From: chung@ils.nwu.edu (Mark Chung)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.rides
Subject: Tour of the Alps 1992 for mere mortals
Date: 10 Nov 92 01:25:14 GMT
Organization: ILS

I decided to jump on the ride report bandwagon and post the report on my
ten day tour in September with my friend Evan. Thanks Jobst for all your
advice. Although we didn't rack up as many kilometers or vertical meters,
we had a lot of fun. The first four days in Switzerland were the best
riding I've ever done.

8.29 We arrive in Geneva under light rain and are greeted by the father of
a friend of mine. He points to the yellowed patches of grass and explains
that they haven't had any rain for the last two months, so this rainfall is
a blessing for everyone except us. We enjoy a very hearty dinner of
homemade noodles with chicken and mushrooms.

8.30 MEYRIN - VILLARS SUR OLLON
(route: Geneva - Thonon les Bains - D22 to Abondance - Pas de Morgins -
Monthey - Bex) The sun prevails today but the forecast promises more rain
in the following days. After breakfast we pack some bananas (I prepared for
the trip by not eating bananas for a week) and head out on the main road to
Geneva. Once on the main road N5 south of the Lake Leman we take the bike
path which is well marked with generous room and even has its own traffic
lights. Two groups of cyclists with backpacks pass us as the road climbs
away from the lake up to the first border crossing. Most of the south shore
of the lake belongs to France so our route takes us into France and up a
pass to the second border crossing, then spits us out on the other side
into Switzerland.  The sign "Respectez les Cyclistes" encourages us and we
breeze through the lakeshore spa town of Thonon les Bains. There we turn
southeast through some gorges which remind me of the canyons around
Boulder, Colorado. Hardened pillars of rock, hoodoos, jut above the canyon
walls. We turn east on D22 and start the first climb of the trip along some
rugged canyon walls, and pass some hydroelectric plants. The climb opens up
into a beautiful road just north of some mountains with villages along the
way that Evan says look like fake Swiss villages in the U.S. This makes me
wonder if he knows we're in France. A guy in Castorama duds cruises by us
just before we stop for lunch in Abondance. There is an open air market
today but we decide to get supplies for the first of many ham and cheese
sandwiches at a food store. My long dormant French passes this test, and
Evan seems happy we won't starve to death on this trip. We pass the second
border crossing, top the Pas de Morgins (1369m) and begin a gentle descent
into the postcard-like Val d'Illiez. The descent ends in a series of steep
switchbacks fast enough to unnerve anyone who hasn't ridden outside of the
Midwest in a year. I'm somewhat shaken by the time we reach the bottom. We
pass by one of the covered bridges in Monthey and have a look at the climb
ahead of us which is shrouded in clouds. We take a smaller road which has
been closed to cars; someone warns us there will be large trucks coming
through. Apparently the posters we saw on the way promoting a monster truck
rally ("California Spirit") all point to this little town of Bex. We ride
up a steep and unrelenting climb through some small villages and rapidly
conclude that the one arrow afforded this small white road on the Michelin
map (one arrow represents a grade of 5-7%) is a mistake. Obviously the
cartographer has not been up here on a bike. The skies have cleared and we
see a group of sharp peaks ahead of us. The climb levels out approaching
Villars sur Ollon, where we immediately realize what a tourist trap we are
headed for when several tour buses pass us. Evan sleeps on the grounds of a
four star hotel which I search for a less expensive one. We settle on the
Hotel Elite and have pasta for dinner.

