Countries: France, Germany and Switzerland. 160km

After back to back 200km epics, I wake up, figuratively, on the wrong side of bed. Today offers a host of potential highlights: border crossings, mountains, and (all going well – for nothing is ever guaranteed when cycle touring) a destination famed for its lacustrine beauty.

However, heading out, I’m not aware of this as beyond Basle as I’ve not decided on destination. The combination of fatigue and uncertainty is weighing heavily as I depart the hotel and set upon locating the cycle path. This is punctuated briefly by a man yelling “ALLEZ, ALLEZ, ALLEZ” as I leave the saddle to crest a tiny bridge, which has me smiling until I happen upon Eurovelo 6, “The Route of The Rivers” for the first time.

Eurovelo 6 is the most popular of the Eurovelo routes, and in its entirety would take you from the Atlantic coast of France along flatlands and rivers all the way to the Black Sea in Romania. This initial foray will be brief, a cool 30km to Basle, but we’ll be picking it up again in the not-too-distant future as we negotiate the gentle bends of the Danube.

Initial impressions are excellent. Eurovelo paths are always passable, but certain sections are undoubtably better than others. This is one of the finest thus far as regular signposts accompany an easy approach towards Basle. While not in Switzerland, yet, it’s a positive harbinger of what’s waiting on the other side of the fast approaching border. And what’s better than crossing a border between two countries I hear you ask? Crossing a border between three – for to finally arrive in Switzerland one must cross the Three Countries Bridge, a civilised, unmarshalled triumph of open-bordered cooperation between France, Switzerland and Germany.

While signs and flags are all well and good, you can equally deduce you’ve arrived in Switzerland by spotting the brightly coloured drybags being dragged by locals taking a dip in the river. It’s an incongruous sight, as The Rhine is both wide and powerful and we’re in the middle of a major city. Can you imagine the equivalent in London?! As I’m sat watching this, I decide upon Lucerne as my next destination – it’s a town I’m keen to visit, a good spot for a rest day, and most importantly a well-located base from which to tackle an assault on the Alps.

The first few miles leaving Basle aren’t quite what you’d expect when imagining Switzerland, a place which evokes images of great Alpine summits (home to the historic Matterhorn, Jungfrau and Eiger peaks), expansive lakes (Lac Léman, Zürichsee, Lucerne) and rolling plush green meadows. The surroundings of Basle, being an international powerhouse in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, are correspondingly industrial. The day is scorching, my Achilles is starting to creak and to complete the triumvirate, my road-cleats have finally given up. The most pleasurable days touring are those where the distances are comfortably achievable, which allows you to “look up and smell the roses”. Today isn’t one of those days. Lucerne is still 110km away, so every moment lost to unforeseen issues compounds the time pressure, but you have to keep you chin up, deal with each occurrence as it arises and get on with it. Thankfully, there’s now a new set of signs to follow and I’ll be taking Swiss Route 3 all the way to The Alps.

The issue with route planning on the fly is that it can lead you to overlook key details. In Northern Europe, you often get away with this as the topography is flat. Once you reach Switzerland, I would urge you to do your homework. The good news is that the Switzerland I had imagined has arrived, it’s every bit as green, plush and picturesque as one would envisage. The roads are smooth, drivers respectful and vistas stunning. The slightly more challenging news is that it’s also utterly vertiginous. Now I’m not adverse to a good climb, in fact in normal circumstances, ascending on a bike is probably my favourite part of cycling. Climbing with a full set of bags is altogether a different beast. It strips you of your ego, and leaves you hoping you have a gear small enough to crawl up the mountainside – which is how you find me now, huffing and puffing my way up the Schafmatt Pass. If I had done my due diligence, I would have known that this climb is over 2,000ft and takes you to the highest part of the canton. I haven’t, so after each switchback I glance up the serpentine ribbon of tarmac and wonder when (and frankly if) it’ll ever finally relent. Of course, eventually the tree cover thins, the views open and the road flattens. Exhausted and ravenous, I take the opportunity to pull off the road, inhale whatever snacks I have remaining and engage in a lovely chat with a German family who have driven down from Hamburg. Feeling spent after this morning (and frankly the whole week’s) exploits, it’s cheering to share details of our respective journeys and forget about the daunting distance that lays ahead.

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The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but converted from one form to another. In my case, this is largely in the form of heat as I transfer that hard-earned gravitational potential energy into the brake blocks. This is my first meaningful descent (over 500ft) and I’m still adapting to how the bike handles under load. Regardless, the views are open, surface smooth and I’m grateful to enjoy cover the next 5km without having to turn the pedals.

Beyond floating dry bags, another sure-fire way to establish you’re in Switzerland is by observing the impact on your wallet. The day has marched on, and by 6pm, with 60km to cover, I realise I’m out of snacks and water and pull into Subway. A foot-long sub, plus drinks to refill the bidons runs to £25. A real-world example of Switzerland’s proud position at the top of The Economist’s Big Mac Index!

Mercifully, the final 60km is flat and with the roads largely to myself I FaceTime my parents to while away the distance. It’s now, while enjoying the warm evening sun that I catch my first glimpse of The Alps, framed against the blue sky far on the horizon. No longer conceptual, the goal I’ve been striving towards is now very real, and within striking distance. This provides all the motivation required and before too long I arrive at the hotel, ready for a hot shower, cold beer and a long, comfortable sleep.

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Strava tells me I’ve cycled 961 kilometres (597 miles) this week and I’m utterly exhausted. My plan for the next couple of days? Eat donuts, explore Lucerne and recharge. Good night