Tour of the Alps 1996
Jobst Brandt
Tour of the Alps 1996
How and what I took along (Same story as before):
As in past years, I loaded my suitcase with a few clothes for
off-the-bike activities and some gifts for my friends in Europe as
well as my loaded bicycle saddlebag (weighing 4.6kg) with most of the
items on my minimalist checklist for a bike tour. The cranks, QR
skewers, chain, and rear derailleur together with tools necessary for
assembly also go into the suitcase. The bicycle, partly dismantled,
had its handlebar and fork turned backwards, the wheels strapped to
either side of the frame. I used 5/16x16 spreader bolts to protect
the front and rear dropouts from being bent. I inflated the tires
hard with my floor pump because I hate pumping with a frame fit pump
and I didn't anticipate pumping again for at least six weeks. I
covered the bicycle with a clear plastic bag and taped it shut.
I used Avocet Road 700x28 wire-bead, non-Kevlar tires on 36 hole Mavic
MA-2 rims with 1.8-1.6mm DT spokes; Campagnolo Record brakes (KoolStop
red pads), small flange hubs with a Sun Tour new winner pro 6-speed FW
13-15-17-19-21-24, Sun Tour Pro derailleur and down tube shift levers,
and Shimano Dura Ace 180mm cranks with 46-50 CW, SPD 525 pedals and
M110 shoes; the frame is steel and about 26" with oversized top and
down tubes using an Avocet Racing Turbo Gel saddle on a two bolt
Campagnolo Record seat post, steel Cinelli bars and Ritchey stem. I
wear Avocet polypropylene shorts and jerseys.
My suitcase and bicycle go as two pieces of legal overseas air baggage
and, with my small carry-on bag, can be taken on trains on arrival.
Whole bicycles can be shipped by air but upon arrival the bicycle
cannot be carried onto most trains. Sent as baggage, the bicycle can
cause one or more days delay just when it is least convenient.
The trip:
On Monday, 1 July, Richard Mlynarik and I flew with United Airlines
from San Francisco with a stop in Washington (Dulles) to Zurich. We
took the train from the ZH airport to Affoltern am Albis (491m) where
my friend Fredy Ruegg runs a top notch bike shop and where I have made
my base camp with my friends the Dierauer's for many years. We
assembled our bicycles and, in an effort to not fall asleep before
dinner, rode up the Albis pass (791m) and along the ridge to the
Uetliberg overlooking Zurich. That ploy almost worked as we nodded
off in mid sentence while sitting in the living room before dinner.
The weather was cool and cloudy in contrast to most of June that, I am
told, was sweltering and left the mountains with little spring snow.
Still suffering the aftermath of my flu that hit me on my second
Sierra Nevada spring tour, I took a whole day in the sack while
Richard took a ride over Aegeri to the Zurich Lake and over the
Sattelegg (1190m) to Canton Glarus, where he sampled the beauties of
the Glarner Alps and the Pragel Pass (1550m) that climbs through the
steep walled Kloental and descends to Bisistal and Schwyz with a stiff
steady 18% grade. Meanwhile, I seemed to gain enough strength to
believe I could start, although I was still having hot spells that
felt like fever but weren't.
1. Thursday, 4 July (Affoltern-Rosenlaui; 120km, 2436m): We set out
toward Luzern and the central Alps under cloudy skies, riding across
the Reuss valley to the south to Merenschwand in canton Aargau with
its tall church steeple and red tile roofed houses with window boxes
of geraniums. The Reuss, that originates on the Gotthard and Furka
passes to flow past Luzern and on to the Rhine, would greet us again a
few times on this trip. This road through Aargau is lightly traveled
and has an excellent bike path most of the way up the valley to
Luzern. At Gisikon we crossed the Reuss again to get on the main road
into Luzern where, at the city limits, two large redwood trees stand
at either side of the road.
In Luzern (436m) we stopped for photos at the famous Lion sculpted
into the cliff and at the (new) old wooden bridge across the Reuss
with swans and the Pilatus (2120m) as a backdrop. We dropped in on
Mrs. Dierauer Sr. for a visit on the Musegg above the Armory at the
city wall before riding on to the Alpnach leg of the lake. Here the
Pilatus railway, in Alpnachstadt, climbs the steepest cogwheel route
in the world at 48% grade. It uses two horizontally opposed gears
that engage a two sided gear rack in the center of the 800 mm gauge
track. Auto traffic was almost absent, and even though this was well
into the main summer season, there was no sign of people on holiday.
We headed toward the Melchtal instead of taking the direct route over
the Brunig Pass (1008m). At Sarnen, taking the road past the train
station, we took the scenic forest road to Flueli, and on up the
Melchtal where we ate lunch before heading up to Frut at the Melchsee.
From here a scenic and car-free route goes over the mountains to the
Susten Pass road and into the Haslital. At Stockalp (1075m), at the
end of the Melchtal, the road becomes narrow (timed one way traffic)
and steep, climbing to Frut (1902m) and the Melchsee in 7 km.
We stopped at the general store in Frut before riding up and around
the two lakes to Tannen (1976m) where the road ends at a large
comfortable youth hostel and the Tannalp diary. Hiking trails head
off in several directions. Our trail to Engsteln (1837 m) is cut into
a granite wall where it breaks out into the canyon. From Engsteln a
narrow restricted access paved road descends the granite walled canyon
to the tune of ubiquitous cowbells. Our road joined the Susten Pass
road a few kilometers above Inertkirchen (625m), to which it descends
through sweeping curves and several curved tunnels.
We rode up the three hairpins Kirchet (709m) and to the Lammi Gasthaus
where the road to Rosenlaui turns off, climbing through a forest to
the canyon of the roaring Reichenbach where Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
Moriarty went over the falls to meet their deaths. As the road rises
steeply past the cascades of the Reichenbach, it exposes the Rosenlaui
glacier and the Wetterhorn to the west. We stopped at the Rosenlaui
hotel (1330m), where Andreas and Christina Kehrli preside. After a
generous dinner we retired to the 5th floor dormitory accommodations
where we were the only guests and got a good night's sleep to the
sound of rain and the rushing creek.
2. Friday, 5 July (Rosenlaui-Hospental; 205km, 2976m): In the morning,
with dry roads and high overcast, we headed up to Schwarzwaldalp and
the high meadows above tree line on the private road of the
Grindelwald bus company. All the peaks were frosted in fresh snow from
the night before and the Wetterhorn (3701m), with plenty of snow, had
icefalls that roared like artillery as the ice pulverized on the
cliffs below. We could just see the tip of the Eiger as we approached
the summit.
The Grosse Scheidegg pass (1961m), directly beneath the north face of
the Wetterhorn, gives a view across the north face of the Eiger
(3970m), Moench (4099m), and the pure white Jungfrau (4158m). At the
bottom of the descent, where the road widens and becomes public, a
wooden gondola built by von Roll stands at the edge of a parking lot
to commemorate the world's first aerial tram that was built from here
to a ledge half way up the Wetterhorn. There wasn't much going on in
Grindelwald (1034m) as we rolled through town, inspected the BOB and
WAB cog railways, and rolled down the river with a favorable breeze
toward Interlaken. The weather was cool enough that we didn't feel
the chill of the icy Luetschine river.
In Wilderswil, the Schynige Platte (BOB) 800mm gauge cog trains were
loading passengers that had just arrived from Interlaken on the BOB
meter gauge (Berner Oberland Bahn) train. Not to let any rail
activity go unnoticed, we inspected the operation carefully before
heading off to Interlaken (563m) where we looked back across the large
meadow in the middle of town for a look at the Eiger-Moench-Jungfrau.
From here we headed east along the Brienzer Lake to Brienz where we
checked out the BRB steam cog railway as we ate lunch before riding on
through Meiringen where a life sized bronze of Holmes now sits on the
lawn in the middle of town, deerstalker hat, pipe, cape, and all.
We rode back over the Kirchet (709m) to Inertkirchen (625m) and up the
Grimsel road to Gutannen and Handegg before climbing to the imposing
dams of the Haslital Power Company that hold back the Aar river. Bits
of blue were visible through the clouds as we climbed in refreshingly
cool air and a trace of a drizzle to the top of the Grimsel pass
(2165m). As we climbed above the higher reservoir we saw the
Finsteraarhorn (4275m) where the Unter- and Oberaar rivers originate.
Unlike last summer there was no ice on the summit lake and no snow,
because spring came with such a heat wave that all the ice melted. We
stopped for a hot chocolate at the Gasthaus just before the descent to
Gletsch (1761m), that lies almost straight below in the Rhone valley.
While descending the stacked hairpins, we had a magnificent view of the
Furka Pass, 266m higher, and the desolate valley 400m below. Clouds
and late afternoon lighting gave the landscape a classic stormy
ambience that befits the Grimsel.
