker rocks freshly painted with their red and white stripes and, at times, carefully laid rocks defining the trail across the schist. It's a bleak landscape up there though, made even bleaker by the damp clouds rolling in over the top of the pass. But we reached the top at last, clambering the last few metres to the Giübin lookout at 2776m. We couldn't see much through the cloud, but we were famished, so huddled under rocks to eat our meagre lunch of bread, cheese and ham.
And then it was all downhill, skirting the Sella lake, where cows were gathering for milking, and back down to Gotthardhöhe, the top of the Gotthard Pass, where James was waiting to return us to civilisation - and beers in the sun while waiting for the train home.

The BCT Continues - the Jura Route

Four weeks had gone by, and the bikes were untouched since the epic ride from Schaffhausen to Basel. And now here we were again, just Hilary and I this time, aboard the train to Basel to begin the last stage of our circuit of Switzerland by velo (as the Swiss call their bicycles). And to complete the symmetry, it was raining. Ah well...

The BCT Part 2 - Day 1, Basel to St-Ursanne

St-Ursanne's bridge

It was still a bit cool and damp when we arrived in Basel, so we began our journey with a coffee and schoggigipfel at the legendary Cafe Frey. An easy flat route took us on Route 7 out of Basel and through farmland to Flüh, where a very helpful man in a conveniently located bikeshop pumped up our tires for us. The came the first big hill, 384m over 6.5km, as the rather intimidating sign informed us (we were to find many more of these ominous signs on Route 7). However, the muscle memory Hilary had promised kicked in, and up we surged. And then right back down again, to the French border, a long and rather tedious stretch of road alongside the river. Finally we arrived in Lucelle, a tiny French enclave where a friendly hostellerie owner made huge sandwiches for us. Then uphill again and back across the non-existent border into Switzerland, grateful to return to rolling hills and pretty farming villages. And more hills, another 380m over 5km. It was too tough for us this time, our feet slipping on the pedals in the light rain, and we pushed the bikes up the last few metres. And then straight back down again, a fierce descent to the river and the last few kilometres into pretty St-Ursanne. We even had time for a bit of shopping before dinner of truite meuniere, a local specialty, and bed.
5 hours, 65.21 km, 2184cal.

The BCT Part 2 - Day 2,  St-Ursanne to La Chaux de Fonds

La Chaux de Fond's cathedral

This day started with another hill, and another warning, 520m over 9km - and I'm sure the first 500 came in the first 4 kilometres! But after that arduous beginning it was a beautiful ride over rolling hills around 1000-1100 metres altitude - and, at last, sunshine. A horse festival was about to take place in the area, and we passed a number of people on horseback, and market stalls closing roads in Saignelégier, where we stopped for lunch. Another 250m climb took us to Mont Soleil, and a proliferation of wind and sun farms, scattered auberges and many hikers. Then down we went again, to La Chaux de Fonds and our hotel. This otherwise not particularly significant Swiss town is famous for its lack of a cathedral - in its place was a quite gorgeous fountain. And nearby, a delightful Italian wine bar, where we ate one of the best meals of this part of the tour. The it was an early night in preparation for tomorrow's big day.
5 hours 20, 59.75km, 2100cal.

The BCT Part 2 - Day 3,  La Chaux de Fonds to L'Abbaye on Lac de Joux
The Saturday morning market in La Chaux de Fonds set us up with our picnic lunch (bread, cheese, tomatoes, cherries). A gentle cruise up out of town and along former marshlands, with a stop for a "Glace de la Ferme" in the sun outside a pretty farmhouse, past pungent farm fromageries and fragrant fresh-cut grass. A gradual descent took us to Buttes and from there it was all uphill, 600m of it up to the Col de l'Aiguillon and the amazing white cliffs of Baulmes, the woods densely populated at this time of year with wild raspberry gatherers and the cliffs with rock-climbing families. We couldn't risk losing momentum by stopping for the raspberries, but Hilary made a note to return to the rocks - out of season.

And then we descended again - the whole 600m and more! And up again, another 330m on a nasty gravel trail, and finally downhill all the way to the Lac de Joux and a thoroughly well deserved beer or three in the last of the evening sunshine at our hotel in L'Abbaye, overlooking the lake.
96.7km, 7 hours 30, 2617cal.

