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Biking Touring the Alps | Switzerland

The roads in the Swiss Alps are steep. We are talking long stretches of 10% grades. And we specifically mapped out a 7-day bike tour in September that included at least one pass per day. Our legs trembled with fear…

With 18 gears, we figured that we could just settle into a nice, low gear and enjoy our long climbs over the passes. To our dismay, our rented road bikes were equipped with ridiculously high gearing. So, we were forced to mash our pedals through the mountains, often only a little faster than walking pace. I will never trust the Swiss again.

Besides the unexpected leg workout of the century and the crazy expensive prices for anything (thank God you can drink water straight from the town fountains), Switzerland was amazing – the people, the scenery, the cute homes, the smooth roads, the cow bells ringing and echoing off the perfectly-shaped green hills, and the cleanest public bathrooms on the face of the planet.

We had our luggage shuttled from hotel to hotel for us, which were all pre-booked by the tour company. So, all that we had to lug around on our bikes were some extra layers and hunks of cheese, bread, and sausages to fuel our legs.

At the end of the ride, we dropped the bikes off at the Lausanne train station and then spent two nights with our friends Jamie and Matt. I think our performance of “Country Road” at the Karaoke bar was a high point for us and low point for the Swiss.

We left with a big dent in our pocket, but would happily do it again.

 

3 Responses to Biking Touring the Alps | Switzerland
  1. Eric
    December 4, 2012 | 11:07 am

    That looked AWESOME. The scenery is exquisite.

  2. david herskowitz
    November 29, 2012 | 5:28 am

    Hey Guys, Looks like you had another great trip on the bikes. And Forest has an awesome chapeau! We will be heading to germany for a week and then Spain for two months to learn some spanish and have a family adventure. Not positive yet but the restaurant could be sold in two weeks and it will be a very welcome change for me. Hope all is well…your friends from Vermont !

    • fbaker
      November 29, 2012 | 10:59 am

      Great to hear from you David. Exciting news for you guys. I’ll try calling you later this week/weekend for an overdue catch up. We’ll be biking for 2 weeks in January in Southern Spain (out of Malaga). We should meet up if you guys will be in the vicinity.
      Forest

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