At Gletsch we dropped in on the DFB Furka Steam Railway station where
I paid my annual dues and bought a pile of literature to be sent to me
later. Then we headed up the Furka Pass (2431m) and stopped to take
obligatory pictures in front of the Rhone Glacier. As we reached the
summit, we could look down on the Grimsel, where late afternoon fog
was cascading through the gap to flood the valley where we had just
been: a real Goetterdaemmerung ambience if ever there were one.
We rolled down a nearly empty road to Realp (1538m) in the Furka Reuss
valley with the Oberalp Pass visible in the distance beyond Andermatt.
In Realp, we stopped at the DFB (Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke) engine
house. Richard warmed his hands on the immaculately restored steam
cogwheel engines that were still hot from a day's service on the hill.
A light rain began to fall as we rode the nearly level road to
Hospental (1452m), where we stopped for the day at Hotel Sternen.
3. Saturday, 6 July (Hospental-Trivero; 205km, 1444m): Under dark
skies we headed up the wide concrete paved Gotthard highway whose ramp
begins in Hospental. Here, above tree line, only scrub brush, grass,
wildflowers, and alpenrosen decorate the landscape. The alpenrose is
an azalea that is prevalent throughout the Alps adding a lovely
bouquet of pink and red among the many small flowers, like the
striking deep blue gentians, forget-me-nots, and the many varieties of
daisies and dandelions. At the summit there was no trace of the usual
huge piles of snow left from winter snow removal.
We took pictures through breaks in the fog of the old road, below in
the Val Tremola, with its stack of hairpins and Roman road that cuts
through it. In Airolo (1165m) the road levels off and cruises through
town before descending to the valley of Ambri-Piotta and Rodi-Fiesso,
from which it drops again to Faido and finally to the main valley in
Roveredo. Although the double track railway with its corkscrew
tunnels and many bridges is impressive, it is dwarfed by the split
level freeway with enormous bridges and tunnels, so high above that it
is out of the normal field of vision. The cost of such construction
is hardly questioned because it allows the public to ride this
amusement park without a perceptible entry fee. The Ticino River is
mostly diverted from its polished granite bed for power leaving only a
token flow of clear mountain water.
We stopped for lunch at the super market in Biasca near the railway
station, where a multistage waterfall descends from practically out of
the clouds to the valley, finally crossing over itself in two opposed
streams that flow from a swimming hole about 100m above. We rode on
to Bellinzona, Cadenazzo, and along the east shore of Lago Maggiore
(193m) under cloudy skies, past holiday homes with gardens of sweet
smelling wisteria and hydrangia, on the way to Italy.
After we crossed the border and because it was Saturday, we stopped in
Luino for a visit to the bancomat to get some Italian money. The
convenience of using an ATM card to withdraw cash from my checking
account is a great leap forward from the days of cashing travelers
checks, banks never being open when you need one. The lake looked
refreshing but the air temperature didn't encourage swimming. Just as
well, because it was the kind of cool air that suits bicycling. We
took the ferry from Laveno to the busy side of the lake in Verbania
from where we crossed the Toce river and headed up to Omegna (298m)
and the Lago d'Orta. Here traffic again dwindled to nothing after the
town, as we rode along the east shore of the lago d'Orta with its
picturesque red stone castle on an island.
Turning west at Gozzano (367m), we climbed to Pogno (461m) where the
evening bells were ringing in the slow rhythm common in this region.
In contrast to Gothic bells, these bells are suspended near their
center of gravity, giving them a slow and peaceful peal. With
accompaniment of the carillon, we climbed a small road through a
chestnut forest, common all over the Piemonte, up a canyon that ends
abruptly where the road enters a tunnel (598m) and descends to
Borgosesia (359m). Here the beautiful Sesia flows through a rough
granite riverbed where we could see large trout and swans as we
crossed the high arched stone bridge out of the city.
Continuing toward Biella through valleys with moribund textile mills,
we stopped for the day in Trivero (580m) where we found a hotel with a
good looking dining room. We were not disappointed, as Richard
savored a delicious porcini mushroom dinner and I had some fine pasta
and vitello. After swatting the resident mosquitos, we got a good
night's rest.
4. Sunday, 7 July (Trivero-Robilante; 222km, 1432m): We headed up the
road to Valle Mosso, just a short way up the road, and turned to Mosso
Santa Maria so Richard could see the "bridge to nowhere" to Pistolesa
(655m). Large signs just above Santa Maria proclaiming "Bungee
Center" seem to have finally given the bridge recognition for
something other than carrying practically no traffic. The eight foot
high safety fence now has a wide gate at midspan that can be opened
for jumpers for whom a red carpet covers the area in front of the
gate. The height of the bridge is impressive no matter in what
context you see it. After taking some pictures, we headed on through
the hills to Biella (410m) and Ivrea (245m). This route crosses
several ridges that are huge glacial moraines of the Val d'Aosta from
the ice age.
In Ivrea, we rode around the castle and descended to the old bridge in
the narrows of the Dora Baltea while swifts screamed in the air above,
chasing each other around the old fortress. I phoned Brian Tomlin, a
bikie who works here for Olivetti, but his wife said he was off racing
in Cuneo. Because we planned to pass through there anyway today, we
said we hoped to see him and continued south to Chivasso (184m) and
Torino (239m). In Chivasso we discovered that the bridge across the
Po river was still out, two years after the big washout, although
construction was in progress. We took the expressway along the north
shore into Torino and found a good restaurant near the river just
before the kitchen closed.
After lunch we headed south on Rt S20, the Tenda Highway, with 87km of
flat road to Cuneo (587m) where about 10km from town we began to see
the mountains emerge from the usual haze of the great Po valley. We
crossed the high stone arch road and rail viaduct over the Stura di
Demonte into Cuneo. The city was full of bike racers going in several
directions while police directed traffic on the affected thoroughfares
as groups of riders passed. We watched but soon realized that there
was no obvious place to find Brian. After a drink of water at the
great fountain in front of the train station, we headed west to Borgo
San Dalmazzo (641m) and on toward Robilante (686m) and the Albergo
Ristorante Aquila Reale, where we stopped for the day.
5. Monday, 8 July (Robilante-San Martine Vesubie; 137km, 3344m): As we
rode up the valley along the rail line, famous for being either in a
tunnel or on a bridge most of the 80km from to Ventimiglia, we saw
only a local passenger train. While the railway gained altitude in
looping tunnels and bridges and vanished in the mountain for long
stretches, we pushed up the 5% grade to Limone (1010m) where the road
gets steeper and the 8.09km Tenda railway tunnel, completed in 1913,
bores through the mountain to Vievola. Farther up, where the highway
enters the 3.18km Tenda highway tunnel (1320m), completed in its
present form in 1882, we headed up to the pass on the old road that
has been nicely paved to the Tenda summit (1908m) by the ski slope
concessionaire.
Pavement ends at the border as the road reverts to its 19th century
surface, a kilometer before the top, giving us a some practice
climbing on baseball sized gravel. The view at the summit exposes a
greater panorama than the altitude might suggest, in addition to stone
roadhouses that served travelers before the turn of the century, huge
fortifications, some of which were part of the Maginot line, stand
empty as sentinels of history.
Today the road's ancient harsh roadbed is gradually being paved, a few
curves at a time. Historic photographs of animal teams, steam
tractors, and solid tired, chain driven trucks that traveled this road
make today's "hardships" pale in comparison. The south side is still
a real 19th century road, steep and with more than sixty loose
surfaced hairpin turns that make tight going even for a jeep. The
road drops into the rocky gorge of the Roya river where it rejoins the
tunnel highway. We made our way carefully down the deeply rutted
turns as moto-cross bikes roared uphill, visibly relishing the
challenge of the old road.
We rejoined Italian Rt N20 as French Rt N204 at the south portal of
tunnel and rolled swiftly down the generous sweeping turns of the new
and improved road. At Vievola the railway emerges from its tunnel
only to vanish into a loop tunnel followed by many bridges as it
descends to Tende (816m). We stopped for lunch in Tende and visited
the ATM for French money. After lunch we coasted down the through the
vertical and overhanging walls of the Soarge Gorge. We could barely
make out the road to Soarge, that bores trough cliffs high above the
Roya, because its tunnels have few windows that reveal their route.
Soarge, as most of these hill towns, is surrounded by olive trees.
Besides olives we found figs and a late fruiting "glass" cherry tree
that offered its bounty as a pleasant adjunct to water from fountains
along the route.
