Tenero: Up the Valley in 37°C Heat

Back in the Verzasca four years later, in the camper this time, in the middle of a heatwave. Two rides from the campsite near Frasco: the whole valley down to Tenero and back, at 37°C at the bottom, then a short morning ride up the side valley of Val d'Osura that turned into an hour of stopping at river pools.

In 2015 I said I'd be back for more, and in July 2019 I was, with the camper, my wife and Lillie, from the 23rd to the 26th. It was hot. My note on the first ride says it all: "A stunning ride down and then back up the Versasca Valley, Tenero, Switzerland. A tad too hot at the bottom as it was around 37* but much cooler towards the top."

For the valley itself (the dam, the villages, the stone rustici and the history), see the Verzasca Valley page and my first ride here, Sonogno to the lake and back in 2015.

Ride 1Down To Tenero And Back, In The HeatWednesday 24 July 2019

Ride 1, from my GPS track. Green: the campsite near Frasco. White: the turn at the bottom, near Tenero. Straight down the valley and straight back up. This ride on Strava →

51.4kmDistance

758mClimbing

897mHighest point

240mLowest point (near Tenero)

2h 19mMoving time

14:06–16:35Out on the road (2h 28m)

22.1km/hAverage moving speed

55.8km/hTop speed

130 / 157Heart rate, average / max (bpm)

1,479Calories

33°CAverage temperature (37° at the bottom)

The BeastBike

How The Day Went

14:06 – 15:00

Down the valleyFrasco → Brione → Lavertezzo → the dam → the bottom

25km886m → 272m54 min

15:00 – 16:34

Back up, in the heatTenero → Vogorno → Brione → Frasco

25.5km272m → 892m+620m2.4% average

I left the campsite just after two in the afternoon, which in a heatwave in Ticino is about the worst time you could pick. The way down was lovely: past the waterfall above Sonogno, the swimmers in the river at the top of the valley, a dragon sculpture on a rock above the road near Brione, the river at Lavertezzo and the dam, 25km in 54 minutes.

A tall waterfall pouring in two streams down a rock face above Sonogno — 14:11, five minutes in: the waterfall above Sonogno.

People swimming in a clear green river pool between boulders at the top of the Verzasca valley — 14:12: the river was full of people cooling off.

A dragon sculpture on top of a rock outcrop against the sky — 14:27: a dragon on a rock above the road, near Brione.

The Verzasca river running over white rocks with a stone bridge in the distance and green mountains — 14:37: the river at Lavertezzo.

The Verzasca Dam wall seen from the top, with the gorge below — 14:55: the dam, on the way down.

At the bottom, near Tenero, it was around 37°C. Then I turned round and did the whole valley again in reverse, 620m of climbing over 25km, in the heat of the afternoon. It's not steep, 2.4% on average, but at 37° it doesn't have to be. As my note says, it got cooler towards the top, and I was back at the camper at 16:35. 51.4km and 758m in two hours 19 minutes of riding.

Ride 2Val d'Osura And The Emerald PoolsFriday 26 July 2019

Ride 2, from my GPS track. Green: the campsite. Down the main valley to Brione, then up the side valley of Val d'Osura (red) and back. This ride on Strava →

25.5kmDistance

398mClimbing

996mHighest point

763mLowest point (Brione)

1h 34mMoving time

09:44–12:00Out on the road (2h 15m)

16.2km/hAverage moving speed

46.1km/hTop speed

1,124Calories

27°CAverage temperature

Carbon CrossBike

How The Day Went

09:44 – 09:58

Down to BrioneThe campsite → Brione

6.9km915m → 779m

09:58 – 10:28

Up Val d'OsuraBrione → the side valley

4.6km779m → 979m+200m

10:28 – 11:11

The poolsBridges, pools and photos all the way down

about 40 min of stops28 photos

11:11 – 11:31

Back down to Brione

5.2km

11:31 – 12:00

Back to the campsiteBrione → Frasco

8.6km+153m

The last morning, and a short one, on the cross bike this time. Down the main valley to Brione and then up the side valley of Val d'Osura, about 200m up a narrow road beside its own river. I took 28 photos in about 40 minutes, which tells you how much riding got done: every corner had another bridge or another pool, and the water is that unreal green you only get over white granite.

A road bike leaning against pink granite boulders beside an old wooden footbridge — 10:29: the first bridge.

An old timber footbridge made of crossed logs over a rocky river — 10:30: an old timber footbridge over the river.

A metal-mesh suspension footbridge stretching across a wooded gorge — 10:33: and a suspension bridge.

Clear green water in a deep pool between granite rocks, seen from above — 10:33: the view down from the bridge.

A small waterfall cascading over white granite into a green pool — 10:42: a little cascade further up.

A carbon bike propped against a stone bench by a turquoise river pool — 10:57: the bike on a stone bench by the river.

An old stone house with a wooden balcony and outside stairs in the Val d'Osura — 11:11: an old stone house on the way back down.

By the time I'd rolled back down to Brione and climbed back up to the campsite it was midday: 25.5km and 398m, with only an hour and a half of actual riding in two and a quarter hours out. Not fast, but that wasn't the point.

Around The Rides

A motorhome parked under trees at a riverside campsite in the Verzasca valley — The camper at the campsite, on the first day (23 July 2019).

A woman and a small dog walking a gravel track towards a stone hamlet in the Verzasca valley — My wife and Lillie on the track up towards Sonogno, the morning of the first ride (24 July 2019).

Ice creams at a café table in the Verzasca valley — Ice cream in the heat (25 July 2019).

Where It Is

Brione (marker), where Val d'Osura branches off the Verzasca valley; Tenero and Lake Maggiore are at the bottom.