GravelXswiss - day 10

Day 10 (gravelxswiss.ch)

Challenge completed. Challenge conquered.

It took 10 days to get there.

Here’s the story of that final day.

After quickly wolfing down breakfast, I head straight to the bike shop and wait outside for it to open.

The first person I see arriving is a very young mechanic. As soon as I explain my problem, it’s obvious he doesn’t have much experience. On the other hand, he’s eager to help and genuinely wants to find a solution.

First issue: he doesn’t do tubeless setups.

No problem. I ask if he has any inner tubes. We take a look, and he’s not sure he has the right size. I eventually pull out my own spare tube, and he tells me it won’t work.

Great start.

I assure him it’ll be fine.

He starts removing the wheel. I show him how to position the SRAM derailleur properly and install my brake pad spacer myself.

Then I see him working on the tire, with the tire plug still sticking out. I signal that it needs to be removed.

He replies, “No, no, not necessary.”

We’re communicating through a mixture of Italian and English at this point.

I insist that it has to come out, and when I see him approaching with a razor blade, I quickly pull it out myself.

I explain that I’d like to reinforce the area where the plug had been to prevent it from damaging the inner tube.

We try a few ideas without success before he finally glues a patch to the inside of the tire. It actually looks pretty good.

The strange thing is that he’s shaking like a leaf.

I genuinely get the impression he’s doing this for the first time.

I let him install the inner tube, but then he can’t get the tire back onto the rim. He’s forcing it like a madman, and I’m convinced he’s about to pinch my one and only spare tube.

He even manages to snap a tire lever that looked pretty solid.

At that point, I take everything out of his hands and show him that you need to push the tire bead into the center channel of the rim; otherwise, you’ll never get it back on.

Sure enough, it works in two seconds.

(Thanks, Jon, for teaching me that mountain biker trick a few years ago.)

We put the wheel back on the bike, and I watch him tighten the thru-axle like he’s trying to hold together a suspension bridge.

That detail will become important later.

I point at the brake rotor so we can realign the pads, and once again I see him cranking on the bolts with all his strength—even the same bolts I had adjusted myself only two days earlier.

By 10:30 a.m., everything is ready and I set off again.

Or rather, back onto the route.

The descent from San Bernardino through the forest is beautiful. Soon after, I join a bike path far away from the main road, and it’s pure bliss. Mountains surround me on every side.

Once I reach the valley floor, I push hard to make up as much time as possible.

The heat has arrived, and every water source suddenly becomes precious.

The bike is performing well, apart from the brakes, which are rubbing and squealing more and more.

After 60 km, I arrive at the foot of the final major challenge: Monte Ceneri.

A pass that leads into the Lugano valley.

During my reconnaissance ride, I had already tried two different options, both of which turned out to be terrible.

The main road is a viable option only if your goal is to become an organ donor.

The secondary road ended in the forest, forcing me to push the bike before eventually emerging onto a military training area. Judging by the looks I received, I’m not entirely sure I was supposed to be there.

So today I try the third option.

It starts with an incredibly steep climb, and before long the road transforms into an ancient Roman track.

Beautiful.

Picturesque.

Completely impossible to ride.

Never mind—we push.

I’m not sure future challengers are going to appreciate that part. 😇

Almost at the summit, I notice the rear tire losing pressure again.

I pump it up and hope for the best.

Five hundred meters later, it’s flat.

Again.

Off come all the bags.

Out comes the puncture repair kit.

I also prepare the inner tube I bought that very morning, even though it’s slightly too large.

And then I discover a new problem.

I can’t loosen the thru-axle.

The brute from the bike shop tightened it so much that I simply can’t remove it.

So I end up removing the tire and pulling out the tube while the wheel is still attached to the bike.

I don’t have a choice.

The puncture has to be repaired because changing the tube is no longer an option.

Eventually, I find the hole.

Almost certainly a tiny thorn.

Which is infuriating.

It took 5,000 km for my tubeless setup to cause any real problem.

It took barely 60 km to get a puncture with an inner tube.

I patch the hole, try to realign the rear brake rotor, but the mechanic has already partially stripped the bolt head.

Good enough.

We’re moving on.

Well, moving on with frequent stops at every café along the route to replenish fluids.

Because despite everything, I haven’t eaten a single thing since breakfast.

The approach to Lugano is lovely.

Afterward, however, I decide to abandon the official route to reach Morcote. The original route is simply too complicated and packed with too much traffic.

Instead, I follow the western lakeshore road.

It’s perfect.

Eventually, I arrive at my destination:

Morcote.

I desperately search for a good spot to take a finishing photo.

The location I had originally planned—a church perched above the village—is only accessible by stairs, which isn’t exactly practical for future challengers.

So I settle for a small sign near the central square.

It doesn’t have quite the same visual impact, but at least it creates a nice symmetry with Lake Geneva, where the adventure began.

And that’s it.

Done.

The challenge can absolutely be completed in 10 days.

That said, it’s still pretty extreme.

Gaëtan can certainly testify to that.

But the landscapes crossed, the places discovered, and the people met along the way make every bit of the effort worthwhile.

I’m not a superhuman.

I ride barely 5,000 km per year, and that includes trips like this one.

Now it’s your turn.

The adventure is waiting for you on this route.

All you have to do is set off. 🚴‍♂️🏔️🌊✨