We turned west just before Breil (286m) on Rt D2204 up the Col de
Brauis (879m). Although the weather was cool, the southern exposure
made riding noticeably warm as we began to climb and made the roadside
spring 2/3 of the way up a pleasure. The landscape here is
Mediterranean with sparse vegetation, olive trees and leafless broom
(gorse) blooming bright yellow with the smell of honey. As we
descended, the west portal of the relatively short rail tunnel from
Breil to Sospel (349m) was visible as fog from the sea rolled over the
hills to our south. In the cool weather the great ice cream store and
bar at junction of the Brauis and Turini lost its appeal to draw us in
as we took pictures of the old stone arch bridge over the Bevera with
buildings on it that remind me of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
We rode north up the valley on Rt D70 to the Turini pass (1607m), that
figures prominently in the Monte Carlo Automobile Rallye. The climb
starts gradually as the road heads into the ever narrower rocky canyon
of the Bevera before it passes through the monastery of Notre Dame de
Menour that straddles the road at a high narrows of the canyon. From
here the road is fairly flat through Moulinet, after which the it is
mostly shaded as it climbs through a pine forest. Without stopping at
the summit, where there is no view for the dense forest, we descended
toward the Vesubie river. After a few kilometers, a huge panorama
opened with the walled village of la Bollene-Vesubie in the
foreground, perched in picturesque beauty on a small knoll above the
dry hills of olives, gorse, and grass.
The road descends to the Vesubie and heads up Rt D2565, gradually
climbing to St Martin Vesubie (930m), a pleasant town where the valley
becomes narrow at the foot of the Col St Martin (1500m). It was about
that time of day and the pass was a bit far to reach before dinner, so
we called it a day in the lovely old Hotel Les Tres Ponts within the
walls of the old city. We ate at a restaurant up the main street from
the hotel and watched the street litter being swept away by rushing
water in the stone flume in the center of the steep main street.
6. Tuesday, 9 July (San Martine Vesubie-Col d'Allos; 129km, 3772m):
The climb up the Colmain or Col St Martin exposes a beautiful view of
the Vesubie valley as the road clings to rock walls between rough hewn
tunnels along the last kilometers to the top. Martins, swallow like
buff brown birds, fly through these tunnels where they nest in the
crags of the ceilings. The summit exposed a large ski area on the
west slope from which the road descends into dry and sparse vegetation
of the Tinee river gorge.
This descent reveals an entirely different panorama of mountains, with
roads that are tiring just to look at, with their tortuous curves
threading a path along barren rocky walls high in the mountains to
distant villages. Our road finally descended through rugged rock
walls to the Tinee river, where the main road Rt D2205 and river,
seemed to be vertically beneath us as we wound through tunnels
connected by bridges. We followed the Tinee, gradually climbing
toward St Sauveur sur Tinee (496m), where we turned west up Rt D30 to
Rubion and the Col de la Couillole (1678m). We stopped briefly at the
summit hotel, hoping to say hello to Sophie the proprietor, but she
was not in. We rode on to Beuil (1435m) and up to Valberg (1829m)
where we took the "back" road, Rt D28, that follows the wild and rocky
course the the river, to Guillaumes (819m) where we ate a hearty lunch
at a hotel.
We took Rt D2202, that had practically no traffic, up the Var river
toward the Col de la Cayolle, enjoying pleasantly cool air. We
crossed the "temporary" Bailey bridges over the Var that looked just
as permanent as they did in previous years. We stopped for a snack
refresher in San Martine d'Entraunes (1260m), the sleepy village at
the foot of the Col de Cayolle (2327m), before backtracking a little
to head up the Col de Champs (2191m) that, like the Cayolle, lies in
the Parc National du Mercantour, a nature preserve, with wildflowers
instead of ski lifts, hotels, and kiosks. The serenity and lack of
traffic on this route through high meadows made this a wonderful
experience. The descent to Colmars (1235m) is over an even smaller
rough asphalt road that is mostly hidden in a forest of larch. From
Colmars the road climbs gradually to la Foux d'Allos (1425m), where we
stopped for the night at a mostly empty ski hotel with a good menu.
7. Wednesday, 10 July (Allos - Col du Lauteret) 129km; 3772m): From
Allos the road got smaller as the ski influence waned and we climbed
higher into fields of wildflowers and grazing sheep and cows. The
road made the last traverses on bridges and revetments as it clung to
the steep slope on the way to the top of the Col d'Allos (2250m). The
21km descent was again in the park and traversed pristine high alpine
terrain along the canyon of the Bachelard river as we came down to
Barcelonnette (1150m) to join Rt D902, the Route des Grandes Alpes.
Now we were in the Ubaye valley and rode to Jausiers (1215m) where the
road from the Bonette (2780m), a scenically less rewarding but higher
route, comes in from the south. Above Condamine the Col d'Larche
(1991m) took most traffic to Cuneo and our road got smaller. We
stopped in St. Paul s. Ubaye (1470m) for lunch at the grocery store
before riding to the top of the Col de Vars (2111m). Here we bought
some postcards and a soda at the old shack that was already there in
1960 when I first rode here. After a short descent a panorama to the
north, up the Durance river toward Briancon, opened with Guillestre
(1000m) far below in the foreground.
We arrived in Guillestre just before noon and bought a grocery store
lunch that we enjoyed in the shade of the church on the main square
before heading along the cliffs above the Guil river toward the Izoard
pass. The road climbs along the crags, going in and out of bare rock
tunnels, climbing very little before to meet the rushing river farther
upstream. At Chateau Queyeras our route D902 takes a sharp turn left
up the Riviere valley while the road to the Colle dell'Agnello (2809m)
goes straight. We arrived in Arvieux (1544m) at about 2PM, as the
otherwise closed grocery store was receiving some supplies and the
owner invited us to shop for what we needed, a convenient serendipity.
Above at Brunissard, the road was under construction without much
attention to dust abatement, so it was loose and dusty right at the
steepest part of the climb. Traffic control was so poor that,
although there wasn't much, it caused a snarl of cars in the midst of
the construction for the next couple of kilometers. Once past this
obstacle, things got normal and we rolled over the false summit, took
pictures at the Coppi memorial, and rode to the top of the Col
d'Izoard (2361m) with its museum of bicycle racing memorabilia from
the Tour de France in the days when alpine passes were unpaved and
gears on bicycles were few.
It was fair sailing down to Briancon (1391m), with a mixture of sun
and clouds, and without the headwind that usually blows up the valley.
Just before town, Richard's seat post broke off at the joint between
head and post, but he wasn't sitting down at the moment of failure
because the road was so rough. Fortunately we were a stones throw
from an excellent bike shop and got a Vitus replacement that looked
more sturdy than the old one. From here we rolled up Rt N91 with its
gradual slope at 4% to 5% to the Col du Lauteret (2095m). To the
experienced eye the summit of the Galibier is visible above the valley
in the distance. We stopped for the night in the Hotel du Glaciers at
the summit where my old friend Paul Bonnabel had turned over the
operation to his nephew, who seemed to have the kitchen and other
things well in hand.
8. Thursday, 11 July (Lauteret-Seez; 157km, 2976m): We set out in the
morning under a clear cold sky that called for a jacket for the first
few kilometers before reaching the lee side of the mountain where the
sun did some warm-ups. Here, only two days earlier, the Tour de
France had been turned back by snowstorms. We, on the other hand,
found green wildflower bedecked fields with scattered patches of new
snow and marmots that whistled sharply and ran to their burrows as we
approached. Above the old summit tunnel (2555m) the road follows the
older right-of-way, irregular in width, grade, and alignment, and with
a bit of 13% to wake up the sleepers to the top of the Galibier
(2645m). We took pictures at the summit, of glaciers glistening with
fresh white coats, and the views of the valleys to the north and south
that seemed endless. If the glaciers, of the Massif du Sorieller
(4000m) to the south and those of the Massif de la Vanoise (3600m) to
the north, don't make an impression, the sign proclaiming their beauty
couldn't help.
From here the road, covered in graffiti for this year's canceled TdF
stage, winds in broad curves to Plan Lachat. Much of this section
can be seen from the summit and is a common view in TV reports of the
Tour de France. Speeds are about 60 km/h if you try hard, but these
"accidentally" often get translated to 60 mph by TV commentators.
From Valloire (1430m), the road climbs gradually up a mild but
significant rise to the Telegraph (1570m), a Roman signal relay
station and early French fortress that commands a clear view up and
down the Maurienne valley of Arc river. The road descends from the
Telegraph in a pine forest with many turns to St Michel (712m) where
it joins Rt N6. We headed up the valley toward Modane (1057m), the
portal of the Frejus road and railway tunnels, where we stopped at the
Super Marche for lunch. We checked out the large rail yard in front
of the passenger station and saw several SNCF 1500VDC (French)
locomotives on the south side of the voltage division and a bunch of
"brown bomber" 3000VDC FS (Italian) locomotives on the north end.
