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July 31 - APPENZELL
We’ll meet you at the Zurich airport where we’ll meet you with the van and relieve you of bikes and baggage and assist you in your transfer by train to St Gallen. From here you’ll
take the little red train on to Appenzell. As the train slowly climbs out of St. Gallen on its narrow gauge rail, we are treated to the sight of tidy farms, brilliant green pastures dotted with very contented cows, and tiny village scenes…except
that they are quite real. From the train station in Appenzell, it’s just a short stroll to our hotel. This charming town will have you wondering if you just stepped out of the pages of a fairytale book, with its ornately painted
buildings and flower lined shopping streets; a perfect town and a perfect place to begin our tour of this most beautiful region. We will have our get-acquainted dinner tonight at the hotel, followed by an overview of the tour.
Aug 1 - LENZERHEIDE - 58mi, 4400ft, or 73mi, 7000ft altitude gain
The area around Appenzell
has some of the most beautiful landscapes anywhere and is easily explored by bicycle. Patrik, our Swiss guide, will lead you on a route featuring some of his favorite local roads, including a 1100ft optional climb up to Haslen Schlatt, for
some awesome views of the local mountains, valleys, and too-green-to-believe hills. We then drop down to the Rhine River valley and head upriver. Cutting across a tiny corner of Liechtenstein (check out the castle), our route takes us over
the Engpass, a small cut in the mountains, on our way to Chur. The climb to Lenzerheide, the biggest of the day, offers panoramic views of the Rhine and surrounding mountains.
Aug 2 - ZERNEZ - 50mi, 5000ft, or 78mi, 6300ft
We can descend either side of the mountain pass from Lenzerheide, the longer route returning the way we ascended yesterday. After a quick coffee and pastry in Chur, we ride up a pleasant and pastoral valley.
Soon it becomes steep and challenging as we climb through a deep ravine, up through the Zugen Defile, and out into a beautiful, high mountain valley dotted with tiny alpine villages. Stop in Davos, one of Europe’s foremost ski resorts,
for a leisurely lunch, before tackling the Flüelapass. This scenic climb is followed by a great descent to Zernez, in the beautiful Engadin valley. Zernez is a picturesque village near the Swiss National Park. If there is time, a walk in
the park, which is also a wildlife sanctuary, is well worth the effort.
Aug 3 - BORMIO - 44mi, 6000ft, or 65mi, 8900ft
From
our hotel, we immediately begin with a beautiful 2300ft climb to
the Ofenpass, our route taking us through the natural preserve.
An equally gorgeous and awesome descent brings us to the
intersection with our short route for those who want to make it
an early day. After a steep climb up numerous switchbacks, we
reach the summit at Santa Maria del Giogo. From here we can take
an optional 900ft climb to the Passo dello Stelvio. The long
route descends farther into Italy before attacking the Stelvio
from the East side. This is the famous route often used by the
Giro d’Italia. With its 41 switchbacks and over 6000 feet of
elevation gain, it is one of the most long and hard climbs in
all of Europe. The descent to Bormio is no less impressive. This
is a beautiful alpine resort town, and our hard day of cycling
should be rewarded with a casual stroll around town with a stop
or two for snacks and beer.
Aug 4 - BORMIO -rest day, or 70mi, 10,000ft, or 73mi, 9000ft (van assisted, 46m, 7000ft)
Bormio
is an attractive village in a stunning setting, a wonderful
place to have a day of relaxing and recovery. However, this is
also headquarters for some of the most amazing bike riding
country you will ever come across and should not be missed. Both
routes head downhill towards Tirano, the first route turning off
to climb the Passo di Mortirolo, also known as Passo di Foppa.
This climb shows up in the Tour of Italy occasionally, but next
on the climb list, Passo del Gavia, is the Giro classic made
famous by Andy Hampsten, when he won in 1988. Andy soloed to
victory over this daunting climb in freezing rain and snow;
hopefully we will have the more normal, sunny, blue skies. The
first climb of the day for the second route will be to the ski
resort of Aprica. After a steep switch backed climb, we traverse
a high mountain ridge all the way to the Passo di Mortirolo.
This 39km alpine meander, with its precipitous terrain and
impressive views in all directions, is one of Glenn’s favorite
bike routes in Italy
Aug 5 - BORMIO - Rest Day
This is a true rest day; a day to let your legs recover from all
the hard riding of the previous days. Explore the town, enjoy
coffee and pastries, then have lunch, followed by a nap. Be
sure to stop by the Paneficio Romani, near the Alberti Tower, to
sample an amazing array of fresh baked breads, cakes, and
cookies. After all the eating, shopping, and sightseeing, you
will surely want to visit one of the highlights of the area, the
Bagni Vecchi baths to further pamper your tired bones.
