The overall route

Probably not going to be possible to be exact with all the details but the Rhine crosses or touches the Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France (where the region is the Alsace) and the Netherlands.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, the bike path operates throughout as the Rhine route or National Route No. 2 in the Cycling in Switzerland. The Rhine Route starts in Andermatt and first crosses the 2044-meter Oberalppass before reaching the Rhine. The route then follows the Rhine passing alongside Lake Constance 430 km to Basel. Apart from Oberalppass and the section above the Rhine gorge near Flims the profile is expected to be extremely flat.

Cycling in Switzerland routes are excellent, this is also true for most of the Rhine route. I expect we will vary from the left and right of the path to look at something and not just stubbornly follows the route.

The geographers disagree exactly where the Rhine 'rises' some say here which is the outlet of lake Tuma.

I am going to state for the purpose of this trip the Rhine starts near Andermatt 140 km away from Zurich, 67 km from Lucerne, Andermatt caters to outdoors enthusiasts since it is the crossroads of 4 alpine passes: Grimsel, Susten, St Gothard, and Oberalp. Beautifully located, I have stopped here before. The San Bernardino Pass is also very close. Anyway these valleys come together near Reichenau one coming from west other from the South approximately 10 km south of Chur where I'll be staying with Simon, HB9DRV in Laax. From there it is the "Rhine", and the valleys widen and flatten out until Lake Constance the Rhine then flows out near Waldshut and Aare, where the river often appears to have a little more water flowing in it than above the lake.

The first bit from Andermatt will be the hardest by far with both 1 in 10 downhills and 1 in 10 uphills and those hairy scary looping hairpin roads you see Clarkson et al wannabees trying to drive at 90mph+ whilst in some zillion pound car. I expect we will take a bit more time than him ;-) After Basel (Switzerland) the joke Christine and I have is it is then free wheeling from there...