The Man with The Plan
Well, the plan is to cycle in a heart shape around Switzerland, taking in the major cities, lakes and mountains in a clockwise circular loop which amounts to about 1000 miles over 4 weeks. Just me and my trusty Dawes. My Dawes always wanted to be a 40lb tank bike, and it now has it's chance - laiden down with panniers, map holders and MTB gearing.
The route can be roughly broken up into 4 sections:
This page details an itenary for each day, assuming I don't blow up on Day 3 and spend the rest of the trip slobbing around in cafes! Highlights will be the great lakes of Leman, Lucerne, Constance and Como; the dizzying but beautiful heights of the Sustenpass, the Julierpass and the Simplonpass; a visit to Vaduz in Leichtenstein; a taste of Swiss culture in Lausanne, Bern and Zurich; being miles from home in the middle of nowhere in St. Moritz and spending my 25th birthday at Lake Como in Italy (..should sort out the mid 20's crisis).
It should be amazingo-de-lingo. See, I can speak French already! Anyway, I'm blaming Google Earth if my routes turn out to be totally unrealistic!
Ben.
Arrival: Arrive in Geneva
Sunday, 27th May
I land today in Geneva at 5pm after flying EasyJet from Liverpool. Won't have that much chance in the evening to do anything other than assemble the bike, dispose of the packing and find the Youth Hostel really. It all begins tomorrow! What lies ahead over the next 30 days is going to be absolutely awesome! or exhausting! or both as the case may indeed be. When I'm next back here in Geneva, I will have either flunked it or will want to sleep for a week!
See Google Map | 39 miles so far
Day 1: Geneva - Lausanne (39 miles)
Monday, 28th May
Easing into the tour and to get the legs spinning again (after moving house last week!) today's ride should be largely flat as I follow the shoreline of the huge Lac Leman to Lausanne, trying to stay off the main road as much as possible. I'll have more time to look around Geneva when I return back here for 4 or 5 nights at the end of the tour.
See Google Map | 86 miles so far
Day 2: Lausanne - Avenches (47 miles)
Tuesday, 29th May
Today's ride should be include rolling hills and flat(ish) plains as I make my way towards Lake Neuchatel, and then skirt around the bottom until I reach Avenches. I originally intended to stay in Neuchatel itself, but could find no youth hostel there when researching. The youth hostel in Avenches looks really nice (take a look) and is nestled between Lac de Neuchatel and another big lake called Murtensee. Apparently there is a swimming pool at or near the hostel as well...
136 miles so far
Day 3: Avenches - Oberbipp (50 miles)
Wednesday, 30th May
Heading to Oberbipp, north-east of Bern to see a really nice family (Bergit, Gavin, Amanda and Sean) I met through Alan Ward from Buxton Cycling Club. They live in Oberbipp and they've kindly offered to let me stay with them, and so I will probably set of from Avenches relatively early to make good time. Today concludes my first 3 days riding, and is the longest. The terrain again should be rolling / flat. There are some nice pictures of Solothurn which I will pass through on the way.
Day 4: Oberbipp : REST DAY
Thursday, 31st May
See Google Map | 167 miles so far
Day 5: Oberbipp - Bern (31 miles)
Friday, 1st June
Quite an 'easy' day today as my route swings down towards the Alps. Bern should be a good place to look around, with plenty to see. I am going to go to the Albert Einstein museum either this afternoon when I arrive, or, more likely, tomorrow before I depart for Interlaken. I am staying in the youth hostel right in the middle of Bern and have a single room for tonight (bliss!).
See Google Map | 207 miles so far
Day 6: Bern - Interlaken (37 miles)
Saturday, 2nd June
Today should be really scenic as I ride through Thun and onto Interlaken. There looks like a good river in Thun that you can jump in and so I might have a go. Interlaken looks to be a popular resort in Switzerland and it certainly looks beautiful - nestled between 2 lakes with the imposing Eiger and Jungfrau mountains bearing down.
Day 7: Interlaken : REST DAY
Sunday, 3rd June
Today, I will probably do a little ride to Lauterbrunnen - a village in a deep valley south of Interlaken. This is really in the heart of the Swiss Alps and so the mountains scenery will be stunning. There are a number a trains that you can get from Lauterbrunnen that go up and around the surrounding peaks.
272 miles so far
Day 8: Interlaken - Altdorf (68 miles)
Monday, 4th June
This day should be one of the longest and hardest days of my tour, as I cross the monstrous Sustenpass (2224m). I just hope the pass will be open, because I really want to do it. When I checked in mid-May it was still closed - it normally opens in mid-June, but I might be lucky - fingers crossed! I have booked the "Goldener Schlussel" hotel in Altdorf for tonight - my first hotel of the trip - and I will need it because I will be knackered! When researching this day, I found some great pictures of the Sustenpass on John Newcomb's travel blog (he is an English rider who did an inter-continental cycle tour in 2005). The Sustenpass is pretty long and is a favourite with the professional Tour of Switzerland cycle race. The legendary Furka and Grimsel passes are also in this area and form a triangle with the Susten.
