A tough day with climbing at the start of the day ... much better than the end of the day I guess. Once this day has been conquered, the rest of the ride to the sea is generally flat or declining. There will be hills but nothing like my last 9 km yesterday to reach my campingplatz at Carrera, just beyond Ilanz, or the climbs today.
I tried to make an early start however I seemed to be the only person awake at the campsite so etiquette dictated that I should wait for a more reasonable hour. I quietly roll up my sleeping bag and mattress, then waited and waited ... then some more. Mountain air must be good for your sleep! I finally headed away at 8.30am.
Within the first 60 minutes of starting my ride I had 3 groups of Swiss motorcycle police pass me - a total of 15 officers, then one group of 6 military police motorcyclists. None saw through my disguise with all blissfully riding by ... red faces in the barracks tonight.
The roads were so easy to ride on and so well maintained. I didn't spot one pothole! Maybe a job offer in my home state of Queensland for their chief roads engineer.
My first stop was at the peak of the mountain I'd been climbing just 3.7 km from where I started. The scenes were worth the pain. A coffee overlooking the valley I was about to ride down into was a good start to the day. The road here was a bit more patchy but with very little traffic I just coasted and enjoyed the hairpin turns ... hoping my disc brakes did their job. I come suddenly upon the Versamer Tobelbrücke where a bridge built in the late 1800s still stands. There is a modern bridge next to it, where I was standing, so it was easy to get some photos.
From there, another short climb to some spectacular views overlooking the Rhine. The road here edged along a cutout into the mountainside. It was quite precarious coming around the corners with warning signs warning of rock falls, seemingly every few metres, and cars coming around tight corners. Once again the Swiss proved to me that they are among the most courteous drivers in the world ... from the bottom of my bike-riding heart, thank you.
I passed through three tunnels carved into the mountain, the longest being 170 metres and was curved. My dark grey bike and black panniers could have become my undoing however I had the road to myself for 171 metres.
Suddenly there becomes a long straight downhill run towards Bonaduz then on to Reichenau, where the two Rhine tributaries Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein meet to become what we all know as the Rhine.
A highlight for today was meeting other tour biking travellers. There were many on the route although most were packed for 2-3 day excursions. Whenever I saw a fully laden bike heading towards me I'd stop and hope they picked up the hint. All stopped and we swapped trip details. A French guy was riding east with no specific plan in mind (or he did have one but wasn't going to tell a weird guy who pulled him over for a chat!). A young French family from Strasbourg cycling to the Swiss-Italian border ... the two children, both aged under 12, riding their own bikes!
I eventually rode into Chur on the best bike path I'd travelled on yet, mostly flat or downhill. Chur was a busy city however I never felt unsafe among the cars, trucks and buses - all seemed to want to give cyclists the right of way ... however I never really tested that theory.
It was 12.30pm when I arrived in Chur where I was planning to stay the night at the local campingplatz however it was early and my body felt good so I stopped for lunch and would decide what to do after that. I spotted a restaurant with some empty tables and room for my Merida bike who has become my constant companion. The waitress, clearly not understanding the truly symbiotic relationship between a tour cyclist and their bike, strongly advised that the bike must remain out on the pathway. Bike and man smiled, turned and left ... the man had a tear in his eye as the menu looked good. Onwards we would ride.
After flying halfway around the world only a few days before, then two days of cycling the toughest parts of the whole Rhine river route (although brilliant) I decided on a hotel for the night and Bad Ragaz was now my destination some 21 km further on route. This would mean that I would detour and miss traversing Heidiland where the famous story of young Heidi originated. My loss I guess.
Passing through Bad Ragaz wasn't on-route however it was only 3-4 km out of my way. Best detour ever! Apparently a very famous health resort and spa town. And here I was a dirty, smelly cyclist ... everyone stared at me. It was certainly cosmopolitan and the town had money ... it dripped. The ride to my overnight accommodation took me past perhaps the most beautiful golf course I'd ever seen.
After checking in and doing a few household chores I walked and explored the town some more. For dinner I had the largest prosciutto pizza I've ever seen, plus learned about the benefits of a famous Swiss health drink ... Rivella. I'll see if it helps power me tomorrow ... day 3.
I'm doing this ride to raise funds for Blue Dragon Children's
Foundation. I'm self-supported so all donations go directly to Blue
Dragon. If you can give please do at ...
https://au-bluedragon.givecloud.co/fundraisers/pedalling-for-a-purpose.
Alternatively, go to Blue Dragon's website at bluedragon.org
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