This page is a collection of notes and some photos from our holiday in 2000. We did a tour mostly in Switzerland, just cutting through Italy where we had to, spending thirteen days on the following route. We climbed eight passes over 2000 metres.

Geneva, Martigny, Rhone Glacier, Grimselpass, Meiringen, Grosse Scheidegg, Sustenpass, Andermatt, St Gotthard, Lugano, Malojapass, Sils, Julierpass, Albulapass, Ofenpass, Fuldera, Umbrail, Stelvio, Ofenpass, Fluelapass, Zurich.

This was all done by bike, apart from Geneva to Martigny which was on the train. Taking bikes on trains in Switzerland is easy, http://www.sbb.ch gives all the details including timetables. Most local and regional trains have ample bike carrying capacity. We used the trains to avoid cycling round Lac Leman again (Geneva-Martigny), and also to get to Zurich airport on the last morning, which was really useful.

The best bits

Seeing the Grimsel and Furka on a fantastically bright and sunny day. Been there twice before now in foul weather, it's a spectacular place on a good day. We went as far up the Furka as the Rhone glacier, which I'm sure has retreated significantly since we passed it in 1993. We watched little icebergs (snowbergs?) floating around in the lake at the Grimsel pass.

Rhone Glacier taken from Gletsch, Furkapass going up the right.

Thea on the Grimselpass up from Gletsch

Grimselsee, usually invisible behind driving rain, mist, fog etc.

Grimsel snowbank

We did a day's loop ride over the Grosse Scheidegg (1961m) from Meiringen, which is amazing, but rather steep. Even Jobst Brandt says it's steep. The road seems to run right under several 3000+ peaks, and you get a closeup view of the Eiger, Moench and Matterhorn from the top. As it's a private road for the Grindelwald bus, there's also little traffic...

Grosse Scheidegg, meadowy bit about half way up

Grosse Scheidegg, a couple of km from the top

Going up the Gotthard, there was a group of about 50 schoolkids doing a north-south ride across Switzerland, fat moany ones at the bottom pushing, skinnier sporty ones at the top still riding.

A day's ride from Sils in the Inn valley over the Julierpass (2284) and Albulapass (2312) was hard, but the Albula was really nice, a much quieter road than the Julier. The hardest part was the 25km ride back to Sils up the valley into a screaming headwind, with a previously unnoticed climb as well. The place is very popular for windsurfing, and you can see why.

Julierpass, just over the summit going away from the St Moritz valley

Albulapass, on the way back into the St Moritz valley

The very eastern end of Switzerland is fantastic. The Ofenpass (2149) is through a national park, very very quiet, and stunning scenery. On the other end of this, you can carry on downhill into Italy, or as we did, stop overnight for a side trip up the Umbrail and Stelvio. It was a bit cold and windy, but again brilliant scenery. We thought twice about doing the last 3km to the Stelvio (2750) as the weather was closing in, but were glad we did, as the view of the glacier-topped Ortler (3900) from the top was the probably best thing we saw on the whole holiday.

We rode back over the Ofenpass and Fluelapass (2383) , which was also great, I thought a bit like the Cormet de Roselend, only steeper. Then we were basically going downhill until we got to Zurich a day later.

We had a nice day following Swiss cycle path #9 along the central lakes, when we weren't in a hurry, and knew where we were going, with a booked hotel at the far end.

Stelvio summit, Ortler in the background

Fluelapass summit

The worst bits

We were hit by Meiringen weather going up the Sustenpass (parallel to Grimsel/Furka), which hid all the glaciers that are supposedly visible. The descent would have been brilliant in the dry, but was just unpleasantly cold in the wet. The subsequent 10km ride up to Andermatt through the Schollenen Gorge was just horrendous. Absolutely chucking it down, freezing cold, on a steep narrow road with loads of tunnels and full of lorries for good measure.

Swiss cycle paths, when you're trying to get somewhere. Leaving the Engadin valley, we made the mistake of obeying the "no cycling" sign on the main road descent, and following the Swiss #6 cycle path which took us on an offroad excursion that had us pushing our bikes uphill on the other side of the valley on a track that would have been scarcely rideable on a mountain bike. After fording the second stream, we gave up and took to a footpath that eventually put us back on the main road, having taken over an hour to cover what would have taken about 2 minutes if we'd stayed on the road originally.

Monte Ceneri on the way to Lugano was as unwelcome as it was in 1993, but it was really hot this time, and a guy who passed us was later seen by the side of the road throwing up. This was also the point that my 1 week old bottom bracket started making a "plink" sound on every pedal rev. when it was under load. A sound that was therefore to accompany us for the next 10 days.

The Engadin valley is theoretically pretty, but quite spoiled by ski developments and general activity. Our ride up the Maloja pass was made less enjoyable by hundreds of Lotus 7s being driven very fast to an international Lotus 7 meeting in St Moritz. In fact this was the first of three different car events headed for St Moritz that we saw during the trip, the others being for vintage cars were a lot more sedate and less annoying.

"Ruhetag". Quite a few of the small hotels shut completely on Tuesdays, which is a pain outside the main tourist areas where there are less of them. We also came across at least one that although it was notionally open on Tuesday, and quite clearly empty, had "kein zimmer", at least for two sweaty cyclists. I guess they couldn't be bothered to be open for just two customers.