to a new country last year has led to a lot of map staring. As I have slowly done all of
the logical rides around Leysin I have turned my attention towards the rest of
Switzerland. Last year I was in France riding the famous Cols (French for passes) that
the Tour de France goes over. Switzerland also has a lot of these famous passes and I
started riding each one. Passes, of course, go over a mountain chain at a low point.
Often doing more than one pass in a day is difficult because you would have to travel a
long distance or go over another mountain range. The highest pass in Switzerland is the
Col de Grand St. Bernard, of the famed dog breed. I can reach it from where I live. It is a
long day and upon finishing I simply turn around and head back. Fun but it lacks that
elegance that makes for a classic ride.
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| At the top of the Col Grand St. Bernard |
I was in peak form and full of that confidence that made any challenge seem attainable.
On the map there is a super obvious set of passes that form a triangle. Each one is over
2000 meters tall and has greater than 15 km of climbing. I dubbed it the Triangle of Death.
One fall afternoon right before the start of school I drove over right past Brig to begin the
ride. I could have driven right to the start of the climbing, but I wanted this ride to be
extraordinary. I wanted to do the approach as well to give the ride the full value. Think
climbing Mt. Blanc by starting at the base and not taking the cable car which gains you
2000 meters to the start of the route or actually solving a difficult math problem without looking at the back of the book to see what the answer should be.
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| The Triangle of Death |
about 40 km of gentle climbing to get to the start of the first pass. The Triangle of Death
is where the Rhone valley, the Berense Oberland, and the Swiss Alps all collide. The
Rhone river which forms the valley which leads to Geneva is isolated from the valley
that connects to Zurich, which in turn is shielded from Interlaken and the capital Bern.
Amazingly there is a rode which leads over each of these natural barriers and the
passes are on these. After pedaling for several hours I reached the start of the first
climb the Furka pass. This connects the canton of Valais to Uri. It is a steep 6 km to the
town of Gletsch then the business starts. 10% or made grade for the next 10 km up a
road so steep that the switchbacks have to be extended on concrete viaducts which
extend the road over space. I had reached the top after the grueling climb. There is not
much up there, other than a tiny trailer selling snacks.
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| The Stunning Hairpins of the Furka Pass |
km of high speed, hairpin mania. In lieu of guard rails there are concrete pillars every 10
meters. While this might protect a car from going over the edge, on a bike it was
useless. This means that the entire descent requires intense concentration. There is no
time to daydream as I sped down the road at 40 - 60 km/hr. At the town of Andermatt I
stopped for some food. Then more descending on the main road to Wassen. It was the
end of the summer vacation and the road was jammed with cars. Going to Wassen is all
downhill but there are long tunnels. I have this phobia of riding in tunnels. They are dark
but more intinidating is that the sound is magnified many times. So while it may be a
moped that is behind you it sounds like it is a giant 18 wheeler bearing down. Luckily
the downhill curvy road allows the biker to move nearly as fast as traffic and I became
one with the vacation traffic. I stopped at Wassen and filled up my bottles and started
the Susten climb. I had never done any of these passes before and it is an interesting
experience going on unfamiliar territory.
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| Scary Tunnel |
started noticing that I felt both too hot and cold at the same time. Trouble. When is it
time to turn around there is a mental debate that rages in my mind. Go on or give up...
The final straw was after going around one bend seeing the road stretch out up the valley
with no sign of ending. I dubbed it the road to infinity and it broke me. The greatest feature
about Swiss bike riding is that there is nearly always a train escape on any ride. The
Swiss train system is amazing and expensive but great for getting out of trouble on
rides. I rode back down from the Susten pass and got to the town of Goeschenen. I was
absolutely exhausted and the small up hill back to this town was nearly unrideable. For
all of my vaunted fitness the ride proved to be too much. I waited and got on the train
which went through a tunnel under the Furka pass and I was back at my car.
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| At the top of the highest paved Col in Europe in France with Steve Darby. Yes it is snowing. |
Steve I had done the 200 mile day. This year I had my mind set on the Triangle of
Death. It had earned my respect and I wanted the longest day of the year to give me the
advantage of her unlimited daylight. Steve was going to do the ride with me as well
which made me even more psyched. I am pretty good about solo riding but truly enjoy
sharing these adventures with others. He was in Zurich hanging out with our mutual
friend Shane so I hopped on the train with my bike and met him there. He and I had
ridden some more Tour de France routes in France but bad weather and the new office
job had left me in less than top form. But the long day, the plan to start from a town near
the beginning of the climbing, and the company of another had me optimistic for
success. The night before the big ride went out to eat at this cool organic restaurant in
Zurich. We planned to get up at 5:30 to start the adventure. 2:00 am and from the
bathroom I hear the sounds of death. It was Steve vomiting in the toilet. I went over to
check on him. It turned out either some bad duck or a sour cream cheesecake desert had stricken
Steve with food poisoning. He sounded like he was going to die. White faced, sweating, he informed me as he stood up from the toilet the obvious. He was not going to be able to
ride. Determined not to waste the summer solstice I kept to the plan. Part of me was
glad only because now I could add a significant chunk of riding to the start.
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| Steve, Ian and Me riding Summer 2011 |
start from Zurich which added 90 km of riding. I wanted the Triangle of Death to be epic
and the thought of starting the ride at the climbs made the challenge less appealing. It is
interesting that I wanted more than just the three passes in one day. In a world, that is
based on accomplishments, promotions, and achievements I wanted it to be difficult
and not accessible. Uncertainty, doubt, impossibility where as important as success.