Diesel locomotives handle movements that cross the change and each
railway has switchable voltage tracks where trains pull in. Dual
voltage passenger locomotives travel straight through.
Above Modane, at la Bourget on the valley floor, we saw the supersonic
wind tunnel that seems out of place, there being no major airstrip
nearby. The road levels off as it reaches the narrows below Avrieux,
where a huge fortress covers most of the rocky ridge that blocks the
gorge of the Arc. The Pont du Diable, a spindly foot bridge spans the
chasm, making it look even more threateningly high. Farther up the
valley at Lanslebourg (1399m), where the Col du Mont Cenis heads south
to Torino, we turned north up the Col du Madeleine (1746m), a short
steep bump on Rt D902 to the high valley of the Arc.
This beautiful flat valley, with side valleys to the east that expose
views of glaciers covered peaks, ends at Bonneval sur Arc (1835m).
Bonneval, at the foot of the climb to the Col d'Iseran, is a small
village of ancient grey stone buildings with stone roofs and catacomb
like cellars. In the sun it has a friendly appearance in stark
contrast to its deathly grey when under cloudy skies. We got a snack
and headed up the hill toward the first upper valley. The falls that
cascaded from the high valley were not as spectacular as in other
years because most of the snow had already melted. The road crosses
the valley and sweeps up the steep north slope to begin the second
climb to the narrows above the falls. The road levels off on a bench
in the rock above the falls and passes through several tunnels before
crossing the river again and climbing up the side of the highest
valley with its ski slopes and piles of avalanche snow.
At the end of this valley, we rounded the only hairpin and headed up
the last kilometer to the summit of the Iseran (2770m) where we had
our pictures taken sitting on the large concrete and stone road sign
that is more a monument than a sign and demands to be climbed. It
seemed fairly new when I first had my picture taken on it in 1960 with
two friends. Today it is still pretty solid although a bit faded.
The descent into Val d'Isere was on pleasantly smooth pavement with
light traffic for a change. As always, the mountains were impressive,
with glaciers on 3700m peaks. We coasted briskly right through town
and climbed the little bump before entering a series of tunnels that
drop to the Lac du Chevril (2000m) dam. After the dam, the road
descends more steeply with some fairly swift sections before leveling
out in the bottom of the valley to Seez (920m) at the junction of Rt
D902 and Rt N90, the Petit St Bernard (2188m) pass to Aosta. We
stopped before Seez in a hotel that I found a couple of years ago.
9. Friday, 12 July (Seez-Argentiere; 134km, 3112m): We rode through
Seez and down to Bourg St Maurice (840m), where we turned north toward
Les Chapieux (1552m) and the Cormet de Roselend (1968m) on Rt D217.
The climb was pleasantly cool and as we passed Les Chapieux we could
see the Col de la Seigne (2516m) off to the east and the walls of Mont
Blanc. We met an antique car rallye at the summit with Amilcars,
Bentleys, Bugattis, and Model-A Fords of all things. We rolled
through a large herd of cows and a smaller herd of rallye cars that
were also making their way to the high country, as we coasted down to
the lake behind the huge Barrage de Roselend (dam) 730m above Beaufort
(743m). In town I enjoyed a "frutta di mare", seven seafood pizza
with a large Pelforth beer, in the first restaurant on the right.
From Beaufort sur Doron, a road cuts north across the mountain over
the Col des Saisies (1633m) to Flumet (917m). From here Rt N212 stays
high as it crosses to St Gervais (807m) above which we could just make
out Mont Blanc through the haze. A cogwheel train climbs through St
Gervais (807m) up to the Nid d'Aigle (2386m). It's a short descent to
le Fayet (589m) where we took the elevated highway to Chamonix
(1037m). As we approached town, we could see bits of Mont Blanc
(4248m) directly above with its glaciers descending to the valley
floor. Foot traffic in the center of Chamonix, a pedestrian zone, was
dense enough to make walking faster than riding.
We finished the day four hairpin turns above Argentiere (1257m) at a
friend's house located on a meadow overlooking the valley. As luck
would have it, he was home, although I could not reach him with
several telephone attempts earlier. Before going to bed, we watched
the Argentier fireworks celebrating Bastille, held two days in advance
of the holiday to not conflict with the next night's show in Chamonix.
10. Saturday, 13 July (Argentiere-Argentiere; 0km, 2805m): We got a
good breakfast, dressed like civilians and drove into town to take the
aerial tram to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m) on Mont Blanc, a rise of
2805m, nearly straight up in two swings. With perfectly clear skies,
zero degrees C, and no wind, we enjoyed perfect viewing of the
mountain, the many climbers, the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa in
Switzerland, and a solid panorama of white peaks to the south as we
stood on the observation platform. This is the way to enjoy a rest
day. We stayed up there about two hours, after which we visited the
outdoor market and bought groceries including a bag of chanterelles
and some fine cheeses. That evening Chamonix put on its fireworks one
day early to avoid celebrating the holiday on a hangover Sunday night.
11. Sunday, 14 July (Argentiere-Hospental; 190km, 2524m): As we rode
over the Col des Montets (1461m) we could see that the meter gauge
rail line, that runs from Martigny in Switzerland to Chamonix, is
still powered by an unprotected 750VDC third rail as it runs through
the countryside. We mailed postcards with French postage and crossed
into Switzerland, descending to the turn-off to Finhaut (1224m), just
before the climb to the Col de la Forclaz (1520m). Here we rode along
the north side of the Gorge del Trient, to the one lane restricted
access road that parallels the rail line. This is a major scenic
shortcut to Martigny (417m) and the Rhone valley.
In Martigny we got something to eat, changed money, and headed up the
valley toward Sion and Brig, a flat 82km away on Rt N9. The weather
was cool with blue skies and scattered puffs of clouds, as we caught
the favorable breeze that gets stronger throughout the day in the
summer. As we rode through well tended vineyards that cover most of
the valley's floor and its terraced lower slopes, traffic was anywhere
else but here. It was a great day for an easy cruise. We stopped in
Sion (512m) at a store that happened to be open for our lunch and
again at a fruit stand where we wolfed down a large basket of dark red
cherries and chatted with some Dutch motorcyclists. At about Susten,
above the narrows in the valley, the language changes from French to
German, making the canton Valaise into the canton Wallis.
About 15km before Brig, the BLS (Bern-Loetschberg-Simplon) railway,
600m above, emerges from the Loetschental, clinging to the walls as it
passes over graceful stone-arch bridges and through many tunnels on
its descent to Brig (648m). We rode through the center of town where
the streets are now pedestrian malls and allow only busses to enter by
ingenious 30cm diameter hydraulic barrier posts that lower into the
street when a bus approaches. After checking out the FO and BVZ
trains in the Bahnhofplatz, we headed east on Rt N19 toward the Furka
pass. As we left town we saw the two portals of the 20 km Simplon
railway tunnel with the dates 1905 and 1921, first single track and
then the second parallel bore 16 years later. As we climbed to Fiesch
(1062m) where the valley is steeper, the Rhone was clear and full in
contrast to the snow-melt of spring.
As everywhere in Switzerland, hay was being gathered in the lowlands
while the cows were in the high country, eating the grass that's too
hard to reach. The lowland growth is dried green and stored for
winter when the cows remain indoors all day. Gathering hay is a
family affair in which the city relatives come out to the farm to
help. The growing season is short and the winter long up here in the
north, considering that Naples and New York are on the same latitude.
As we passed Bretten and Fiesch, we saw large parking lots, hotels,
and cableways that take visitors northward to the ridge above the giant
Aletsch glacier that starts at the Jungfrau and reaches 23km nearly to
Brig. At both of these towns, the road makes a major climb, the
railway switches to cogwheel drive, the Rhone becomes a cascade, and
we shifted into lower gears. After that, it's a breeze to the end of
the valley.
At Ulrichen (1349m) we could see the start of the Nufenen pass (2478m)
vanish into a narrow dark valley as we rode on to Oberwald (1371m)
where the FO enters the new 8km Furka tunnel and the climb to the
Grimsel and Furka passes begins. Three kilometers up, the Hotel
Rhonequelle, a good place to stay, was closed for a complete
renovation. I hope it doesn't turn expensive and unfriendly. From
here it is only a short climb to Gletsch (1759m) where the still
dormant DFB cogwheel right-of-way enters a 270 degree loop tunnel to
gain nearly 50m as it enters the mountain far below the highway only
to emerge in the inside of a hairpin turn a short way up the road.
