• to avoid ending up on faster roads though.

    I think if you look on streetview and find a one-lane-in-each-direction "main road" (on google maps these are yellow with a blue marker), it's ok to cycle on if you need to, but two-abreast cruising will not be relaxing/possible and there can be some quite big junctions. There may well be a bike lane in places or a separate shared use path (even if not part of the network routes on that web page). Google maps also has roads that are white with no marker, and these can be exactly the same size as the above, small town or country roads, or gravel tracks (the width on the map does give an indication if it will be a fast one or not).

    Highways (2 lanes in each direction) are large yellow roads with red symbols, and I don't think there is any real chance you could stray on to one - it would be the same as riding onto a motorway.

    Strava seems to think that there's a perfectly rideable trail between the two over the mountain. I don't think so!

    Can happen if mountain bikers go that way I think.

    far more economical to spend more time in Italy than in Switzerland.

    I can only agree...

    Supposed to be looking at the route in more detail tonight but I think we might be riding to the pub

    Just one other thought: I've been on holiday in the Val di Mello/Splugen area in about September, and it's getting later -the deep valleys were very cold in the mornings, the weather getting changeable and not nice on the Swiss side of the Splugen. I think your route is great and it isn't a difficult place to get about - if you don't like a section of road/track, there will almost certainly be an alternative. It might be not worth worrying about it further and keeping flexible about whether you spend more time on the Swiss side or the Italian side according to the weather nearer the time.

  • Just one other thought: I've been on holiday in the Val di Mello/Splugen area in about September, and it's getting later -the deep valleys were very cold in the mornings, the weather getting changeable

    I've been thinking about this too. We were relatively lucky with the weather last year in the Pyrenees, but Col de Pailhères was a real challenge with the wind & cold. The next day, the higher Port d'Envalira was easy peasy due to beautiful weather. We'll be spending more time at altitude than last year, so definitely plan on bringing more layers for those kinds of days to be safe.

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