8.31 VILLARS SUR OLLON - INTERLAKEN 
(route: Col de la Croix - Les Diablerets - Col du Pillon - Gstaad - Spiez -
Interlaken)
We awake early and see only a light drizzle outside instead of the major
storm we were anticipating. The buffet breakfast starts the day right but
there is no warmup before the first climb of the day, the Col de la Croix
(1727m). We didn't take this one on at the end of yesterday's ride because
of a 13% section, but I am more concerned about the possibility of the
weather rapidly deteriorating. The morning silence is broken by cowbells
and our breathing. On the start of the descent to Les Diablerets we ride
cautiously because of gravel. After restocking our bananas in town we start
up the Col du Pillon (1546). A lazy descent takes us down the valley into
Gstaad, a resort town which is hosting an annual classical music festival.
We find a Coop supermarket and have another ham and cheese sandwhich lunch.
We take the main road (11) which climbs out of Saanen and then descends
through a forest. After I cross a set of wet railroad tracks I hear a
crunch behind me and look to see Evan on the floor. He has a minor scrape
and his wheels are ok, but we have to bend his front derailleur mount back
into position. We continue on, sidestepping the heavily traffic between
Thun and Interlaken by taking smaller roads in the hills south of lake
Thun. We rejoin the main road and find there is a bike lane into
Interlaken. The skies now look very threatening but we arrive in Interlaken
relatively dry. While I'm inside a supermarket picking up supplies, the
temperature drops about 30 degrees F  and the skies open up in a heavy
downpour. We find the hotel (Alpina) and walk back into town for some
Italian food at Da Rico, where I have risotto.

9.1 INTERLAKEN - MEIRINGEN
(route: Grosse Scheidegg)
Another buffet breakfast with warm bread is a pleasant start, although we
hear the forecast for periods of showers and find out that snow has fallen
to 1700m. We decide to make today a short day and get a start on the
approach to the Grimsel Pass by going over the Grosse Scheidegg (1962m)
which is at the base of the Wetterhorn, one of the Eiger's neighbors. We
ride under partly sunny skies to Grindelwald, admire the Eiger, and depart
immediately for Grosse Scheidegg on the assumption that the weather will
not hold for long.  We ask directions along the way and get an interesting
answer in broken English, "you go downstairs that way, then upstairs,
upstairs, upstairs". The steep and narrow road is used by the post bus but
is open to cyclists and walkers. Yes, stairs would probably help. Once at
the top I wait for Evan to arrive and we enjoy lunch inside the restaurant.
The descent is also narrow and very steep in sections and complicated by
the fact that we never know when a postbus will come around the corner. We
see a little dog desperately chasing a car down the switchbacks, trying to
get back on board. The descent into the forest is strewn with gravel and
has some impressive looking hairpin turns. We miss one viewing spot for the
Reichenbach falls, so before descending into Meiringen I climb back up the
15% section to have a look while Evan rests. Meiringen is a small,
pleasant, immaculately groomed town with several sports boutiques including
a chic bike shop, Rewy Rad Sport. The shop has several low profile bikes
which would be completely useless here except for riding down the valley.
We see a water bottle costing US$25. We almost check in at the youth hostel
but find out it is American style - everyone sleeps in one large room.
Considering the large group of high school kids which has just checked in I
can't say we'll get much sleep, so we stay at the Hotel Hirschen which even
allows us to take our bikes in the room. Dinner at Pizzeria Rossli is an
excellent spinach lasagna with cream, capers, and cheese.

