Gotthard, Furka and Nufenen passes

The Harvest starts with a bang! This Tour, in fact, guides you in tackling one of the most loved routes by those with a passion for cycling.
San Gottardo, Furka, Novena: this triptych is one of the best known by those who practice cycling on an amateur basis. By taking this Tour you can go over three great passes, all above 2,000 meters and very different from each other.

The starting point is Airolo, a small municipality in Ticino. Starting from Milan, you can reach Airolo by train, changing in Bellinzona. You could stop to sleep in Airolo, and in this case you could think about combining this tour with the Lukmanier one.
You don't have to wait even a kilometer to start climbing. The climb up the San Gottardo, in fact, starts from Airolo. You can reach the San Gottardo using the panoramic road or the historic 'Tremola'. The first road is characterized by a constant slope, never excessively hard. The second is, however, characterized by cobblestones and more demanding slopes, which often reach double figures. I highly recommend tackling the climb from the Tremola side: in the last four kilometers there are 24 hairpin bends, which make this road unique.

The view from the Gotthard pass is sublime. At the summit you have the opportunity to eat something, admire the lake in the Piazza and learn about the history of the San Gottardo hospice, dating back to medieval times.

You are now in the canton of Uri, part of German-speaking Switzerland. I advise you to follow the old Gotthard road in the first part of the descent, thus avoiding the traffic on the new road. Pay attention to the cobblestones.
At Hospental follow the direction that takes you to Realp, where the second climb of the day begins. The Furka pass is one of the great passes of the Alps. Even Sean Connery, in his film “Agent 007 - Mission Goldfinger”, honored this fantastic Alpine pass. The Furka pass has been known since Roman times and is one of the oldest carriage passes in the world. It boasts magnificent views of the Rhône Glacier.

At the summit you enter the canton of Valais, still German-speaking. The descent takes you to Ulrichen, the town where the last climb of the day begins. You won't believe it, you won't want to believe it, but the news is that you're missing the most difficult step of the day. In fact, the Novena pass (“Nufenenpass” in German) from Ulrichen boasts an average gradient of 9% over 13 kilometers.

Once at the summit you are finally back in the canton of Ticino. To complete the Tour you only need a long 24 kilometer descent that takes you back to Airolo. You have successfully completed one of the most beautiful tours in the entire Alpine range!

In case you feel in divine grace and excellent physical shape, halfway down the Furka descent you can take a detour that takes you to the Grimsel pass, which boasts magnificent views of Lake Toten. In this case you would add an additional eleven kilometers and 400 meters of positive altitude difference to your rich menu for the day.

You can only take this Tour in the summer season, as the passes are generally closed from October to May. You will find plenty of places to refresh yourself as you pass through various towns. The Novena pass is the wildest one, as in the 37 kilometers from Ulrichen to Airolo you will only find bars at the top of the pass.