The Swiss climb with an Italian flavour
Words Matthew Loveridge Photography Patrik Lundin
Classic Climbs
The concept of ‘nostalgia’ is attributed to 17th century Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer, who combined the Greek words for ‘homecoming’ and ‘pain’ or ‘ache’. Less familiar is the related notion of mal du suisse – the Swiss illness – a diagnosis given to Helvetian mercenaries laid low physically by a deep longing for their mountainous homeland.
The idea of homesickness as a medical affliction has fallen out of favour but, when confronted by the landscape of the Swiss Alps, it’s not hard to imagine how it might shape an identity or form an integral part of the national psyche. The mountains are awesome in the truest sense of the word – they inspire awe – because they exist on such a mind-altering scale. To cyclists, they hold their own special magnetism. Nowhere does a ride feel more mythic in its sheer scope. It’s not about how hard the riding is, it’s the special otherworldly quality of the surroundings and the privilege of taking on nature’s most extravagant display of grandeur.
Pass notes
Switzerland offers countless extraordinary road riding experiences and the San Bernardino pass is up there with the best of them. Situated in the southeast of the country close to the Italian border, the pass runs roughly north-south, joining the cantons of Graubünden and Ticino and bridging the German-Italian language divide at the same time. There are almost too many ways to approach this climb but we’re focussing on the ascent from the south, beginning in the town of Lostallo. It’s a giant of a climb including almost 1,700m of vertical ascent over 30km.
This is the harder side of the pass and arguably the more interesting, although neither approach is going to disappoint. You could of course ride over the entire San Bernardino and back again if you’re truly dedicated.
Starting from Lostallo, there are immediately choices to make. You can plug away on the main road, but since you’re here for the experience, the lanes to the east of the large highway are the better option unless you’re itching to get to the proper climbing as quickly as possible. They offer welcome respite from the traffic, a little up-and-down rollercoaster through pretty farmland, with occasional goats, stone barns and picturesque bridges across the river Moesa, which flows the length of the valley.
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