Gottardo Bike - Stage 3: Olivone - Biasca (SwitzerlandMobile 65)

The spectacular crossing of the main Alpine watershed, from Andermatt to Biasca. The Gottardo Bike route includes the famous San Gottardo Pass, the solitary Piora plateau, and the sunny Valle di Blenio.

The Gottardo Bike route combines spectacular high-altitude landscapes with a great lesson in Swiss history. The San Gottardo Pass has been one of the main north-south transit axes for centuries. The underground is a labyrinth of bunkers, a testimony to its military role during the Second World War; various sections of the route are old army access roads.

The contrast with Val Piora further south could not be greater: here nature reigns. The pleasant plateau with its two alpine lakes lies in a harsh high mountain environment. Lake Cadagno also boasts a phenomenon unique in Europe – the failure of surface waters to mix with deeper waters – and is known to scientists worldwide.

The descent into the Valle di Blenio runs almost entirely on the old Lukmanier road. In the Middle Ages, until the rise of the Gotthard, the Lukmanier Pass was the main north-south connection. Sparsely frequented, it is one of the most beautiful Alpine passes in Switzerland. The stretch to Olivone passes through wide larch forests, very green plateaus, dense fir woods, and is considered one of the most beautiful in Alto Ticino.