Day three was the day things got real. A wrong turn — or rather, a routing decision that seemed logical on the map but wasn't — added roughly 120 extra kilometres to the day. By the time I figured it out, there was nothing to do but keep pedalling.
But the detour delivered something unexpected: a completely different slice of Switzerland. Quieter roads, smaller villages, longer climbs. And then the Alps appeared — not gradually, but suddenly, like a wall of rock and snow rising at the end of every valley. You can look at images of the Alps a thousand times and still not be prepared for the feeling of standing at their foot on a bicycle with everything you own, knowing you have to go over them.
That moment, looking up at the snow-capped ridgeline against a perfect blue sky, loaded bike beside me, exhausted but completely alive — that's the image I carry from this day. The mountains don't care about your plans. You adjust. You climb.
- Date June 24, 2025
- Detour ~120 km extra
- Terrain Alpine climbs begin
- Overnight Camping Splügen
