We woke up a little earlier because the ride looked a long one on the map. It said it would take us nearly four hours to cycle 40km so I knew we would be facing some pretty big hills. It was great to be back on the bike after a couple of days off!

We set off from Chur on some flat cycle lanes but these soon merged with a main road so riding wasn’t much fun. We left the city behind us and started cycling though the countryside. A glance at the map suggested we had a hill coming up. Our detective work proved correct. The incline was gentle so we didn’t struggle too much. There was a cracking viewing point half way up so we stopped to take a couple of snaps.

The next part of the ride was brilliant. The road narrowed as it hugged the mountain side and there were lots of steep drops to our left that looked quite scary! We pedalled through a series of tunnels going downhill. Things didn’t seem that bad. Then, a collection on hair pin corners appeared so we knew we were in for a climb! It wasn’t too bad for me but I’m not sure about Captain Tortoise (aka Tim). We were soon rewarded with a lovely downhill into the town near our campsite (IIanz). Tim described the scenery saying it looked like Yosemite Park. It certainly was stunning!

We arrived in IIanz feeling in a good mood. A quick check of the map told us we only had 8km left but it would take us one hour fifteen minutes. Massive hill was our conclusion. This was proved correct again. This hill lasted for a long time and was steeper than the earlier on. We battled against it and made it to a village only 3km away from the campsite. It seemed flat now but we still had a steep climb to go. Tim and I took a small country road for the last leg of the hill. It was an absolute killer. We were both struggling but managed to keep going and eventually arrived at the campsite. We both fell to the floor and got our breath back. What a ride! That was the toughest ride I’ve ever done! Check out our Strava stats. We burnt 1500 calories!

The location of our campsite is incredible. The views of the mountains are awe inspiring. It’s now time to relax and get fit for tomorrow. My hip is hurting a little and my whole body is aching. It’s tough standing on these types of rides but that’s part of the challenge!