September 7, 2023
The Scenic Route: Ulrichen to Andermatt
This morning I had to make some Decisions. My goal was Andermatt: just 42km and one pass away if you go in a straight line. (Or even less, if you take the Efficient Swiss Train through the mountain.) But I'd been toying with an alternative option: rather than going straight to Andermatt, I could take the scenic route -- over the Nufenen Pass, down to Airolo, then up the Gotthard Pass. The advantage of this: I could visit a new pass (and the highest one [wholly] in Switzerland), and I could re-visit one of my very favourite rides in the world: the south side of the Gotthard Pass. The disadvantage: it was a whole lot of uphill. And once I started down the south side of the Nufenen Pass I'd be pretty much committed to making it up the next climb: the train from Airolo isn't taking bikes at the moment, because it's full of the passengers who've been diverted from the express line through the Gotthard Base Tunnel (closed because of a derailment earlier in the summer).
Still: I thought that if I got to the top of the first climb and my legs had turned to jelly, I could always turn round at that point and take the train from Ulrichen. And it was a lovely day, too, and I was feeling quite restored after my soothing night at the (excellent) Hotel Nufenen, with energy levels further topped up by a very good breakfast (including a complex system of variably-boiled eggs, with instructions offered by the waitress in a choice of Swiss-German, High German, French, Dutch, or English: impressive!).
So, the Scenic Route it was. Or at least: an attempt on the Scenic Route. I retrieved my bike from the barn, and was waved off with lots of encouragement from the Kind Hotel Lady. It was much cooler this morning, the wind had dropped, and the road was almost deserted: a perfect day for a bike ride.
The climb started right at the edge of the village: a couple of hairpins just to get the legs going again, and then a steady pull up the valley.
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There was even a tiny bit of downhill on this stretch: very nice, though you know that you'll pay for it later. And yes indeed: here come the hairpins again...
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This climb gets a bit of a sniffy write-up in some of the cycling guides: people complain that the power lines (from the hydro-electric scheme at the top) spoil the aesthetics. But I thought it was really great: quiet, and beautiful, and (most important) with a warm and welcoming cafe at the top.
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It was about half eleven when I got to the top, but I wasn't sure what there'd be by way of eating opportunities between here and the top of the Gotthard Pass, so I stopped for an early lunch (also, to be honest, I needed a Sit Down...). Then it was time to bundle up and hit the descent -- which was an absolute delight: not too steep, not busy, nice scenery, no cheeky uphill bits. 11/10.
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I didn't have to go all the way into Airolo: the route cut across the valley just above the town, and all too soon I was heading uphill again: time for the Gotthard Pass.
This is the third time I've tried this climb, so I knew what was in store. Or sort of, anyway: somehow my brain is much better at storing the fun parts (the views, the cobbles, the almost complete absence of motorised vehicles) than the other bits (the climbing!). But it really is a super route, especially once the last of the cars turn off onto the newer road.
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It was pretty hot by now, but another advantage of this climb is that there's good supply of mountain streams alongside: not safe for drinking, I think, given how much activity there is up the hill, but perfect for dunking your head into on a sunny day like this.
Even with regular stops for photos and head-baths and general fooling about, the top eventually crept into view. Another thing I always allow myself to forget about this climb is that the last km or so is really agonising: the hairpins end but the gradient doesn't ease up. But it's still worth it.
The pass is quite a busy place, with museums and bratwurst stands and all sorts of other stuff. But I stuck with my past practice of heading into the Hospice for a drink and an ice-cream, served on their sunny terrace by an exceptionally cheerful waiter. I'm not saying I wouldn't like this climb so much if you couldn't eat ice-creams at the top -- but it's definitely up there in the list of its Positive Characteristics.
All that remained was to get down to Andermatt. On the north side, there's a short stretch on the cobbles (bumpy work, going down!), and then it's back onto the main road, which is lovely for descending: even a wimp like me could pretty much keep up with the cars here. Just before Hospenthal I overtook a couple of hi-viz clad road workers, heading back into town on their e-bikes. Then they of course overtook me when the road flattened out on the run in to Andermatt, something they (and I) found very entertaining.
Andermatt is one of my very favourite places in Switzerland (/Europe/the World), and it was a joy to be back: I was staying in a hotel I'd stayed in before, and found it pretty much unchanged (except that they've cleared out one of their store-rooms, so bikes no longer have to be squeezed under the stairs: an improvement!). Andermatt too seemed much as it was, except that my go-to rösti spot had closed down, so I had to experiment with a new place (the 'Skiclub' at the end of the main street: not, I think, quite as good as the old place, but still perfectly acceptable). Then there was time for a stroll up to the small chapel just above the village, to watch the sun set over the mountains, to a sound-track of gently bongling cow-bells. It's hard to think of much that could beat this.
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 510 km (317 miles)
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