It looked like "off-season" as we rode up the Furka (2431m) for the
second time. The DFB railway was constructing a new crossing on the
Furka road and had made amazing progress since our previous visit 9
days earlier. In contrast to our first crossing, today was a bright
sunny day, but as we approached the summit, we looked back at the
Grimsel to see the icy fog pour down from the pass toward Gletsch as
usual. The descent to Realp (1538m) was swift as we overtook a large
platoon of twenty or so cars that seemed to almost be a team. We
stopped in Hospental (1452m) where our usual digs were full up, so we
stayed at the hotel St Gotthard that turned out to have great food and
to be comfortable but expensive. The plush surroundings with heated
towel racks was good for a change as we dried laundry and slept well.
12. Monday, 15 July (Hospental-Brusio; 208km, 3000m): We headed down
to Andermatt (1447m) at the foot of the Oberalp pass (2044m). The
road climbs through meadows alongside the FO railway to the summit,
where it shares the shore of the lake for about a kilometer in an
avalanche shed. After an initial steep descent with hairpin turns,
the road descends more gradually along the upper (Vorder-)Rhein valley
past Disentis (1142m) where the Lukmanier Pass (1916m) heads south.
Here the FO railway hands off the Glacier Express to the RhB railway
(Rhaetische Bahn) on its trip to St Moritz. In Ilanz (699m) we took
the scenic route along the south side of the valley through Carrera
climbing to Verasam (908m), in contrast to the main highway through
Flims (1081m), that is longer, less scenic, and full of traffic. The
last unpaved km's, just before Versam were finally being paved even
though there is no skiing there to pay for the roadwork.
The descent from Versam to Bonaduz (655m) crosses 200m above the gorge
of the Habiusa river near its confluence with the Vorderrhein. At
Bonaduz we turned south up the Hinterrhein valley, passing through
Rhaezuens, the mineral water town, Thusis. From here, the road climbs
through long tunnels up the Schyn valley along the Albula river
through Tiefencastel (851m), where the Julier pass (2284m) heads south
to St Moritz. We stopped at the RhB train station there to place my
order annual of RhB scenic wall calendars.
Farther up the valley, as we approached Filisur (1023m), we saw the
famous Landwasser viaduct, where the RhB crosses the gorge and
vanishes into a tunnel in a vertical granite wall. In Berguen
(1386m), the RhB has one of their Krokodil locomotives on display in
front of the station of this town that has no level streets. After
Berguen the road climbs some 12% sections amidst the looping bridges
of the railway as it climbs to the 8km Albula tunnel at Preda (1789m).
The road threads its way under and over the rail line making the
experience almost as good as riding the Glacier or Bernina express.
The sky became cloudy as we continued up the Albula pass (2315m) with
its high meadows in full bloom. Traffic is usually light here because
most traffic blasts over the shorter and straighter Julier pass to the
west. The Albula remained one of the last unpaved roads and has kept
its bucolic nature even today through its remoteness. The descent to
La Punt (1687m) in the Inn valley is fairly steep but with a good
surface (its first pavement) so that hard braking comes easily. Once
in the valley, we headed west to Samedan and then south to Pontresina,
where we made a big grocery store fuel stop before heading up the
Bernina pass (2328m).
We failed to get a train shot at the famed Bellavista railway curve/
crossing, although a train came down the hill just after we headed up.
It wasn't a big loss though because it was dark and overcast and the
Morteratsch glacier was mostly obscured, and no sign of Piz Bernina.
We got to the summit and took pictures under threatening skies at
about 6:30. Before pushing off we exchanged road stories with two
riders who had arrived at the same time as we, one who had just come
from Livigno and the other who was going there.
After a few kilometers the descent became less than swift because the
road was wet from recent showers that were still drizzling a bit here
and there. Farther down the rain had not reached Poschiavo so the
road was dry from there onward past La Prese and Miralago on Lago di
Poschiavo (962m), before the final blast down to Hotel Bettoni in
Brusio (780m) for the day's stop. We were well taken care of by Mr.
and Mrs. Beti who run this fine establishment.
13. Tuesday, 16 July (Brusio-S Antonio; 110km, 3070m): We heard the
howl of wheel flanges from trains on the 7% grade coming up the Brusio
360 degree loop bridge. As we got to Campocologno, where the RhB and
road cross the Poschiavino river on the same bridge, a train
approached, causing the crossing gates at both ends of the bridge to
close while the train crossed in a slalom between them. At Madonna di
Tirano we turned left to Tirano (433m) and Tovo (526m) where we turned
up the Passo di Mortirolo, a pass renowned for its effect on the Giro
d'Italia. The road was not marked by a conventional road sign but had
a brown one used for parks and scenic areas. The road is just wide
enough for one car, is well paved with asphalt and starts right out
with some steep jabs. After awhile the steepness becomes constant as
the road climbs through deciduous woods with few vistas to the valley.
On some 20% grade sections, graffiti of encouragement for Italian
racers covered the road. Occasionally there was one with "Bugno 52-
12" just when the 20% grade was getting tiring. The summit is
actually the Passo della Foppa (1852m) but this seems to constitute
the modern summit of the Mortirolo. This climb is decidedly steeper
and higher than the long way around over the Passo d'Aprica (1176m).
Near the summit we saw cars of mushroom hunters who were busy
searching the woods. The road joins Rt N42 at Monno (868m) where we
headed up toward Ponte di Legno. Mushroom hunters sat at the roadside
here and there with their cache, holding up a porcini for the passing
gourmet. We arrived in Temu' (1144m), at the Hotel Veduta dell
Adamello, in time for Silvano Macculotti to serve up a great lunch of
gnocchi, vitello, and tiramisu. True power food that nearly stopped me
in mid afternoon at the base of the Gavia.
We rode through Ponte di Legno (1258m), where the Pso Tonale (1258m)
heads south, while we followed the ice cold and raging Oglio
Frigidolfo river to San Apollonia (1585m). Here the river suddenly
loses its bite in high valle del Messi where it meanders through
meadows. I drank a soda and went to sleep in the grass near the Hotel
San Apollonia. After I settled my heavy lunch with a short snooze we
sampled both flavors of Apollonia water, heavy in minerals and some
fizz, and went up the hill to the Passo di Gavia (2621m).
The Gavia, although steep, has always been an easy climb because it is
so scenic and so "civilized". Its steepness is always balanced by
easier sections that seem to come along just when you want them. Its
warnings also seem more severe than the terrain suggests:
Tracciato Tortuoso e Stretto
Privo di protezioni Marginate
Possibile Piano Viabile Ghiacciato
SS n300 del Passo Gavia
dal Km 13+000 al Km 37+000
Dal 1 Settembre al 15 Luglio
Obbligo di Catena a Bordo
So it's a tortuous and narrow road with little protection from going
over the side. The roadway may be covered with snow and chains are
obligatory all but six weeks of the year. On top of that there is
another sign with a "fill in the blanks" avalanche road closure.
Chiuso al Transito Dal Km____ al Km ____
Pericolo di Valanghe
For a change, I rode through he tunnel instead of walking around the
now closed cliff section, where rock-fall has made passage more
difficult every year since the tunnel was built. At the summit, my
poster of the cliff passage was in good shape and the owner poured me
a drink on the house as has been the custom all these years while
Richard ate a blueberry tart. We descended under light clouds with
great visibility along the high valley where the glacier covered peaks
of the Ortler, Gran Zebru, and neighbors showed off their fresh snow.
After Santa Caterina (1780m), we rolled down the long swift straight
sections against a light breeze and stopped in San Antonio (1339m)
just above Bormio.
14. Wednesday, 17 July (S Antonio-Welschenofen; 156km, 2600m): We
were still a bit above Bormio (1225) so we coasted down to town where
we checked out the still sleeping downtown before heading up Rt N38 to
the Val Braulio and the Stelvio pass. There was almost no traffic
after we passed Rt N301 that branches north over the Foscagno (2291m)
and Eira (2208m) to Livigno at the edge of Bormio. We climbed under a
mixture of sunshine and clouds with refreshingly cool air and no wind.
After the Swiss border and Umbrail summit (2498m), there was a little
traffic up the last 3.2 km to the top, 262m higher. As we got within
300m of the summit, I felt drawn to the top of this great pass, that I
had first ridden in 1959, and began to sprint effortlessly at any
speed I liked, accelerating all the way over the top. It was an
emotional experience to once more blast over this great climb. We
took the usual pictures of the amazing road down the east side, below
the towering Ortler (3905m) with its glacier dome, brilliant with
fresh snow. I bought a bunch of the famous postcard that is again
available in its original black and white, and headed down the 48
hairpin turns to Prato (913m).
We got some lunch in Prato and rode to Spondinig (885m) where we
crossed the now defunct FS rail line to Malles and headed down the
Adige river in the Val Venosta to Merano (302m), with its newly
refurbished main street before heading out to Bolzano (262m). Bolzano
has a marvelous city center that can easily be the model for any city,
with its great mix of classic architecture from various periods, in
history, and the endless array of shops and specialty stores along the
stone paved streets, the narrow alleys, and its classic main square.
