Cannobio day ride - Fibonacci Scribble - CycleBlaze

May 31, 2022

Cannobio day ride

The plan for today had been to ride the triangular loop around Monte Limidario that Scott and Rachael Anderson did in 2018.   however, when our hosts asked last evening about our plans for our day in Cannobio and we told them, they said the road might be closed. We checked on the map and yes, that’s the road closed by a landslide last week. They didn’t know as they didn’t travel that way, but maybe we could get through on bikes?  [I’ll interject here to say that our hosts live in Cannobio but work in Switzerland, as they say about 80% of working people in Cannobio. Outside of tourist services, there’s not much local employment.]

So this morning we decided to ride up the Cannobino valley and see how far we could get. If we had to turn around, our ride would be on what appeared to be the quietest leg of the triangle, avoiding the busy lakeside highway. 

It was a nice climb, with a few gentle descents as well, which we hadn’t expected. And the road varied from very narrow to two wide lanes and back again. The surface was all paved but the surface quality varied greatly, from farm-track rough to off-gassing brand new. 

At the top was a stone naming it Passo Marco Pantani, placed there by the Magico Pantani Fan Club of Cannobio. There was also a book to sign. As Al was writing in the book, a German couple on ebikes arrived. I asked them if they knew anything about the road closure and they said we could get through on bikes at 12:30. If was then 11:20 so the timing should work. 

After a short discussion about cycle touring in Germany, we set off on a fun descent. We soon arrived at Maresco, where we bought some sandwiches and drinks to take along because we had no idea where the closure might be or whether we could actually get through. While we were doing this, the German couple passed us with a wave.

The route was mostly gently down. We came to Re but didn’t dare stop to look inside the church for fear of missing the window to get through. 

We came to the “road closed” barrier but it was clear people had gone around; in fact, some of the barrier was moved to enable this. We continued down.  We saw a teenager on a bike coming out way, doing something on his phone as he rode. When we asked, he indicated that yes, we could get through on bikes. 

We started seeing cars parked on either side of the road, and then, around a corner, the real barrier, a fence across the road. Parked cars lining both sides of the road but nobody in sight. 

It was 12:15 and so we broke out the sandwiches, wondering if anything would happen at 12:30. What happened was a young man on a motorcycle with a large backpack arrived, Aldo wondering if he could get through. While we were chatting with him, a new person arrived and he had a light (unlit) on the roof of his car.  He would know, I thought. 

And so he did. The road was closed but the other fence was only 70 metres away. There was a footpath around but it wasn’t safe. Since the workers were all at lunch, he would open the fence and walk us through but not see a thing. Perfect. Al stuffed in the  last of his sandwich, grabbed his chinotto, and off we went. It looked to me that the road would be reopened very soon. 

Back on our bikes, we continued down, into Switzerland, and down more to the lake. Our RWGPS route had us going through a tunnel so we deviated from it to cruise the waterfront through Ascona.  It led us to a separated bike path beside the highway and, too soon, dumped us on the highway once again. A fast cruise with traffic back to our B&B for hot showers and cold beer from Carrefour. 

Old bridge to San Donnino as seen from the new bridge. The Cannobino River is in a deep canyon at this point.
Heart 4 Comment 1
The old Ponte Spoccia wasn’t in very good condition.
Heart 3 Comment 1
Keith AdamsUnless of course you're scouting for a rickety, run-down bridge to shoot chase scenes in an action movie. Then it's perfect!
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1 year ago
A scenic bit of road
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The start of the Strads Vecchia around the tunnel (bikes not allowed through the tunnel).
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Strada Vecchia
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Strada Vecchia
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Strada Vecchia
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Strada Vecchia
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War memorial. There was one on the Strada Vecchia too. There must have been some intense fighting here during WW2. The memorials were dedicated to partisans.
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Bike portrait, Passo Marco Pantani
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The stone wasn’t easy to read.
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Fountain in Malesco, sadly not on.
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Santuario della Madonna del Sanger, Re.
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Looking back at the closed section of road.
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Entering Switzerland. Was it my imagination or were things suddenly neater and tidier?
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Road and rail close together
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Swiss road engineering
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Road and rail, crossing over.
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The stone bridge down below. As Scott Anderson said, it’s called the “Roman Bridge” but dates from 1588. Perhaps Roman refers to the shape of the arch?
Heart 7 Comment 0
Post-Ride Recovery Beverage. Italian Pale Ale and we shared this big bottle.
Heart 3 Comment 2
David MathersAfter that adventure you deserved one bottle each. What a day!
Cheers 🍻
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1 year ago
Jacquie GaudetTo David MathersIt was a 750 ml bottle. I’d be on the floor!
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1 year ago
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Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 1,369 km (850 miles)

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Comment on this entry Comment 2
Rachael AndersonGlad you made it through!
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonWhat a great day and adventure! Congratulations on taking a risk on getting through. To me this looks like the best day of your tour so far.
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1 year ago