304 miles so far
Day 9: Altdorf - Lucerne (32 miles)
Tuesday, 5th June
I just know that when I wake up today, I won't want to get out of bed. It will be that "been hit by a truck" feeling that all cyclists have experienced at some time or another. But it should be a relatively easy one today as I trace a relatively short route around Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) to arrive in Lucerne itself. Again, the scenery will be just sublime, with mountains rising sharply from the water all around.
Day 10: Lucerne : REST DAY
Wednesday, 6th June
And what a fantastic place to have a rest day! Lucerne looks like a historic and beautiful place. Today I am going to see the oldest wooden bridge in Europe - the Chapel Bridge which crosses the river Reuss in the middle of Lucerne, an also the nearby Needle Dam. There is a steam boat which gives tourist trips across Lake Lucerne which I am definitely going to try and have a ride on!
344 miles so far
Day 11: Lucerne - Zurich (40 miles)
Thursday, 7th June
Out on the road again, today is a flat/rolling day to the cultural capital of Switzerland. Tonight, I am staying in the youth hostel right in the middle of Zurich. Maybe I'll have time to open a new bank account!
391 miles so far
Day 12: Zurich - Konstanz (Germany) (47 miles)
Friday, 8th June
Today, I will reach my most eastern point on my tour at Lake Constance. Before I get to the immense lake, I am going to take a diversion via Schaffhausen to see the impressive Rhine Falls.Tonight, I will either stay in Germany in Konstanz, or somewhere on the banks of Lake Constance.
Day 13: Konstanz (Germany) : REST DAY
Saturday, 9th June
See Google Map | 451 miles so far
Day 14: Konstanz - Vaduz (Liechtenstein) (60 miles)
Sunday, 10th June
My route today will follow the shore of Lake Constance, and then briefly bridge over to Feldkirch in Austria before arriving in Vaduz in Liechtenstein - so I could have been in 4 different countries in 1 day!
Day 15: Vaduz (Liechtenstein) : REST DAY
Monday, 11th June
See Google Map | 494 miles so far
Day 16: Vaduz - Davos (43 miles)
Tuesday, 12th June
And on into the Graubunden Alps... This section of the route should be just fantastic.On my map of Switzerland, this is where the mountains start to look pretty ferocious, tightly banded together. Davos is 1560m above sea level and so today will inevitably involve some good climbing on the bike. I am staying in the Youth Palace in Davos which looks like a massive place and a cool place to sleep!
Day 17: Davos : REST DAY
Wednesday, 13th June
546 miles so far
Day 18: Davos - St. Moritz (52 miles)
Thursday, 14th June
Today, I am going to ride over the Albula pass (2312m) into the upper Engadin valley and onto St. Moritz. The road over the Albula Pass runs close to the amazing moutain railway line which connects St. Moritz with the rest of Switzerland. I am riding through Filisur and so I am going to try and find where the scary Landwasser Viaduct is - I must take a train ride over this sometime! Wow! The next major village from Filisur is Bergun and there is a webcam so see if you can spot me riding through! When I arrive in St. Moritz the youth hostel is apparently providing a 4 course evening meal which I will polish off no problem!
Day 19: St. Moritz : REST DAY - my 25th Birthday!
Friday, 15th June
For a bit of luxury, I have booked into Hotel Bellaval in St. Moritz for tonight. I am 25 today :)
See Google Map | 607 miles so far
Day 20: St. Moritz - Menaggio (Italy) (61 miles)
Saturday, 16th June
The webcams in the Engadin valley give an idea of what the scenery will be like today! Luckily, I reckon the route will be mostly down hill (I think the road is called the Moloja pass) as I follow the run of the valley to Lake Como in Italy. Fantastico! I have no idea of where abouts I am going to stay in Menaggio, but I'm sure there will be somewhere.
See Google Map | 630 miles so far
Day 21: Menaggio - Lugano (23 miles)
Sunday, 17th June
A short (but sharp) day from Menaggio in Italy back into Switzerland to Lugano.
Day 22: Lugano : REST DAY
Monday, 18th June
See Google Map | 680 miles so far
Day 23: Lugano - Verbania (Italy) (50 miles)
Tuesday, 19th June
Today, I am going to follow the shores of the lakes and pass through Locarno on my way to Verbania in Italy. Tommorrow is likely to be a fairly hard day an so I am going to take it easy!
See Google Map | 746 miles so far
Day 24: Verbania - Brig (66 miles)
Wednesday, 20th June
The Simplon Pass beckons! Today will be pretty tough - the Simplon rises to 2005m above sea level, and is one of the main routes back into Switzerland from Italy (and so should be more traffic laiden than the Sustenpass or Albula pass). The road apparently snakes around the mountain and at some points is entirely unattached from the rock, just supported by giant stilts! The pass will drop me into Brig in the Valais canton of Switzerland.