From here it was a short run up the Eisack valley to Cardano where we
turned up the Eggental Rt N241 toward the Costalunga pass.
The Eggenbach flows from a wall of rock behind Cardano that seems to
defy penetration, except that the road is cut into the vertical
granite walls of the canyon, diving through tunnels where the river
has cut a crooked gorge through the cliffs. The road does this with
16% grades, obviously seeing little sunshine even at high noon. The
gorge gradually gave way to grassy valley and forested uplands as we
gained altitude. Signs are posted throughout the region prohibiting
the gathering of mushrooms. I'm not sure that this has as much to do
with protecting mushrooms as it does with protecting the mushroom
market. Gradually meadows and dairyland became the foreground to
glimpses of the beautiful Dolomites as we approached Welschenofen
(1182m). We stopped for the day at the Hotel Diana where the road
leveled off above town, a short distance below the Lago di Carezza.
15. Thursday, 18 July (Welschenofen-Cortina; 121km, 2800m): We pulled
out of plush Hotel Diana after a hearty breakfast with all the steep
stuff behind us, and rolled to the beautiful Lago di Carezza with its
deep blue-green waters through which we could see to the bottom while
the myriad spires of the Latemar (2842m) reflected on the surface. On
the great meadows below the Rosengarten (2981m), aptly named for its
overwhelming sunset displays, was the Hotel Carezza, a beautiful
vestige of grand hotel architecture from the turn of the century, with
massive gabled roofs and dormer windows that accentuate its mass.
This and other landmark hotels took years to restore after damage and
disuse during and after WW2.
After the junction with the Nigerjoch Pass (part of which is the 24%
road to Tiers), it was only a couple of hairpin curves to the top of
the Costalunga (1745m) and the long gradual descent to Vigo di Fassa
(1400m) and on to Pozza di Fassa up Rt N48 along the Torrente Avisio
to Canazei (1465m) at the base of the Pordoi and Sella passes. We
headed up the Pordoi, turning north on Rt N242 to the Sella, in the
shadow of the Gruppo di Sella and Piz Boe'(3152m) directly above. The
Dolomites are almost entirely vertical walls with millions of spires
of white and orange, weathered stone. We could make out several
climbing parties against the towering cliffs. Unpaved roads in the
area exposes the white stone so that riding there is as hard on the
eyes as skiing is without sun glasses.
The view from the Sella pass (2213m) revealed the Marmolada glacier
(3343m), the Pordoi pass (2339m), and the Sasso Lungo (3179m) to the
west. From the summit we could see the road descend toward Ortisei
and the junction with Rt N243 (1780m) to the Gardena pass around the
other side of the Gruppo di Sella. There seemed to be a million cars
parked everywhere with people reveling in the brilliant weather as we
descended toward the junction. Several hairpin turns took us up
through fields of wildflowers to the long straight flat run under the
shade of the northern side of the Sella before the hairpins to the
Gardena summit (2121m).
From the Gardena it was all down hill for the next 30km as we rode
through Corvara (1555m) and on Rt N244 down the Val Badia along its
Torrente Gadera, stopping for lunch in Piccolino. The day was warming
up, so we stopped again farther down the road to eat a watermelon from
a roadside stand, before going on to Lonega [Zwischenwasser] (1005m).
Here we turned southeast up the gradual climb through the long
straight Val di Marebbe, and Val di San Vigilio that ends at Rifugio
Pederu' (1540m). Here private roads, open only to hikers and
bicycles, head up into the mountains. Last year I took the route to
Rifugio Sennes (2126m), so this time we rode up the other valley to
Rifugio Fanes (2060m). This turned out to be a longer and less steep
road, but also less scenic.
Richard managed to ride most of the way to the Rifugio, but then the
road got looser, rougher and steeper. I made do with walking the
steeper sections and riding about 2/3 the way which didn't slow us
down much because there was still some steep bike pushing ahead before
we got to the top. From here the road was just a rocky trail because
there was little jeep traffic and finally the road became a rocky
trace. Sections farther down had been improved by the park service
but they were isolated by long sections that were not, and were awash
with large rock. Not having a tire fat enough to absorb the rocks, we
decided to walk some of the roughest parts parts where it was good to
see that some riders with suitable equipment could descend.
As we descended the Val di Fanes we came upon the Ponte Alto from
which we could look straight down to the Rio Travenanzes, that
appeared to be 100m below this seemingly unremarkable bridge at the
edge of the meadow. As on the other road I took last year, some of
the steepest parts of this barely passable trail were paved with
continuous roughly finished concrete to prevent erosion. Finally we
passed a gate at a parking lot after which the road became a single
smoothly paved lane. We rolled down to Rt N51 and on to Cortina where
we found a good hotel just out of town.
16. Friday, 19 July (Cortina-Strassen; 158km, 3408m): The sun was out
although we were still in the shadows of the Pomagagnon ridge that hid
Monte Cristallo (3221m) and Crodo Rossa (3146m) from view. We rode
through Cortina and up the Falzarego road Rt N48 with le Tofane
(3243m) overhead as we rode to Pocol (1453m), taking in the panorama
of Cortina below, surrounded by these magnificent mountains. Here we
took Rt N638, the Pso di Giau (2233m). The road climbs as though the
terrain had been tilted after the road was built so that some runs are
steep while others are inexplicably flat. Meanwhile the many peaks
that can be seen from the Giau gradually came into view. As we were
taking pictures on the summit, we met a rider whom we had met days
before on the Bernina. We compared routes and experiences before
heading down the south side, that is much steeper than the side we had
ridden up, but its broad curves make it a pleasant descent.
At the bottom we joined Rt N251 at Selva di Cadore, stopped at the
grocery store for a bite and headed up the valley along the Torrente
Fiorentina to the Forcla Staulanza (1773m) in the shadow of towering
Monte Pelmo (3168m) just about straight overhead. We rolled down the
Rio Conedo to Forno (810m) and headed north up Rt N347, the Pso
Cibiana (1530m). We looked for a good place to eat lunch but found
neither an open grocery store nor a restaurant along this small but
pleasant road. We eventually found a small hotel a few kilometers
before the summit that seemed to be expecting us. We had a huge plate
of pasta with a rich meat sauce that carried us over the top.
We descended through the town of Cibiana and across the Torrente Boite
on a high bridge before a short steep grunt up to Rt N51 that passes
through Cortina. Just below the junction we noticed an odd building,
here, in the middle of nowhere. We recognized it as a train station
and upon closer inspection found that the shady side had a display of
photos of the meter gauge electric railway that used to pass here on
its way to Cortina. The man who lived in the old station came out to
tell us more about about it but our command of Italian was not good
enough to take advantage of his knowledge. Today, although much of
the right-of-way is a local dirt road or hiking trail, rails and cross
ties are still visible in the pavement at crossings and places where
the railway ran in streetcar fashion on the highway. I recall seeing
these trains on my early rides in the Dolomites, and I also saw it
enter the Cortina station in Peter Sellers' first Pink Panther movie.
As we approached Cortina I was determined not to take the circuitous
route through town and spotted the proper place to take the "rails to
trails" path into town that comes in at the top of the Cortina at the
railway station, that now only serves buses, right at the junction
with the road we wanted to take out of town. It worked perfectly as
we rode over the viaduct under which the main route climbs steeply
from downtown to the station. From here we headed up Rt N48 to the
Pso Tre Croce (1809m) from where we could look again on the beauty of
the bowl in which Cortina lies with all the great peaks surrounding
it, the Pso di Giau just visible on the far side.
From here it is a short descent to the junction Misurina and the Col
San Angelo (1756m), also known as the Misurina pass. The summit lake
was almost smooth and made a reasonable reflecting pool for the Tre
Cime di Laveredo (3003m) standing bright in the afternoon light. From
here the descent is swift at first but the long haul down the Valle di
Landro is easy only if there is no headwind. There was none as we
followed the right-of-way of the old railway that once connected to
the FS at Dobbiaco [Toblach] (1241). Here we turned east down the
Pustertal along the Drau river into Austria, stopping at Strassen
(1140m). After passing up the Sport Hotel in the center of town,
deterred by the many sport utility vehicles with mountain bikes, we
found a comfortable hotel above town far from the highway.
17. Saturday, 20 July (Strassen-Wald; 164km, 2900m): Clear cool
weather greeted us for the morning as we headed down the valley to
Lienz (673m) and up Rt N107 to the Iselsberg (1204m) a steep 13% grunt
for the first section that climbs over the ridge into the Moelltal and
Rt N107 to the Gross Glockner road. The Iselsberg has a beautiful
broad top that gives a last view back to the Dolomites as well as a
view of the Alps to the north. We stopped at the grocery store at the
road junction in Winklern (958m) for a mid morning snack before
dropping to the bottom of the valley at 900m. From here the road
rises gradually to Heiligenblut (1301m) at the base of the climb. In
Heiligenblut the grocery store at the junction of the main street and
the highway was open as it is everyday, all year. Here we put away a
substantial lunch before pushing off into the 12% grade that starts
abruptly right in front of the store.