The BCT Part 2 - Day 4, L'Abbaye to Nyon
Waking to rain and thunder - that wasn't planned! But by the time we'd breakfasted, loaded up the bikes and cycled through drizzle to Le Pont at the end of the lake, the day was beginning to look more promising. So we stopped for a leisurely coffee and croissants at the very cool Tea Room in Le Pont, and by the time we set off again the sun was shining and the road beginning to steam. Jackets off, sunglasses on, and we set off on a lovely gentle ride around the lake. The Joux valley isn't large, but it's rich in horlogeries and fromageries, large and small, and their attendant museums.

Parc Jurassien

330m sur 5km

At the end of the lake we came across the last of those dreaded "Montée" signs (this one read "330m sur 5km" but at least 300m of that must have been in the first 2km). And at last we arrived, at the highest point of the route, and the beginning of a glorious ride through the Parc Jurassien, a Swiss wonderland of stone walls, forests, wandering cows, small cottages and a gently meandering bike trail. Even the occasional bunker, poignant reminders of Switzerland's wartime paranoia, somehow added to the sense of serenity in the place.

Finally it ended, with a wonderful freewheeling ride down to sunny Nyon, where we toasted our journey with a local rosé and a large lakeside lunch, and packed our bikes onto the train for the journey home.
56.5km, 3 hours 50, 1019cal.

A Guatemala Experience

It wasn't the best of seasons to be in Guatemala - those famous blue skies and smoking volcanoes weren't often visible through the low clouds - but it was beautiful nevertheless. We'd arrived in search of another possible production area for avocado oil, and were travelling with Olivado's Canadian agent, Kim Hannam (no relation). Kim was barely able to contain his excitement as we landed at Guatemala airport, because this was the day he was finally to see the house he's sponsoring for a foundation supporting the children of mothers in jail, and various other abandoned children.

We were collected by Maurizio, Kim's friend, business partner and the man who introduced him to the foundation, a wonderfully entertaining and compassionate man. He took us first to a great Spanish lunch in Guatemala City, and then finally to the house, where we met Vanessa, the amazing woman who founded and runs the foundation, her husband Vladi, and all 32 of their "children".  It was an extraordinary experience. The foundation has been running for about ten years, and some of the girls have been there the entire time. A beautiful 20-year-old, who arrived as an abused 10-year-old and is now one of the house organisers, told us proudly that she's studying physiotherapy. Several of the children, mostly girls, arrived as very small babies and have known no life outside of this wonderfully caring community - the two toddlers we saw were thriving on the loving care of their 30 siblings. And all of them were incredibly happy and proud of their new home, a large house in a prosperous and secure part of Guatemala City.We were taken on a tour of the house, into the large bedrooms with rows of bunk beds immaculately made, spotless bathrooms and kitchen, and several large living rooms.
It was Vanessa's birthday, so we were all served cake, and then the children put on a series of little skits and songs in honour of their "mama". Finally, several inspirational hours later, the children farewelled each of us with hugs and kisses, gave Kim a pile of thank you cards they'd made for him, and we drove to our hotel in Antigua, marvelling at the small miracle of caring and compassion that we'd just witnessed. Kim calls his place an orphanage, but we insisted it was far more than that - an extraordinarily large and loving family.

The BCT Day 9 - Schaffhausen to Basel

This 9th day wasn't scheduled! But we'd enjoyed our ride so much, the weather was perfect and our fitness vastly improved - so it seemed a shame not to complete the Rhine Route. Gary and James joined us for this final leg (they didn't volunteer to carry our panniers, we noted) and we set off early in a fruitless attempt to avoid the heat. A few more hills than we anticipated, but the first 45km (the goal we'd set before stopping for a coffee break) were lovely, rolling fields and vineyards. And even, finally, fresh cherries from a farm!
Lunch was sandwiches and cherries by the river, watching people and boats float by, drawn by the Rhine's fierce rush to the sea. We jumped in cautiously, staying close to the bank. Even there the current was unnerving, and after a few vain attempts to fight it we got back on our bikes for the final haul to Basel.
At pretty Rheinfelden we stopped for ice creams while Gary cycled across the bridge into Germany, and then we all stood watching the young people of both riverside nations jumping from the bridge into the river, where the current took them several hundred meters downstream to the shore. Fun!
And so to Basel, and the train home in a summer thunderstorm. It was a big day, but we were happy!
121km, 2195 calories, 7 hours

The BCT Day 8 - Romanshorn to Schaffhausen

Another virtually flat ride along the well-kept and well-signposted bike trails of the Rhine/Bodensee Route.  At Steckborn I found the hotel we'd stayed in on our Bodensee visit two years ago - the Feldbach See and Park Hotel was a welcome sight back then, after a long day on the bikes, and we were no less happy to see it this time, with temperatures in the high 30s and lunch beckoning. Lunch was wonderful, including a glass of the superb local Müller Thurgau, looking across the Untersee, where the Bodensee narrows towards the river mouth, to Germany. A post-lunch swim set us going again, meandering through vineyards, orchards, market gardens and lakeside villages.

