Monte Generoso

The tour starts in Mendrisio and follows the little mountain road through Somazzo up to Bellavista. You can take your bike to here on the cog railway, and if you say at the valley station that you are going to ride down the north side, you can take the train right up to the summit. If you manage the ascent under your own steam,  you will at some point between Bellavista and Monte Genereso wonder what on earth you are doing. The path is steep, there are always raised water channels to cross, and the ascent to the mountain restaurant is a long haul. But the view from the top is all the more stunning for this. You can see the Po Plain and behind it Lake Lugano with the Sotto Ceneri and the Malcantone, and with good visibility even the Valais glaciers can be seen. The descent later takes you on a trail on Italian soil to the Alpe d’Orimento and then on to a rugged, bone-shaking downhill trail along the Breggia stream. After Erbonne, you cross the stream and arrive via Scudellate in Roncapiano. Now take the next singletrail downhill to Muggio. This concludes the first part of the descent. It goes up again, first on a road to Tur and then on singletrails up to the little road at Dosso dell'Ora. Here the descent back to Mendrisio begins. First on a gravel road to Osteria La Grassa, then in a mix of first-class singletrails and old mountain roads via Cragno and Bonello to Solarino. The last meters lead along the path of the ascent.