9.2 MEIRINGEN - AIROLO
(route: Grimsel Pass - Gletsch - Ulrichen - Nufenen Pass)
Our plan today is to cross into Italy by walking over the Passo San Giacomo
from a point on the Nufenen Pass, the second pass of the day after the
Grimsel Pass. The climb to the Grimsel Pass (2165m) begins almost
immediately, with no warmup. We ride up the valley and stop for an early
lunch in Guttannen because there is nothing else until the other side of
the pass. The pass starts after a long tunnel - there is a detour for
cyclists, an old road cut into the cliffside - and climbs to the first of
two dams. Approaching the dam the headwind  is intense but once over the
top the air is calm. The climb takes us past a broken landscape of lakes
and patches of vegetation, past a hotel sitting at the head of the valley
on a promontory, to a series of switchbacks which end at the top. The road
is wet from snow melting at the sides of the road. At the top I use my
Japanese to ask a tourist to take my picture. We descend into Gletsch but
first take a picture of the crazy series of switchbacks from this pass and
the Furka pass to the east that lead into the tiny town. I have regained my
confidence on the descents and speed into Gletsch. The large hotel that was
under construction in 1989 when I was here last has been completed, but the
hot dog stand where I ate then is no longer here. We make a rapid descent
into the next valley and find a series of towns with many seemingly
abandoned old wooden buildings, former army posts. Our hopes for finding
food before the Nufenen Pass (2478m) grow dim but at Ulrichen, at the base
of the pass, there is a small supermarket. We wave to some other cyclists
who are fully loaded. After lunch we start up the steep early parts of the
pass, see large accumulations of snow at the higher elevations, and
reconsider our plan to walk over the Passo San Giacomo - in addition to the
possibility of treading through snowfields it is already late in the day
and we are fatigued. I let Evan set the tempo on the climb, which is a
series of switchbacks stacked seemingly vertically. After enduring some
chilling headwinds we reach the cafeteria on top (these passes are so
civilized) and ask some army officers what the conditions on San Giacomo
are like. The glacier guard, as Evan calls them, claim it is impossible to
walk because a half meter of snow covers the pass. So we decide to descend
to Airolo and take a more conventional route to Italy. The descent into
Valle Bedrotto is fast but somewhat bumpy, and I have to brake hard at one
point to avoid crashing into a group of sheep in the middle of the road. We
pass a convoy of soldiers sitting on small wagons pulled by horses and
continue down the scenic road into Airolo. Evan, now in charge of
linguistic matters because we are in the Italian speaking part of
Switzerland, finds a very nice two star hotel up the hill from the station,
with a plaque from the Belgian Auto Association outside the door. I enjoy
some delicious spinach gnocchi and trout for dinner at the hotel Forni near
the station.

9.3 AIROLO - MERGOZZO
(route: Bellinzona - S394 to Laveno-Mombello - ferry to Verbania)
The first half of the route is all downhill, and we certainly earned it
yesterday. The road descends gently out of Airolo but has faster sections
through some gorges, including one section with a drop on the right side I
didn't dare look down. We soon overtake the two other cyclists who stayed
at the hotel who are doing it in style - they have some music playing on
their bikes. Approaching Bellinzona we both admire a fully faired
motorcycle which passes us. By midmorning it has become warm enough for the
first time to wear just a jersey and shorts, and we have to find room to
store all our cool weather clothing. We eat outside a Coop in Bellinzona
and continue down the east shore of Lake Maggiore to the Italian border
post which is staffed. The roads seem narrower and less well maintained,
but Evan seems to be inspired by the good weather and change of country and
sets off at a fast pace. A older cyclist approaches us while we are taking
a snapshot and asks "Frau mit velo?" We don't understand he is asking us if
we've seen a woman on a bike until it is too late, after he is gone.
Further down the road in Luino we are reprimanded by a policeman
controlling an intersection for being forward of the line, so he has us
move behind it until the light turns green. We make the wrong turn at the
light, so we have to backtrack and go through it again much to our
embarassment. We board the ferry for Verbania at the sunny resort of
Laveno-Mombello. The guy at tourist information suggests doing one of the
climbs in this year's Giro d'Italia, and gives us posters advertising the
race which are like gold to us. Verbania hotels are completely booked
because of an army parade, so we continue through heavy traffic to
Mergozzo, a small resort town with one traffic light on Lake Mergozzo. We
find a room at Hotel La Quartina, which is expensive but basically our only
choice. Dinner is a calzone at a pizzeria. Entertainment for the local
youth seems to consist of racing on the main street on whatever they have -
bicycle, scooter, or car.

