The Rhine Cycle Route. Mike Wells

      THE ROUTE

      The cycle track along the Rhine flood dyke north of Bad Ragaz (Stage 3)

STAGE 1

      Oberalppass to Ilanz

Start	Oberalppass summit (2046m)
Finish	Ilanz square (705m)
Distance	52km
Waymarking	R2

      A fast descent on a well-surfaced minor alpine pass road through Surselva, passing a series of alpine villages, leads to the monastery town of Disentis/Mustér. From here, a mix of off-road tracks and quiet country lanes take you to Ilanz. Superb mountain scenery and high Alpine peaks abound. The Rhine evolves from a tiny mountain stream to a fast-flowing river over the course of this stage. The local language is Romansh, although German is spoken by all.

      

      Rheinquelle, the official source of Vorderrhein, is an outflow from Lai da Tuma lake (2345m), high on the mountainside south of Oberalppass. It can be reached in an hour and a half by footpath, which is not accessible to cycles. The footpath branches right, off the pass road, shortly after summit.

      From Oberalppass summit (2046m) (accommodation, refreshments, tourist office, station) follow road SE passing lighthouse and tourist office R (limited hours). Pass start of footpath that leads across mountainside to Rheinquelle and descend steeply around series of hairpin bends. Although Oberalppass is a quiet Alpine pass, it can become busy on summer weekends, particularly attracting many motorcyclists. Care should be taken as there is no dedicated cycle lane.

      Road passes through tiny village of Tschamut (5.5km, 1645m) (accommodation, refreshments, station) and then continues above golf course at Selva, one of the highest in Europe. Levelling off, road crosses grassy plateau, passing in quick succession through villages of Dieni (accommodation, refreshments, station), Rueras (10.5km, 1405m) (accommodation, refreshments, camping, station), Camischolas (accommodation, refreshments) and Sedrun (12km, 1406m) (accommodation, refreshments, tourist office, station).

      Just after Sedrun, a large pile of spoil was excavated from an intermediate shaft of the 57km-long Gotthard base tunnel, which is directly below the route at this point. The tunnel, which opened in 2016 after 21 years under construction, carries part of the Zürich–Milan high-speed rail line. Original plans for the shaft at Sedrun to be used to access a station in the tunnel 800m below ground have been dropped.

      Rueras church

      From Sedrun, road becomes busier as it resumes descending. After short tunnel and couple of hairpin bends, Disentis/Mustér, dominated by white façade of Kloster St Martin, comes into view. Disentis/Mustér (21km, 1142m) (accommodation, refreshments, camping, tourist office, cycle shop, station) is where you leave main road.

      Founded in AD720, Kloster St Martin in Disentis is one of the oldest Benedictine abbeys in Switzerland. The current baroque edifice was completed in 1712. Plundered by French troops during the Napoleonic wars, the abbey barely survived the 19th century until restoration of Swiss religious houses in 1880 led to the founding of a secondary school. The community now includes 23 brothers.

      On-road alternative

      After Disentis/Mustér, route is mostly off-road, accessible to mountain bikes and hybrids. Going is not difficult and in dry conditions touring bikes will have no problems, especially after Danis. To bypass this section, use main road to Ilanz. Off-road and road routes intersect at Trun and Danis. Alternative route shown in blue on maps.

      At T-junction in middle of Disentis/Mustér, turn R (Via Lucmagn) and after 150 metres L (Via dalla Staziun, sp Cavardiras). Pass station R, and continue on Via Cavardiras, passing under railway and descending out of town.

      The whole way from Oberalppass to Chur, the route runs close to the railway line used by Glacier Express trains. Traversing the Swiss Alps from Zermatt in Valais to St Moritz and Davos in Graubünden, a service of four luxury tourist trains runs daily. Taking nearly six hours for 290km, this is the world’s slowest ‘express’ train, but what it lacks in speed is made up for by spectacular scenery. There is no provision for cycles, but if you wish to traverse this line, there is an hourly local service that you can catch with your bike.