The climb was marvelously refreshing because we had an almost chilling
breeze under clear skies. There were other tourists and car assisted
riders on the road, and one of these had his wife photographing him at
nearly every turn in the road. She also took our pictures often and
at the top offered to send us prints. I took her to be a bit over
enthusiastic but Richard couldn't leave well enough alone and gave her
his camera to take a couple of shots. As it turned out she shot up
about 20 pictures of his last roll of film before we got to the top.
I am curious what these show. From the 200m long Hochtor (2505m)
tunnel, it's a brisk descent to the lake at the Mitteltoerl (2328m)
tunnel and a steep climb to Fuschertoerl (2428m). The brisk wind made
me think of disk wheels because even my MA-2 slender rims made
descending a bit wobbly. Meanwhile, Richard spotted a couple of hawks
hovering on the updrafts while surveying the lush meadows for a rodent
lunch.
From Fuschertoerl the Glockner (3798m) was glistening white as it
peeked through the clouds across the gorge. From here the descent
went swiftly as it always does with a 12% grade and good pavement, and
the final swoop to the toll gate was no exception. On the way down we
passed several motorcycles that had to rely more on their brakes and
less on wind resistance than we. From the Bison park at the toll gate
it was fairly warm as we rolled down to Bruck (757m) and headed to
Zell am See and up the valley to Mittersill and on to Wald (867m) at
the foot of the old Gerlos pass. We rode up the old and steep one
lane road to just before the 500m of 18% to Hotel Grubl where I had
stayed in the past. I thought it a good place to stop, even if only
to say hello. As it turned out, Mrs Kaiser greeted us and said she
had expected (!) us because her son had seen us down the valley as he
drove to Mittersill. Had we not stopped there I would have had big
egg on my face. It was well worth the stop because the hospitality
was great and the next stage was the longest.
18. Sunday, 21 July (Wald-Fuldera; 259km, 2620m): After a full
breakfast with boiled egg, cold cuts, cheese and hot rolls and jam, we
headed up the 18% wall that levels off at the next hotel. It is a
good hustle and it takes all my breath. The rest of the hill is a
snap except for one other steep spot that is only a short sprint
around a curve before crossing the headwaters of the Salzach, the river
that flows through Salzburg. As we climbed, we could see the end of
the Pinzgau valley at the town of Krimml with its huge waterfall, that
appears to erupt from the wall, still lying in the shadow of the
mountains. The top of the old Gerlos pass (1486m) is as unspectacular
as the subsequent view, high over the artificial Gerlos lake
reflecting the magnificent peaks to the south, is spectacular.
The road hangs on the side of the mountain as it gradually descends to
the town of Gerlos (1245m) and on to Hainzenberg (905m) where it dives
to Zell am Ziller (595m) and the Zillertal Bahn with its 760mm gauge
steam train. From here it's a long flat haul down the valley to
Strass (523m) at the Inn river, where we turned west toward Innsbruck.
This is a nice route because the freeway has drained off most traffic
and the wind often blows upstream in the summer. In spite of this, we
rode past a long traffic jam in Wattens that was caused by a Sunday
parade of local marching bands with traditional folk costumes and
banners. We rolled along nicely in such pleasant weather that we
didn't notice cool air from riding near the icy river. Last year it
was so hot that any breeze that came off the Inn was like a blast from
a refrigerator in contrast.
We toured the center of Innsbruck (574m), saw the golden roofed porch,
the MacDonalds hamburgers across the way from that and all the
beautiful buildings the travel brochures extol. I find Bolzano more
inviting. We left town staying on the north side of the river,
crossing over at Zirl to Rt N7 and stopped in Hatming for a relaxing
and leisurely lunch in the hotel's chestnut shaded yard. We got a
late start and a slow run up to the Oetztal (Timmelsjoch, Pso Rombo).
Here, on high bridges, the road first crosses the Ache river at the
mouth of the Oetztal, and then the Inn, before a two kilometer climb
before descending toward Imst. Instead of going up the main road to
Imst, that lies high on the side of the valley, we took the turnoff to
the river rafting set-in, where a bicycle path parallels the river on
the most direct and level route toward Landeck (816m). Here where we
turned south on Rt N187, to the Reschen pass.
The road from Landeck is narrow and winding as it climbs along the
wall of the Inn canyon, but where the road widens, a sign declares it
an autoroute (no bicycles). I have used this road in the past with no
problem, but this time an irate driver honked and gesticulated as she
drove off. Fortunately we made good time and were a kilometer or so
from Pfunds, the end of the section, before the police arrived to
shunt us onto a circuitous and hilly side road. From Pfunds (971m)
the road climbs out of the Inn valley, clinging to the rocky canyon
walls as it winds through tunnels and ledges and finally through the
Finstermuetz fortress to break out onto high meadows at Nauders
(1365m). A short way past the Italian border we reached the summit of
the Reschen pass (1508m) with its 10km ride around the Reschen lake.
Only the church steeple of a village that was there before the dam was
built stands in the water today. At San Valentino (1470m) around the
Lago di Muta, the road climbs again for a while before the real
descent.
As we approached the south end of the Lago di Muta we could see the
glacier capped peaks of: the Ortler (3899m), Gran Zebru (3859m), Cima
Venezia (3338m), Giovaretta (3438m), and several others. Such a grand
panorama in the late afternoon sun makes the heart laugh and relegate
the effort of riding to the insignificant. On our right, as we sped
down the hill, the huge white hotel-castle at Burgeis glistened from
the mountain like a fairy-tale castle. From here we coasted down the
huge sweeping no-brakes turns that snake down to Malles (1051m) where
a road cuts across Laudes (967m) and back up to Taufers at the Swiss
border, and Muestair (1248m) and Santa Maria (1375m) from where the
Umbrail pass climbs to the Stelvio.
From Laudes it's a steep climb, especially at the end of a long day.
The steep piece from Santa Maria to Fuldera is a good preparation for
a big dinner. By the time we reached Fuldera it was 8:30, because we
had taken our time about seeing the sights in Innsbruck and taken an
hour and a half lunch break. As we got to Hotel Staila in Fuldera
(1638m), Mrs Hohenegger was glad to see us and said, "take your time;
you know where the bicycle room is" and gave us the room key. This is
a top quality hotel that likes bikies.
19. Monday, 22 July (Fuldera-Urigen; 212km, 3640m): After a major
buffet breakfast with everything you can imagine on the table, we paid
the not inconsequential bill before rolling up the "flat" valley to
the final climb to the Passo dal Fuorn [Ofenpass] (2149m) with its 13%
grade. Even with a good warm-up before the steep stuff, it's stiff
hustle to the top. We met the early PTT bus whose famous three tone
horn echoed from the walls to evoke the image of a bugler of old on a
postal stage coach. From the top we looked back at the white dome of
the Ortler rising high above the mountains through which we had ridden
before we descended through the pine forest of the Buendner National
Park to Punt la Drossa (1706m), the north portal of the uphill tunnel
to Livigno, and the foot of our climb over the gorge Val dal Spoell.
From here, the road climbs to Ova Spin (1900m) before descending to
Zernez (1473m). From Zernez it's a short ride down the Inn valley to
Suesch (1426m) at the base of the road to the Fluela pass.
From Suesch the road starts right out with its initial continuous
grade of 13% up the narrow canyon before leveling of to about 10% in
the upper Suasca valley. Near the top we witnessed some elegant
construction work that used a helicopter at high elevation. It seems
all helicopters in the Alps use turbine engines that have a classic
but pleasant, drafty high pitch whistle. We again saw the Ortler,
this time more distant, one last time before we crossed into the final
valley with hairpin turns rising to the Fluela pass (2389m). The
summit lakes were ice free and even the avalanches had melted to one
small heap on the far side. The descent to Davos (1560m) is
undistinguished except the first few kilometers from the top.
We turned right in Davos and rode around the Davosersee and over the
Wolfgang pass (1625m), descending fairly swiftly in places as the road
sweeps down through the forest to Klosters (1200m). We stopped just
before noon for a large grocery store lunch and proceeded down the
Praetigau along the Landquart river to Landquart (530m) on the Rhine
river. We crossed the Rhine and had favorable breezes to Bad Ragaz
and Sargans (483m) where we got on the bike path along the Seez Kanal
from Mels to Walenstadt (427m) on the Walensee. We rode along the
lake to just before Muehlehorn where the road cuts off over the
Karenzerberg (743m), a small pass over the corner of the mountain to
Mollis (448m) in canton Glarus. From Mollis a small road and a
bicycle path head up the valley to Glarus (475m), after which traffic
on Rt N17 to the end of the Linth valley in Linthal (662m) is light.
