Transcontinental Race (London - Istanbul) - #TCRNo4

I've just had a look at that option for 2 to 3:
Through the alps 500km with 50,000ft of climbing
Cut into Italy with 700km with 48,000fit of climbing

Doesn't seem worth it really.

When you put it like that it doesn't.
The rough route that I sketched out went via Chur and Morano, which was 8630m of climbing in 386km but people were on about using the SS38, which would mean dropping down to Bellinzona and maybe even Lugano, which would allow you to go alongside lakes for a fair way and then up a valley. It doesn't look massively longer and has to have less climbing, but RWGPS played up when I tried to plot it and so not got the figures on it yet.