| An early start for all participants in this trip, which was to be the most challenging of the whole Transeuropean. The first leg, overcoming a 700 m elevation difference over 32 km, led to Göschenen, where the participants had the opportunity to visit the hydro-electric works, an impressive electric cathedral housed in a giant cave inside the mountain. Then is was time for the real work: the ascent of the Gotthard Pass, another 1000 m elevation to climb. All participants, including the electric bikes, made it to the summit, despite the cold temperatures and the snow there; just in a few weeks, the road over the pass will indeed become impraticable for the winter. |
At the Göschenen Power Station |
Ascending the Gotthard |
The crossing of the summit marked the entering of Ticino, the Italian-speaking Swiss canton, and the start of a long descent towards Bellinzona. During the descent, the electric vehicles showed their energy regeneration capabilities, so that the 95 km from Göschenen to Bellinzona were no problem for any participant. A charging stop in Bellinzona allowed to get the necessary juice to tackle the short but vicious ascent of Monte Ceneri, and to continue to Mendrisio where the arrival of the Transeuropean participants coincided with the official opening of the ExpoVEL exhibition, where presentations were given by delegates of the Mendrisio project, the Swiss Ministry of Energy, CITELEC and AVERE. |
On the summit |
Mendrisio |