Switzerland: A 4-Country Tour

Sy and Ellie Katz, Tod Rodger, and Gail Griffin in Stans, Switzerland

When I told people I was going to Switzerland on a bike tour, the first question they all asked was, 'Isn't it awfully hilly'

Well, some of it is hilly, but most of it is mountainous. In three weeks we rode 1,200 miles and climbed over 95,000 feet. Averaging 65 miles per day may not sound like much, but try 5,000 feet per day before writing this off as easy. Our 18 riders included two Bike Friday New World Tourists and one Twosday Tandem. The four of us represented the Green Gear community well.

Not only is it hilly and mountainous - it's also steep. Even riders from Colorado were surprised by the challenging climbs in the Alps. While 6-7% is generally the maximum grade in the Rockies, 10-15% is common in the Alps; and we did one descent that hit 22%. I found the descents to be worse than the climbs. The climbs were physically challenging, but many of the descents were downright scary. Even though I started with new brake pads, I replaced two sets during the tour and was carrying another spare set.

This was the first commercial tour I have ever taken in my 150,000 miles of riding, which includes a lot of touring. One reason is that I'm so frugal (some would say cheap), and another is that I feel both confident and competent about planning my own tours. Although I think I am good at planning tours, Laurenz Gsell turned out to be even better; and he certainly more patient and understanding about leading a group.

Laurenz is a recently-retired chemist living in Baseln the northwest corner of Switzerland, just a few miles from both Germany and France. He and his wife Corinne love cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, and other outdoor activities. They speak several languages fluently, they know the best cycling routes in Europe, they know how to negotiate for good hotels and meals in the shoulder tourist seasons, and they know what cyclists are looking for. Having lived, worked, and cycled in the U.S., they especially enjoy introducing Americans to their home country.

Although I refer to this tour as a Tour of Switzerland, because we spent most of the three weeks doing a figure-8 through the mountains of Switzerland; Laurenz officially calls this his 4-Country Tour, because we spent two days in the Black Forest in Germany, two days in Alsace and the Vosge Mountains in France, and parts of two days around Lakes Como and Maggiore in Italy. He thinks the idea of touring in four different countries is more appealing to Americans. Whatever you call it, it is magnificent.

One of our most beautiful adventures was the Push-Pull Day over a pass with no roads. As we climbed a beautiful valley, normally light traffic became negligible. The small paved road eventually turned to dirt, then stopped at a high alpine farm. At this point we walked our bikes around a farmhouse, through fields with electric fences, across a wildflower-filled meadow that formed the pass, and along a single-track path through the woodsmerging on a ridable dirt road that turned into a paved road that took us down another gorgeous main valley. All day we were surrounded by dramatic jagged Alpine peaks and ridges, causing us to break out in songs from The Sound of Music.

The most challenging day was the Cowbell Day. Six of us rode up the Centovalle in Italy, over the Simplon Pass back into Switzerland, and then up the valley to Zermatthere we basked in view of the Matterhorn. For riding 102 miles and climbing 11,650 feet, we were awarded a real cowbell. All of us were most impressed when Sy Katz rode this day on his Bike Tuesday all by himself. Although some on our tour pointed out that it would be much cheaper and easier to buy your own cowbell, all six of us were very proud to wear our cowbells around our necks that evening.

My favorite day was a free day in the Berner Oberland. While many rode our bus to Grindewald to ride some cog trains and ski lifts, I rode up the 'back route' to Grindewald. The paved single-lane road from Meiringen to Grindewald includes a 5,000-foot climb through the Rosenlauital Valley and then up an open slope in the shadow of the Wetterhorn. Although this spectacular road is closed to general traffic, it is used as a mountain time trial in the Tour of Switzerland. Crossing the pass at Gross Scheidegg, you look straight out to the Eiger and Monch - and down into Grindewald.

Part way through the trip I decided I would like to ride this same tour again next summer. When I approached Laurenz about signing up, he told me he is planning a tour through Burgundy and the Alps next summer. I told him, 'That's fine. Here's my deposit.' As Ruth said in the bible, 'Where you go, I go.' For more information about these tours, check www.bikeandhike.ch.

Tod Rodger is head of Deerfoot Publications Read his story about Conquering a Hill Stage of the Tour de France

Tod Rodger, looking down on Grindewald, Switzerland, with the Eiger and Monch in the background.