9.4 MERGOZZO - DONATO
(route: S142 from Gozzano - Biella)
Our plan is to get to the mouth of the Aosta valley today, riding through
the hill towns. I take a side trip on the Giro climb (past Aurano to the
intersection with the road leading to il Colle) while Evan heads directly
for the Aosta valley. The climb is one of the steepest I have ever
experienced, and although I left my baggage at the hotel, it forces me to
climb out of the saddle in my lowest gear (39x26). I can't imagine racing
on this climb. Near the top of the climb all the graffiti on the road is
for Miguel Indurain. I return to the hotel for my bags and a water refill
and head for Omegna. In Omegna there is a sudden downpour and I have a
frustating time trying to find the road we agreed to take because of
several detours. I locate the road and start up the hill west of Lago di
Orta but all the signs for the pass from Pogno have been taped over. So I
get on the main road to make up some time and experience the worst ride on
the trip, in a downpour sharing the road with trucks. The skies clear and I
time trial into Biella where I find Evan at the station contemplating how
to get in touch with me via my answer machine at home. He had taken the
pass from Pogno, which meant walking over a muddy detour around the tunnel,
but did not experience any rain.  However, a car pulling out clipped his
rear wheel and forced him to find a bike shop to have it straightened.
Although we both went through two separate ordeals we decide we are in good
enough shape to press on to the Aosta valley. Fierce headwinds force us to
stay in the small town of Donato, where to our great relief there is a
small hotel-restaurant La Primavera. The wind bangs the shutters through
the night but is no noisier than the animated conversation of the bar
patrons.

9.5 DONATO - AOSTA
(route: S26, then small road approaching Aosta)
We top a minor pass and descend into the Aosta valley, which is known for
castles and Roman ruins. The morning is chilly with a strong headwind but
the route up the valley is pleasant. By the time we reach Aosta we are both
on the verge of bonking so we fill up at a supermarket before continuing.
However, Aosta looks interesting - people are literally dancing in the
streets of the old city - so we decide to sample city life for a day. The
owner of a bike shop directs us to a hotel in the city center, Hotel Bus,
where we watch a tv feature on the Italian team's preparation for the world
championships. There is folk dancing downstairs in the restaurant one floor
below us, with lots of stamping feet until 10pm.

9.6 AOSTA - ENTREVES
Mont Blanc comes into view early on the ride like a beacon. We have to ride
through several tunnels but take a small road into Courmayeur, another
tourist center. Today the last stage of an international amateur bicycle
race departs from here to Aosta, but we decide to continue to Entreves and
be very touristic by taking the teleferique (cable car) up to the Aiguille
du Midi. The hotel in Entreves, the Aiguille Noir, is pleasant and as a
bonus has a big tv playing the world pro road race championship, but we
decide to catch the teleferique and watch the highlights later on. Besides,
someone has just switched channels to the Pope saying Mass at St. Peters.
Entreves, with many old stone buildings, has much more character than
Courmayeur or Pre St. Didier, the other towns on the approach to Mont
Blanc. It also has a sled dog training school, which we walk past in the
night and hear the howling of what sounds like hundreds of dogs. 

9.7 ENTREVES - MOUSTIERS
(route: Petit Saint Bernard pass - Bourg St. Maurice)
We descend on the same route we ascended on yesterday, to Pre St. Didier
where switchbacks start the approach to the Petit Saint Bernard pass
(2188m). We buy food at la Thuile and start the ascent through the forest.
The climb is pretty tame compared to the previous passes. The road levels
out onto a plain, and then wraps around a round part of the hill where I
see some more cyclists several switchbacks above. I increase the pace to
overtake them and continue to the top to wait for Evan. We cross into
France again, passing a statue of Saint Bernard. The descent has wide turns
and has a sheer drop on the right side. Evan blasts down the descent,
leading the way into Bourg St. Maurice, where we discover that all the
banks are closed on Monday. Not having French francs, food, or water, we
think we are stuck until we find a supermarket that takes plastic. The
feast turns out to be unnecessary because the descent continues all the way
to Moustiers. I have the first flat of the trip only 8km from Moustiers. We
find a hotel near the station, the Hotel Moderne, a very sleek two star
which we don't feel we deserve today. For dinner we feast on couscous at Le
Tassili.