791 miles so far
Day 25: Brig - Sion via Crans-Montana (45 miles) Watch Tour de Suisse Stage 6 Finish at Crans-Montana
Thursday, 21st June
It's a bit of a special day today, because I am going to see the stage finish of Stage 6 of the Tour of Switzerland from Giubaisco to Crans-Montana. I reckon the climb to Crans-Montana will be like the L'Alpe D'Huez but not as long or hard. After the riders have finished, I am going to roll down into Sion and stay at the youth hostel there.
Day 26: Sion - Zermatt : Travelling REST DAY
Friday, 22nd June
Catching the train from Sion back up the valley to Visp, and then catching a connection up to Zermatt. I might ride if I am not too knackered and I feel like it. Zermatt is car-free: cars cannot go beyond Tasch, the town immediately before. The only way to get to Zermatt is by train, and the place itself has pratically no vehicles - apart from electric hotel porter cars. The amazing Matterhorn mountain is close by too. Zermatt is about 1600m above sea level.
Day 27: Zermatt : REST DAY
Saturday, 23rd June
It should be great having a rest day up in Zermatt today! There was a supplement in the Sunday Telegraph recently on Swiss Rail tours. You can catch a train from Zermatt to Gornergrat which is right at the base of the Matterhorn at 3048m above sea level. The train uses a rack and pinion system to get up that high and "cork screws up horseshoe curves" over streams and torrents. I would be missing out not to take this train ride today and so will definitely try to. The views from Gornergrat over the Alps will be breathtaking!
See Google Map | 839 miles so far
Day 28: Zermatt (Tasch) - Sion (48 miles)
Sunday, 24th June
The descent from Tasch to Visp should be fun. My tank bike will be going full speed ahead - I hope the brakes will be good enough to stop it! Back to the Sion hostel today from which I will complete the very last leg of the tour.The valley in which Sion lies looks like a real deep score in the landscape - if I can stay off the main road in the bottom, it should be a pleasant mostly-downhill ride today.
See Google Map | 884 miles so far
Day 29: Sion - Montreux (45 miles)
Monday, 25th June
Today, I will arrive on the opposite side of Lac Leman in Montreux. This area looks absolutely beautiful (and expensive!). Unfortunately, the youth hostel in Montreux was already fully booked when I enquired, and so I mightfind a B&B here, or if I'm feeling a bit mad and have some energy / time left, may go up to the Château-d'Oex youth hostel.
940 miles (~990 miles with 5% error)
Day 30: Pass GO collect £200: Montreux - Geneva (55 miles)
Tuesday, 26th June
To complete the Tour, I am going to ride from Montreux to Geneva along the south side of Lac Leman and breifly cross into France (the 5th country on my trip!). I should roll into Geneva mid-afternoon. I have booked the youth hostel here again for tonight and tomorrow.
Finally a rest!...
Wednesday, 27th June - Saturday 30th June: Resting in Geneva
Finally, a chance to chill out! I think I will go and find a park and sit on a bench all day. "What have I done" I will mumur to myself as I stare at the ground and rock gently. No, seriously, I am probably going to spend a few days just sleeping and slobbing around. I will be at the Youth Hostel for 4/5 nights and so I can just take it easy.
On the Thursday or Friday of this week, I am going to visit CERN where all the particle collision experiments are carried out. Unfortunately all the guided tours are booked up until November (!!), but you can still go in the Visitor Centre. When I was 12 or 13, I used to be fascinated by this place and want to work there, and so going to see the big super conducting magnets and room-sized cloud chambers for real will be amazing.
France 2007: The Next Challenge, erm, right now!
Sunday, 1st July - Sunday, 15th July: French Alps Holiday
And I'm not on my own this time! On Sunday, 1st July, I am going to catch the train from Geneva to Grenoble and meet the Buxton CC massive (Sam, Tom, Mikey, Alex, Richard, Simon and Sean) at Pete Clarke's house in Marrone, near L'Alpe D'Huez.
I am going to cycle from Grenoble to Marrone, on what should be the final ride on my Switzerland touring bike. The guys are coming down to the Alps in a van, and are bringing my lightweight Trek racing bike which should be a good 30lb lighter. Phew!
On Sunday, 8th July, we are all going to ride La Marmotte - a 108 mile epic over the Col de la Croix de Fer, the Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier and finally L'Alpe D'Huez. I am number 2175. It's a mass start event, and the roads are absolutely packed with cyclists all day. It's also one of the hardest rides you can ever do on a bike - a true test of endurance. I am aiming for a Brevet d'Or - or Gold Certificate time this year after gaining a Silver in 2002 and 2004. Fingers crossed.
Returning Home
We all return to England in the van on the evening of Sunday, 15th July. 50 days in the Alps will be at an end, but it will be by far the most epic thing I have done to date, and hopefully have created some fantastic memories.
Thanks for reading my Blog, and for taking the time to be bothered to scroll this far down my itenary! Ben.
