Alpibike2005 - from Dongo to Valtournanche

  I leave Como Lake, the peace of the Velamareclub, hosting me, and my kind CAI friends, above all Mr. Mario Calzoni.

The traffic and the noise of Menaggio disturb the harmony of the coast. I’m very pleased to cycle away  and clamber up the mountains encircling at the top the Lake on the west side.

I see small, almost unknown, villages, during the long a steep slope which takes me from the 200 metres of the Lake coast to the 1550 ones of the Pass of St. Lucio, on the Italian-Swiss border.

My cell phone rings: the CAS Ticino is calling me to  find out where I am. In fact, they are waiting for me at the Monte Bar Hut. There, afterwards, Mr. Giovanni Galli and other Swiss Club Alpine members welcome me in a such enthusiastic way, as I were the winner of the ‘Giro d’Italia’! The evening goes by in a flash: drinking toasts to me, receiving t-shirts as a present and having a good time. And the night passes very fast, too: I sleep alone in a luxury 12-bunk ‘suite’, in fact the hut is empty! The view from this hut over the Lugano Lake is great, but the mist of the morning of 11^th  August is confusing the gentle lines of the landscape; I’m coming down towards Locarno, in company of Swiss Army cannon shots: when I arrive into that beautiful Swiss town, I decide to avoid the dangerous asphalt road of Centovalli (paths of this area are absolutely not suitable for mountain bike) and to catch historical railway called Vigezzina. But there is a problem: I don’t have my bike bag, remained in Trieste, and the train doesn’t have the bike carriage! Italian people have always bright solution when troubles are great, but Ticino cousins are very similar and suggest to me to disassemble my steel horse and transform it into a package: thereupon! My scotch-tape does wonders and so my bike became a parcel, I can arrive to S.Maria Maggiore without risking my life along the road. In this Italian village I find houses with stone roofs, called beole, and also very expensive hotels ! While I’m descending towards Domodossola, I’m able to follow cycle paths and lanes: I also scout a little path along a gutter tunnel, it would be a wonderful descent, but soon vegetation and slope make the route become very difficult and I’m obliged to drop my exploration. After a short visit to Sacro Calvario, I begin the slow, long ascent of Val Anzasca and cycle for two days along old lanes as far as Macugnaga. The great East wall of Monte Rosa is half-covered by clouds, but its view is always a great emotion. The Major of this village, Teresio Valsesia, past President of Italian Alpine Club, welcome me very kindly and so I became his guest, I attend a conference with him and report my adventure. The following day there is the start of poker of the highest passes, the first is that of Turlo, 2750 mt., between Macugnaga and Alagna, reached under a bothersome misty rain, walking along the lane perfectly built by Italian alpine troops of Intra Battalion in 1930. I descent so in Valsesia.

  Next day is mid-August, it’s holiday and also I have a rest at Pastore Hut, full of people just as on the beach, because of sunny and warm weather, so I escape them to explore the little suburbs near Alagna, all composed by Walser buildings, a German mother tongue population arrived from Vallese through Monte Moro Pass. 16th of August: I leave again under a wonderful sun towards Col Olen (2970 meters): it one of the highest altitude of the travel, large iced walls of Monte Rosa overtop the route and not hardly less so the hard descent to Gabiet Hut. There are yet three passes to overcome: the Colle della Bettaforca (2730 mt.), through which I enter into Ayas Valley, and at last the Colle della Nannaz (2770 mt.), again under a cloudy sky, from which I descend to Valtournanche during my birthday: while I cycle towards Tournalin Hut, I meet another biker, almost 70-year old, who pay me polenta and cheese to celebrate ! These four days have been wonderful, with daily height difference up to 1800 meters, Monte Rosa have been the backdrop of my hard route: on Olen and Bettaforca it have been possible to send my luggage by cableway, without it I seem to fly ... ! An important matter: except Turlo, other three passes are almost fully cycling and this makes the itinerary to be very great. It’s very pleasant the passage through Cheneil, one of few village of Alps without roads: a stay here is worth the small ascent from the valley! A screening of my slides at Congress Centre of Valtournanche (also here I’m guest of municipality, thanks to alderman Zanetti) ends the fourth part of travel, with ovation and congratulations of all the audience: I don’t seem to have done an Himalayan enterprise!

See you next episode of travel book from Ceresole Reale, when I will get out from Aosta valley .

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Clubs and associations may contact the author for slides conference in English language about Alpibike2005 writing an e-mail to contatti.alpibike@bike8000.it   .