9.8 MOUSTIERS - ST. JEAN DE MAURIENNE
(route: Col de la Madeleine - N6 to St. Jean)
We take the main road out of Moustiers, which leads immediately into a
tunnel. This turns out to be a mistake because as we are gingerly riding on
the sidewalk which is less than 3 feet wide, flashing lights approach from
behind, a police officer stops Evan and starts yelling. At least they
stopped the right guy, Evan doesn't even speak French. We emerge from the
tunnel and take the next exit to a smaller road leading to the Col de la
Madeleine (1984m). Early on the climb we are passed by a cyclist climbing
very smoothly; I wish I had a major pass on my training route too. Evan
stops to widen the cleat he replaced. Halfway up the climb we find a hotel-
restaurant and decide to have an early lunch. I have a plate of crudites
and crevets, both delicious and infinitely more satisfying than ham and
cheese. I decide to blast up the remainder of the climb (while the hotel
guests are watching) and meet Evan on top, but the first part after the
hotel happens to be the hardest, and I almost explode. I pass two other
cyclists; one is pushing his bike and smoking, the other is taking a
picture of me. The climb winds gently up until the main series of
switchbacks at the base of which is a goat farm. I top the pass as it
begins to rain. Evan completes the climb in the rain, and after a snapshot
we start the descent. We pass some ski towns which look completely
lifeless. The descent proves to be pretty treacherous, and we slow to a
crawl in the hairpins. At the bottom in la Chambre we stop at the first bar
and have a hot chocolate which makes me feel a million times better. We
continue on the main road to St. Jean de Maurienne, and Evan has the second
flat of the trip just outside of town. We find a two star hotel and hang
everything to dry. At dinner we meet the two other cyclists we saw earlier
on the Col and find out that they are also climbing the Croix de Fer the
next day.

9.9 ST. JEAN DE MAURIENNE - GRENOBLE
(route: Col de la Croix de Fer - N91 to Vizille - D5 to Grenoble)
Once again we start a climb with no warmup, as the road to the Col de la
Croix de Fer (2068m) - on the l'Alpe d'Huez stage of the 1992 Tour de
France - climbs steeply out of St. Jean. Thick fog reduces visibility to
twenty feet, so the only features of the climb that we can see are the
walls of rock and occasional tunnels. The fog lifts in the second part of
the climb, an easier ride through a forest, and I am suprised after
climbing thousands of feet to see a post office emerge. Along the way the
graffiti on the road says "200m a Fignon Club", a little later "100m a
Fignon Club", then "50m a Fignon Club", and 50m later we see a huge
painting of a bike, where Laurent Fignon's fan club congregated on the
climb during the Tour. We climb on a very steep road through St. Sorlin
d'Arves (where Lemond never saw the graffiti "F**k Lemond" because he
abandoned in St. Jean) to the main portion of the climb, a rocky and barren
landscape. Rain falls in the last two kilometers from the top but again we
warm up with hot chocolate at the bar on top. Fortunately the rain stops
before we descend to the main road to Grenoble, and the only thing that
slows us down is a flock of sheep coming up the road. At one point there is
a minor climb with more graffiti proclaiming "Stop! It's Too Hard!". I
remember being extremely confused here in 1989, wondering why I was
climbing so much on a descent. This time I don't have to check the map, I
only have to convince Evan that this is the right road. We cross the dam at
the hydroelectric plant, stop to give directions to a pair of
motorcyclists, and find the road to Grenoble. Just a few kilometers down
the road is the base of l'Alpe d'Huez, which I decided not to climb because
of poor weather in 1989. My bad luck with l'Alpe continues this year
because I have to skip it again to meet friends in time, so we blast down
the road to Grenoble. At Vizille we turn onto a smaller road into the city,
and do the last climb of the trip. We have the last of our granola bars at
the top of the hill and head for Grenoble.

Equipment: Road bikes - I rode my Serotta, Evan rode his 63cm (!)
Cannondale. We both travelled minimally - I had a small Cannondale front
bag, medium-large saddle bag, small fanny pack. Carried essential tools,
spare tire and tubes, camera, sundries, change of cycling wear, including
lightweight rain jacket and winter gloves, slacks and t-shirt, wore Avocet
touring shoes on and off
bike.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.rides