Gotthard Pass to Claro.

Wow, what a ride. Among our best ever.
Today's ride included almost every cycling condition I can think of, with the exception of rain - climbing & descending, bitumen, 12km of cobblestones -3 up & 9 down, gravel and one-track, busy traffic, no traffic, headwinds, crosswinds and even briefly a tailwind.
It was the highest altitude we've ever ridden at and the biggest descent we've ever done. We dropped about 1850mts in height today. And the road has to be seen to be believed. Most of the descent was on cobblestones. Thank heavens we were on touring bikes and not road bikes like some. Everyone was taking it slow and careful, even the smattering of motor bikes making the descent.
After we reached Airolo, the descent was a gentle downhill, alongside the most picturesque mountain steam, for the rest of the day.Read more