9/11/24
When we woke it was the expected blue skies but also the fear inducing icy copper roof we looked out on from our room. We’ve seen quite a lot of copper drainpipes and flashings but now also entire roofs. As we hadn’t made it to Disentis yesterday we now had the additional challenge of not only making it to Disentis but also taking the Lukmanier pass.
We carefully wheeled our bikes down the hill towards the track we’d left yesterday. There were a few icy patches on the way down. Luckily the gravel was our friend. Sure it was slower but it’s far from slick and much harder for it to be a hazard. We stopped to check new materials regularly. Wooden bridges were suspect number one. Though we were on a well travelled route, summer and winter are far from the same thing.
We moved between warm and cold frequently. Certain stretches were curiously warm with a notable absence of frost. Others were deeply frozen and we skirted the tarmac through a hydroelectric plant on the edge. At one point we stopped and though our feet slid, we hadn’t noticed the tyres having any trouble. Safer to be on the bike with its static levels of force on the ground.
We were Sun chasing as we rose into Trun, another short climb causing us consternation but we turned left halfway up and were in blistering sunshine. We stopped to warm up, and munched our flapjack. We wouldn’t have lunch today we decided. Just regular flapjack and dried fruit. Anything heavier weighs you down. We couldn’t afford it.
Frosty undulating tracks led us to the base of Disentis and the first of our major climbs. It was a bit of a beast, two separate 9% mile climbs, separated by some downhill. It was tough to say the least and fairly demoralising. We held back as we had the alpine pass yet to come. The last switchback was too much and we walked the final section.
Disentis was high up on the north bank and bathed in sun. Here we would leave the EV15 for the final time. It was with a modicum of sadness that we would fail to complete the entire route but it didn’t serve us to do two passes. We went to a coffee shop for some final courage. A strong coffee with plenty of sugar and we were off.
The Lukmanier pass was well signposted and had encouraging green signs that it was open. It was a good idea to start in the afternoon. A much lower chance of ice and if we stayed the night here, we’d have to set off early. We were full of nervous excitement, it was a culmination of all our plans to get through the alps before the winter truly hit.
The road swooped down, at least 50m of descent right off the bat. This was not ideal! Suddenly the road went steeply up, we knew from what we’d read the start was the hardest. It was almost immediately 9% and we were in our lowest available gears. We went through two short tunnels and then entered a third. The green signs said 100m to the exit but we soon found they meant the next emergency exit.
The carved rock tunnel continued seemingly endlessly. We could hear cars the moment they entered the tunnel, sound echoing loudly around us. At one point we heard a train, it must be above us, we thought, in a different tunnel. It became deafeningly loud and suddenly an HGV came barrelling towards us. It wasn’t even going that fast. It was still trauma inducing as we were only just warming up our engines.
After the tunnel we had a switchback to surmount. Grateful for the coffee every second, we made it up to Medel. It was the first village and contained some gratefully received flat road. We stopped for some more homemade flapjack and dates and looked back. The views were outstanding.
There was still plenty uphill to go. Though it was potentially more consistent it would still take us the rest of the day, though we didn’t quite know that properly yet. Time moved very slowly. We were in a climbing trance really. Just turning over the pedals, often staring at the top of the road just to see what it did yet and how the gradient compared.
After passing the Cristallina valley we eventually saw the dam that held back the immense amounts of water that should be in the valley. While it was briefly uplifting, it soon struggled to get any closer. We could even make out a switchback way in the distance and the tiny toy cars going round the corners.
It certainly gave us something to focus on. Soon we were the height of the dam but still not done. We had to climb even higher. At around 2000m there is about 3/4 of the oxygen than at sea level. Focusing on your breathing is paramount. As we neared the top of the pass there was a tunnel entrance. It looked to be a short one. The road continued uphill into the tunnel. And kept going. And going. And going. It was insane how long the tunnel went on for. And uphill. There was no indication of length at the opening. Checking later it’s about 2km long. We thought we’d be cycling next to the reservoir.
Once we reached the top, we were still in the tunnel unfortunately, we began to whizz into the cold air. We should have stopped for our wind jackets immediately. Once we were out of the tunnel by the sticker covered blue sign that marked the top of the pass we were quick to put on our jackets and what we call “sheathes”, our wind/waterproof mitts. After double checking our panniers were secured we descended fast into what was an incredibly cold wind.
We’d promised ourselves a hotel if we made it but it didn’t feel optional. The Sun was gone. Our hands and feet started to tingle with cold. The hotel was 5km and 500m down. We stopped briefly to gain consciousness. After going uphill for so long the speed was difficult to stomach. The icy ground was back around us. Going slowly wasn’t possible. We soon saw the sign for the Campra Hotel. We triumphantly walked in and requested a room. We went for the same tactic again and negotiated it down from 165 to 150 Francs. It was obvious they were kind people from the outset.
This hotel even had a spa. It’s usually for skiing, the centre is next door. So it was pre season and they were still very quiet. They had a bike room. Once in our room we couldn’t believe it. What a day. It felt like a real achievement to have made it. We were soon sitting in the hot tub, now we were sweating instead. Our excitement and nerves from earlier replaced with elation and disbelief.
For dinner we negotiated a bargain bowl of pasta with some bread. 5 Francs each. We later asked for some jam and not only did we get both quince (yes they actually have pots of it, we have never seen it for sale at home sadly) and plum, the woman gave us a huge bowl of fruit as it inevitably came up that we were vegan. Kiwis, grapes and pears. On the house. Lovely people.
As we lay in our warm, luxurious bed we thought about the downhill tomorrow and how cold it would be. We revisited the pass in our minds. We thought about being in Italy at last. We listened to what sounded like a strong wind blowing. But nothing could take our success away tonight.
Surly They Won't Make It 