From the outdoor mineral pool, where you can also enjoy clean
mountain air, to the indoor complex of pools, you will end the
day thoroughly relaxed. If none of this appeals to you, you can
choose from many rides, including any that you may have
reluctantly missed yesterday.
August 6 - PONTRESINA - 47mi, 7400ft, or 56mi,
6200ft
Today’s routes pass through some of Europe’s highest and most
rugged terrain, with many of the peaks over 10,000 ft in
elevation and heavily glaciated. Much of the day’s climbing is
from Bormio to Livigno, as it winds, climbs and descends one of
the prettiest roads of the entire tour. A gradual climb after
lunch brings us to a small pass and we descend to the Bernina
Pass, from here it is all downhill, along the famous
Berninastrasse, to our hotel. The longer route, although quicker
and easier, descends from Bormio to Terano and then climbs the
Bernina Pass in one long gradual push.
Aug 7 - SPLÜGEN - 60mi, 6300ft
Although not a rest day, today is at least an easier day, as we have only one major pass to climb. After retracing our path through St Moritz, the valley opens up and we cycle past two large alpine lakes and then ascend
(300ft) the Passo del Maloja. Next is a beautiful downhill run into Italy, including a hanging valley, and two villages worth the small side trip to explore them, Stampa and Soglio. Beautiful, high mountain valleys are becoming somewhat
redundant, but we have another that must be climbed, the Splügenpass. From the Italian side, the climb is mostly gentle, through a narrow river valley, with lots of waterfalls. The descent to Splügen, on the Swiss side is steep and fast.
Aug 8 - SEDRUN - 68mi,
5500ft, or 102mi, 8500ft
The easy route, if you can call it that, descends along the Hinterrein, the southern tributary of the Rhine, to Bonaduz where it meets the larger, northern tributary, the Rein Anteriur. This route, one of the
nicest of the tour, then traverses high above the river, through forests and tiny villages, across deep gorges, and along high mountain meadows, with great views of the mountains to the north. The hard route, the longest of the tour,
climbs gently from Splügen and then more radically, with many tight switchbacks, to the Passo del San Bernardino. A most wonderful, and very long descent to Bellinzona precedes an even longer, mostly gradual ascent to the Lukmanierpass.
Both routes start and finish near the source of the Rhine River
Aug 9 - ZERMATT - 91mi, 8900ft
This big day starts with yet another scenic mountain valley climb, and the first of three climbs, the Oberalppass. The descent to Andermat is fast and beautiful, but also offers a great panorama of the forbidding Val d’Urseren,
surrounded by high mountain peaks, and in distance we can see the zigzags of our next climb, the Furkapass. Just over the summit of this beautiful windswept pass, we get an incredible sight; the Rhone Valley disappearing in the distance,
taking our road with it. Dominating our view are the steep switchbacks of the imposing Grimselpass, and to our right, the jumble of the Rhone Glacier, source of the Rhone River. In one day we have cycled past the source of two of Europe’s
greatest rivers, the Rhine and the Rhone. Here we start the longest continual downhill of this, or perhaps most any other tour; 42 miles to Visp, (the downhill continues for another 67 miles to Lake Geneve; tempting, but perhaps another
time.) The final climb of the day, the longest but also the most beautiful, is up the Mattertal to Zermatt.
Aug 10 - ZERMATT - rest day
Zermatt is one of the most famous resorts in Europe, due to its main attraction, the Matterhorn. Probably the most photographed mountain in the world, it rises majestically over Zermatt and the surrounding valleys. However, the
Matterhorn, at 4478m is only the first of a dozen mountains over 4000 meters (13,200ft) in the area, including the tallest in Switzerland, Mont Rosa at 4634m. Whether you plan to hike to a viewpoint, take the cable cars to the Kleine
Matterhorn, or just relax in town, the beauty of the surroundings will make an unforgettable experience.
Aug 11 - GRINDELWALD - 69mi, 4300ft, or 79mi 4700ft
We
must hurry; we have a train to catch … through a mountain! We’ll enjoy a fast descent to Visp, and then up the other side to Gopenstein, where we hop a train to Kandersteg, take a seat, and enjoy a half hour in the dark. But this is
easier than carrying our bikes over the 2690m Lotschenpass trail, or cycling the 166 miles around. Surrounded by high mountain meadows, Kandersteg will be a beautiful sight for light-starved eyes. We descend to the deep blue waters of the
Thunersee and Interlaken. On our climb to Grindelwald, a short side trip up to Lauterbrunnen takes us through one of the most impressive mountain valleys in the world. The road to Grindelwald is no less impressive, as the towering peaks of
the Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger, and Wetterhorn loom overhead. This is a day to remember; Zermatt to Grindelwald, the Matterhorn to the Bernese Alps – in a word – incredible!