Picture perfect Stein am Rhein

Gorgeous Stein am Rhein was swarming with tourists - we joined them for a well-earned gelato. Then we stayed on the north bank of the river as far as Schaffhausen, cycling through Germany, past hundreds of people playing in their swiftly flowing river - more beaches on the German side than on the Swiss, we noticed.
And finally to our hotel in Schaffhausen, welcome beers in the garden and a delicious riverside dinner.
68km, 1100 calories, 4 hrs 30

The BCT Day 7 - Altstätten to Romanshorn

An easy day, flat and hot, as we followed the Rhine towards St Margrethen and across the border into Austria. We rode right up into the Rhine delta, a lush, protected land. Coffee in Rheineck and then back into Switzerland and the beginning of the Bodensee. A lakeside picnic lunch of smoked trout and cucumber, a welcome swim and a bit of sunbathing on the shores of the Bodensee, and then we followed the meandering lakeside trail to Romanshorn and Hotel Inseli, slightly dated but beautifully positioned. Kathy and Rodger brought champagne! and much much later, following a bottle or two of the local wine and a few games of birimba, we staggered off to bed.

55.6km, 741 calories, 3 hrs 30

The BCT Day 6 - Reichenau to Altstätten

An early start for our longest day to date. It began with a sharp little incline from Reichenau (and we delightedly surged past a group of young men on mountain bikes - fitness improving!) Another unpaved trail took us along the river banks to Chur, more meandering across river flats and finally a gentle incline up into the hidden dellights of the Graubündner vineyard villages. Far above the motorists passing by on the motorway below, oblivious to the beauty above them, we cycled along farm trails lined by vineyards and through quiet, charming villages. We stopped to fill our water bottles and marvel at pretty Malans, and for coffee and refreshing Holundersirup drinks in Senins.
A glorious freeewheel ride took us down towards Bad Ragaz, and then began the long ride along the stop bank towards Buchs and lunch. It could have been a pleasant enough ride, if somewhat tedious (17km of flat asphalt riverside) but the fierce, hot headwind made it very tough. At last we arrived in Buchs, hot, hungry and thirsty. A fortuitous bank stop took us to one of the best meals of our trip, in the historic and beautifully renovated Restaurant Traube.

Thirst quenchers

Refreshed, revived, and with a bit of retail therapy to boot (a shop selling swimwear - new bikinis for Hils and me, and ceramics - a set of teacups for Silvana) we set off again. Past Werden (the smallest town in Switzerland - a row of pretty houses overlooking a tiny lake), alongside a canal with children swinging from ropes and jumping off banks, and through farmland at last to Altstätten. A pretty old town, it's afflicted with a lot of passing traffic - particularly past our hotel above one of the old town gates. An excellent Indian meal in the hotel restaurant and an early night - with earplugs!
86km, 1655 calories, 7 hours

The BCT Day Five - Andermatt (Disentis) to Reichenau

Halfway through our journey, and on to Route 2, the Rhine Route. Now we were just the three "big birthday" celebrators, Mary having returned home from Andermatt the night before. We took the train from Andermatt to Disentis, to avoid the busy road descent. From Disentis, where we spotted a family on a 5-tandem cycle (not for the faint-hearted - or the contentious), we followed the steep descent to the river, and then another bumpy mountain bike trail towards Ilanz. Steep and rocky in parts, it was a stunning trail nevertheless. The Rhine, a much prettier river than its southern counterpart, a glacial green tumbling over boulders  and through magnificent gorges. From Ilanz it was a gradual uphill grind towards Versam, and finally we were high above the Rhine, at the lookout point (910m) down over the gorge. Another thrilling descent took us back down to the river, and a picnic lunch at another picturesque Graubündner village.

The first birimba lesson

Sooner than we expected, we arrived at Reichenau, our destination the delightful Schlosshotel at the confluence of  two rivers, both sources of the Rhine, a turbulent exchange of waters.
53km, 1190 calories, 4 hours 20.