Mary and I did the first of two back-to-back bike tours in the Alps with Breaking Away in June 2011. The first three days of this six-day tour were in the Lake District of Italy and Switzerland, and the second three days were in the Swiss Alps. We biked 33 miles on our warmup day and 304 miles with 28,500 ft of climbing during the tour. There were 20 guests in total plus four guides: Greg and Teri Hogan, Mitch Clinton, and Oleg Bozhor.
Here is the itinerary for the tour.
Day 0 (Friday, June 24): We arrive at the Milan Malpensa airport and shuttle to the nearby Novotel Malpensa in Cardano al Campo, our hotel for the night. We go for an out-and-back warmup ride to and along the Canale Naviglio Grande. We bike 33 miles.
Day 1 (Saturday, June 25): Shuttle to Arona on Lago Maggiore. Then bike along the lake to Stresa, do a loop to Orta San Giulio, and spend the night at Hotel Astoria back in Stresa. We bike 57 miles with 2,800 ft of climbing.
Day 2 (Sunday, June 26): Bike from Stresa on Lago Maggiore to Bellagio on Lago di Como, where we spend two nights at Hotel Belvedere. We take two ferries, go in and out of Switzerland by Lago di Lugano, and bike 68 miles with 2,800 ft of climbing.
Day 3 (Monday, June 27): Bike a loop to Madonna del Ghisallo, where there is a chapel, cycling museum, and cycling monument. We bike 22 miles with 2,500 ft of climbing and swim 400 m in the hotel pool.
Day 4 (Tuesday, June 28): Do a long shuttle to Roveredo in Switzerland. Then bike over Passo del San Bernardino (2,066 m) to Hotel Eden Montana in Ilanz. We bike 76 miles with 7,200 ft of climbing.
Day 5 (Wednesday, June 29): Shuttle a short way to Disentis, bike out and back to Lukmanierpass (1,920 m), and then bike over Oberalppass (2,046 m) to Alpenhotel Schlussel in Andermatt. We bike 44 miles with 6,500 ft of climbing.
Day 6 (Thursday, June 30): Bike from Andermatt over Furkapass (2,436 m) and Nufenenpass (2,478 m or 8,130 ft) to finish in Airolo after 37 miles of biking with 6,700 ft of climbing. Do a long shuttle back to Novotel Malpensa in Cardano al Campo to end the tour.
Photos and commentary follow.
Day 1: Saturday, June 25. We are ready to start biking in Arona. 
We bike along Lago Maggiore. 
When we get to Stresa, we climb above the lake and have this beautiful view. 
We stop for lunch in Orta San Giulio by Lago d’Orta. This is the view of the lake from our restaurant. 
We walk through the small town and see colorful old buildings such as this one. 
Back on our bikes, we climb above Lago d’Orta. 
We end our day at the Hotel Astoria. 
This is the view of Lago Maggiore from the balcony of our hotel room.
Day 2: Sunday, June 26. We bike along the shore of Lago Maggiore to Verbania, where we get in line to take the ferry across the lake to Laveno. Our bikes are on the three vans for the tour. 
We begin boarding the ferry. 
The ferry takes us to Laveno. 
This is the view from Laveno back to Verbania with the snow-topped Monte Rosa Massif in the distance. 
We bike into Switzerland and along the shore of Lago di Lugano. 
After lunch by the lake we climb an 18% grade to leave Switzerland and return to Italy (photo by Mitch Clinton). 
Lago di Como is our third lake of the day. 
We get to Cadenabbia on Lago di Como just in time to catch the ferry to Bellagio. 
Bellagio is on a peninsula of land between two arms of the lake. 
As we walk up the hill to Hotel Belvedere, we see this view back across the lake. 
At the hotel, Mitch takes this group photo of the 20 guests and three other guides.
Day 3: Monday, June 27. We bike a loop to Madonna del Ghisallo, where there is a chapel … 
and a cycling museum (photo by Mitch Clinton) … 
and a cycling monument. 
We bike along the shore of Lago di Como back to Bellagio, which is by the hill at the tip of the peninsula in the distance. 
The hotel has a nice pool where we swim. 
These stairs take us into town for dinner. 
Mary is all smiles as she waits for dinner at a restaurant by the lake. 
After dinner we hike back up the stairs to our hotel.
Day 4: Tuesday, June 28. After our shuttle to Roveredo in Switzerland, we start biking up this beautiful valley. 
We pass this waterfall and arched bridge. 
Mary is well up the long climb to Passo del San Bernardino. 
Mary nears the top of the pass (photo by Mitch Clinton). 
We celebrate the top of our first pass in Switzerland! 
Mary stops by the side of road as we go down another beautiful valley. There is very little traffic, since the main road goes through tunnels. 
A sign in German wishes us a happy holiday 🙂 
This is the view from our hotel room in Ilanz, where we spend the night.
Day 6: Thursday, June 30. We bike up these switchbacks to Furkapass on a dreary day. 
The top of the pass is in a cloud. We warm up and wait awhile inside the shelter at the top hoping the cloud will lift. 
Unfortunately, the cloud does not lift, so we shuttle down the other side and miss doing this amazing downhill on our bikes. 
The sun is out in the valley below where we get on our bikes again. 
Mary starts the big climb up Nufenenpass. 
These are the final switchbacks up Nufenenpass, the highest paved pass in Switzerland at 8,130 ft. 
High peaks poke through the clouds at the top of the pass. 
We whiz down these switchbacks on the other side on our way to Airolo, where we end the biking for the tour.
Wayne Pfeiffer 