Aug 12 - VITZNAU - 59mi, 5400ft, or 62mi, 2200ft
The easy route descends to Interlaken, with another chance to visit the Lauterbrunnen and around the Brienzer See. No chance for a warm up on today’s longer route, since the climb up the Grosse Scheidegg
starts at our hotel door. After a well deserved alpine descent, the easy climb over the Brunigpass brings us to the lakes region. We pass four beautiful lakes on our way to the hotel, with a ferry ride as well. There are three extra loops
available depending on your energy reserves. These loops add the following extra mileage and elevation. (1) Burgenstock, 8mi and 1500ft, including great views of the lake and the town of Lucern, a lovely ride through an alpine valley, all
the while accompanied by the sound of cowbells, and finally a screaming descent. (2) Engelberg, 25mi and 1800ft; this is a very scenic ride up a long valley and return, all in the continual presence of tall, looming mountains. (3)
Acherlipass, 15mi and 2900ft. The Acherlipass is a very steep climb, including an 18% section, but the views from the top are amazing and well worth the effort. Our hotel, beautifully situated above the lake, with grand views of the
surrounding mountains and the lake below, and the city of Lucern in the distance.
Aug 13 - WILDHAUS - 75mi, 9000ft, or 63mi, 8300ft, or 81mi, 6300ft
Today we continue through the lakes region, starting with the beautiful stretch of road
along the lake from the hotel to Brunnen. In Schwyz, the longer route takes us over the Ibergeregg and down to Einsiedeln. The interior of the Abbey at Einsiedeln is the best example of Baroque architecture in Switzerland and is well worth
a visit before or after lunch. The short climb up the Sattelegg is followed by a great descent and a easy run in to Weesen. The shorter, but perhaps more difficult route leaves Schwyz up the Muotatal Valley and climbs the very steep
Pragelpass (12 to 18%). The scenery is stunning, and the descent past the Klontaler See is equally gorgeous. From Weesen, the climb to Amden is a constant 12%; above Amden, we’ll see short pitches of 20%, but the struggle is quickly
forgotten, as the views from the top are quite impressive. Wildhaus sits high in a beautiful open valley beneath the towering Santis and other peaks of the Alpstein. The longer route takes a scenic road above the Walensee, and continues
around to the Rhine. The final climb to Wildhaus winds up steep meadows with expansive views of the Rhine Valley in both directions.
Aug 14 - APPENZELL - 30mi, 2300ft
On a trip filled with superlatives, today may seem redundant, but in no way is it average. Our last day of cycling starts with the gradual descent of one of the most beautiful high mountain valleys of the tour. At Neu
St.Johann we start our last climb, the Schwägalp, which sits beneath the high rocky face of the Säntis. A trip up to the top on the cable car will provide one last view of all the mountains of our tour, all the way from the Jungfrau to
mountains in Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein. Appenzell lies below us, 13 miles of downhill still to go, where a large stein of beer awaits us. Farewell dinner tonight at the hotel.
Aug 15 – Departure
Van transport will be provided
to the St Gallen train station for your train to the Zürich airport.
COST:
$2800 per person based on Double Occupancy
$500 Single Supplement
INCLUDES:
·3-4 star Hotel Accommodations Full breakfast daily (except arrival day)
·All dinners (except departure day)
·Airport transfers
from and to Zurich/Appenzell,
·Bike mechanic and van support with cellular phone,
·Ground transportation for all passengers, luggage & bikes,
·Regional map plus detailed daily route maps & cue sheets.
NOT INCLUDED:
·International
airfare,
·Tips and gratuities,
·Laundry, telephone, and items of a personal nature,
·Lunches and alcoholic beverages (a supplemental fee will be charged to those who wish wine with dinner, and may be prepaid before departure)
PRE-TRIP
PLANNING
A complete trip packet will be sent upon receipt of your final payment, including tour t-shirt, hotel lists, maps, and luggage tags. Our guidebook containing information on what to bring, how to pack your bike for flying,
equipment list, and changing currencies, will be sent upon receipt of your secondary deposit (due by March 1). All participants must possess a current passport
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Erickson Cycle Tours recommends purchasing insurance for trip
cancellation, injury, illness, and loss of effects. A travel insurance brochure with application is included with your confirmation letter.
AIRFARE
We offer the services of our travel agent, Shannon or Steve of
Rogue Travel, in obtaining economical, expedient air
reservations, and we can assist with lodging for pre- and
post-tour plans. For flight information, contact Rogue Travel at
1.800.443.9216, or shannon@mind.net. If you prefer, you may use
the services of your own travel agent. |