The Glarner Alps were especially beautiful because the highest peak,
the Toedi (3614m), framed by the walls of the valley in a canton with
almost no flatland, had its glaciers dusted with fresh snow and was
gleaming in the evening light. From Glarus, we could see up the
especially narrow Kloental to the west, that has a lake filling the
bottom of the high valley that ends on the Pragel pass (1550m) where
Richard rode alone on the first day.
The climb to the Klausen pass starts after Linthal, where the road
heads into the cliffs with a pair of one way rough hewn tunnels that
have been replaced by a long well lit tunnel that was recently
completed. Richard took the old tunnels that were still passable and
reported them as dimly lit and wet as always. Above the tunnel the
road finds its bench in the steep slope as it winds up long traverses
through a hardwood forest. The road breaks out into the Urner Boden
at 1300m, a long 500m wide valley with near vertical walls on three
sides.
The road then climbs the wall at the end of the Urner Boden (1400m)
box canyon. Free falling waterfalls and the private dairy cableways,
whose cables connect to ledges high on the canyon walls, vanish into
the sky in single spans that appear to rise nearly three hundred
meters. At the summit of the Klausen pass (1948m) the Toedi came back
into view high above while the valley of the Schaechental opened 700m
below as we looked straight down on the roofs of farm buildings in
Aesch (1234m) with the Stauebi falls, free of the opposite wall.
The road, cut into the granite wall, was in excellent condition, but
just the same we took it carefully because there was not even a
functional guard rail between us and a huge free-fall. After we got
off the "wall" we could blast down to Hotel Urigen (1300m) where a
Dutch Harley Davidson trio in full "Easy Rider" regalia had stopped.
Steffan Truschner, the owner, was glad to see us and showed off his
newborn son Joel. We took the usual room, with bath down the hall, in
the beautiful annex with carved wooden beams that were colorfully
decorated with painted verses. We had a great dinner followed by the
dessert of the day, a Coup Romanoff (ice cream sundae with fresh
sugared strawberries topped with plenty real whipped cream).
20. Tuesday, 23 July (Urigen-Affoltern; 181km, 2636m): The start was
easy after a breakfast of fresh rolls that Steffan managed to serve us
just after he got out of bed. We discovered how he pulled this off
when we saw the first PTT bus of the morning parked below the hotel
for its return trip. The bus brings the bakery goods shortly before
8:00 and that's why there isn't any breakfast before then. As we
coasted down to Unterschaechen (995m), the next PTT bus came up,
blowing its three tone bugle signature in the quiet air. The road is
too narrow for bus and moving car to pass but bicycles can blast by
unhindered.
After a small climb out of the valley, the rest was downhill to
Altdorf (458m) where we rode to the center of town to see the twice
life sized bronze of Wilhelm Tell with crossbow on shoulder and hand
resting on his son's shoulder, a more than macho looking image,
exuberant with national pride. Richard claimed that the ability to
sculpt such images has been lost today and I think he is right. We
backtracked a little and rode up the Reuss valley to Erstfeld (472m),
where the heavily used Gotthard railway abruptly begins its climb with
a 2.7% grade at the end of the marshaling yard. We took note of a
retired and famous articulated "crocodile" locomotive on display
across from the train station.
Our climb started in Amsteg where the road abruptly begins climbing
after the huge SBB (federal railway) power plant, whose size is being
tripled by new turbines and penstocks being built entirely underground
in the granite walls behind the old one. From here the road offers a
mix of rock walls, penetrated by railway tunnels and bridges with the
roaring Reuss below. Nearly all traffic uses the parallel motorway so
we had a nearly private road to Wassen (916m) at the junction with the
Susten road. Here the train station has large warnings that trains
travel opposite to their logical destinations because the town is in
the middle of several reversing loops from which passengers see its
church spire four times. Rt N20, the Susten pass, heads into the rock
wall to the north right from the center of town.
I like to call the road to the Susten pass the glacier highway of
Switzerland for the great ice flows and snowy peaks. The climb can
also be a little defeating, because farther up nearly the entire
continuous grade up the long curved valley becomes visible. In spite
of its good alignment, it is neither steep enough nor smooth enough to
make a high speed descent. For some who expect to go fast, descending
the south slope is disappointing bicycling, that is, if you ignore the
scenic compensation. Midway up the valley the long paved detour
around the rock slide that blocked the road for four years had, in
true Swiss environmental style, been de-paved, planted with natural
grasses, and had boulders placed at regular intervals to dissuade MTB
riders from descending the grade that was still kept in reserve in the
event of future road closures. An even steeper trace of the old
Roman road can be seen zig zagging its way up the wall of the canyon.
Passing through the Susten summit tunnel (2224m) brought a panorama of
the Sustenhorn (3503m) and its huge Steingletcher that spreads ice to
the valley far below the road. The ride down the Gadmental is
exciting and beautiful, with broad curved tunnels opening vistas to
ice fields and waterfalls that go over some of the short tunnels. The
peaks of the Berner Oberland were visible as we broke out into the
Haslital and dropped to Inertkirchen (625m). We sprinted up the four
legs of the Kirchet (700m) to the Gasthaus Lammi that was closed on
Tuesdays to my disappointment, so we coasted down to the Hotel Tourist
in Willigen (600m) where we took an outdoor table in the shade of a
horse chestnut tree to escape the hot sun.
As we sat there, Richard mused that we had a great ride and that I had
shown him more than he expected, but... we had not experienced an
Alpine rain storm. Facing west as I sat across from Richard and we
quaffed our steins of beer, I noticed a dark wall over the
Brienzersee, about 10 kilometers away. As the clouds got closer, I
moved the menus and condiment trays from the four tables on the deck
indoors. Soon the warm still air had an unrest to it that didn't seem
to have any specific direction, but I moved our bicycles to the lee
side of the building just the same. Then it hit: tablecloths, table
umbrellas, and chairs went flying as the twister-like wind hit and the
heavens thundered. We scrambled to move the umbrellas and tablecloths
inside, stack chairs, and drop the folding tops of the concrete based
tables as heavy low angled rain tore leaves from the trees.
Mission accomplished, we sat just inside the open doorway and watched
the weather do its thing while we enjoyed our lunch, no one making
much of an event that is common in the summer. After we finished a
delicious dessert and watched the rain move off toward the Susten
pass, the lady in charge told us the dessert was on the house for our
efforts. We put on our jackets and rode off to Meiringen (595m) in a
faint drizzle that dried up as we started the grunt up the 13% part of
the Brunig pass (1008m).
The weather was great with scattered clouds, no wind and mild
temperatures as we rolled down to Lungern (752m), around the lake and
down to Giswil (485m) on the Sarner lake. It tried to rain on us just
as we got under the elevated freeway before Hergiswil but it soon
quit. In Horw on the military parade and football field, Zirkus Knie,
the premier circus of Switzerland, had its tents set up for the week.
We rode on through Luzern and "home" under pleasant skies.
Richard had one Michelin-wire flat with two repeats before we found
the wire, two broken spokes, and one seat post failure. I had no
mechanical problems after the snake bite on the warm-up ride. That
was OK for 3150km, 54378m, and 19 days on the road.
-------------------------
Garry Lee
That
was OK for 3150km, 54378m, and 19 days on the road.
Two little details missing, Jobst.
Average cycling speed, and fastest speed.
And for the gluttons among us, describe the biggest feed you had!
Jobst Brandt
The trip:
the Fausto Coppi (Cuneo...Cuneo 243km, 4200m; over the Col d'Agnello,
Col de Vars, and Col de Larche). Because we planned to pass through
Cuneo today anyway, we said we hoped to see him and continued south to
Chivasso (184m) and Torino (239m). In Chivasso we discovered that the
bridge across the Po river was still out, two years after the big
washout, although construction was in progress. We took the
expressway along the north shore into Torino and found a good
restaurant near the river just before the kitchen closed.
After lunch we headed south on Rt S20, the Tenda Highway, with 87km of
flat road to Cuneo (587m) where about 10km from town we began to see
the mountains emerge from the usual haze of the great Po valley. We
crossed the high stone arch road and rail viaduct over the Stura di
Demonte into Cuneo. The city was full of bike racers coming down
through the center of town while police directed traffic on the
affected thoroughfares as groups of riders passed. We watched but
soon realized that there was no hope in finding Brian. After a drink
of water at the great fountain in front of the train station, we
headed west to Borgo San Dalmazzo (641m) against a stream of finishing
riders and on toward Robilante (686m) and the Albergo Ristorante