Starting from Zurich added a lot of route finding. Luckily my trusty iPhone directed me
on a wandering route across the rolling ridges of mid land Switzerland towards the
mountains. I rode around some spectacular lakes and through lands that I had never
visited. Back in my climbing days I had always proclaimed that one of the best parts of
being a rock climber was that it took you to spectacular places and allowed you to
become part of them. More than just a tourist passing through you have a purpose with
the land and are engaged with it. I feel the same about biking. Whizzing down the road
in a car is such a sterile existence shielded from the smell and feel of the land around
you, moving to quickly to absorb your environment. The joy of biking to me is as much
the connection to place as it is the physical fitness.
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| Biking with friends. |
traveled in the early morning I was treated to the spectacular landscape that makes
Switzerland so great. So after 90 km with the last 20 km gently uphill I was back in the
town of Wassen. I had been obsessively checking the weather and the report said that
rain was likely that afternoon. The quickly moving gray clouds and cold breezes though
seemed to indicate a different forecast. Undaunted I headed up. At the 10 km mark
a light rain started to fall. I was determined though finally do the Triangle of Death so
onward up I went. The light rain turned to a downpour. Luckily there was a tiny restaurant
a km later and I stopped for shelter and lunch. In the tiny shack was me in my spandex
and all of the road construction workers. My German was severely taxed by the very
strong Swiss German spoken by the proprietors but I got my meal. The owner of the
restaurant insisted I sit on a bunch of woolen blankets because I was so cold and wet
looking. I ate a bowl of soup, had a cheese sandwich, talked with the workers who
expressed how crazy they thought I was, and waited for the weather to break. A hour
later it was still gray and nasty but no rain so off I went. I was cold but going up hill kept
me warm and it was okay. I reached the road to infinity and again the long road
winding up the valley was intimidating. My legs were feeling good so concentrating on
short term goals, just get to that bridge, those cows in the distance, where the stone
wall begins, I continued on. Near the top the infinity ends in the classic Swiss
switchbacks which marks where the road climbs over the steep slope to the pass.
Unfortunately the rain had started again. Though it was June, Switzerland in the high
mountains is cold. Thankfully I was going up. After a half dozen steep long switch backs
I reached a tunnel which marks the top of the Susten pass. My tunnel fear made me
sprint to the other side where the marker of the top of the pass stood. I had a woman
take my picture and got on my bike.
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| Cold and wet. |
town of Innertkirchen. It was the usual scary decent made more crazy by the driving rain
and a lot of tunnels. About 10 km down my body rebelled against the suffering. I started
uncontrolabely shivering, caught in the clutches of hypothermia. I couldn't stand it, and I
had to get off my bike. I saw a farmhouse as I descended and I stopped there. It was
empty and I put myself and my bike in the barn. I was so cold that I sat down and
stayed couched in a ball trying to stay warm. I couldn't even move because the heat
loss from changing positions caused my teeth to chatter and the horrible wracking
shivering to start. It is interesting the decision to abandon a ride. Sometimes it is so
painful obvious that the usual mental tug of war of yes or no is circumvatd by the
survival instinct of get me the hell out of here which is usually accompanied by thoughts
of never doing this again. As I sat there cold, wet, tired, I knew I had failed again.
Luckily my misery was too great for much lamenting on the failure but there was no
doubt that the gauntlet had been cast. The Triangle if Death was proving to be a
Herculean challenge.
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| Biking can be suffering as demonstrated in a very wet race near Bern. |
life. It depends on so many factors. Some are controllable like fitness and others:
weather, flat tires,... are that element of uncertainty. Maybe that is why I prefer
backgammon over chess. It is amazing how scheduled my life is. It seems like I have
everything planned a year in advance. I was doing a triathlon on Saturday and it was in
the right direction of the Triangle. Plus the weather looked good and I had the next few
weekends booked with things so it seemed like the cards were sort of in place. So I
booked a room in a hotel in Brig and planned to give it another shot. My triathlon was in
Speiz and it went okay. It had been a pretty disappointing Tri season. I just didn't feel in
shape and wasn't racing that well, though my times seemed good it was a feeling that I
wasn't top notch. But in the grand scheme of things I am never going to amount to
much in Tris. I am a terrible swimmer, and though I am strong on a road bike and
generally a good climber, the time trial format of the ride in triathlons is not my forte. I
am probably just slightly above average. My run is strong. If I really wanted success in a
sport I would concentrate just on running. I am usually in the top 10% and have had
some high finishes but I really love the three sports of the Tri and the extra challenge of
switching from one to another so it is my sport of choice.
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| Riding on my tri bike in a triathlon |
drove over towards the bridge. Not only is train biking cool in Switzerland but the car
train is very novel as well. To get back to the Rhome valley I would either have to
drive 4 hours but in Kandersteig you can put your car on a train and it whisks you in a
tunnel to the Rhone valley in about 20 minutes. Of course it is super Swiss. The car train
is superbly organized and you wait in three lines with other cars and then the train
comes and you just drive up on stopping as far forward as possible. Mega cool. So I
drove to Brig found my hotel. I was worried because my legs were very tired. But my
philosophy was give it a try and what happens happens. I got up at the usual 5:30 for the
mega ride and set off. The only remarkable event in the morning was a man passed out
in front of my room. But I gingerly stepped overt him and headed to my bike and off I
went.
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| Swiss Auto Train |
the entire upper Rhone valley just to get to the start. I was tired but pedaling up the
beautiful valley admiring the views and quiet villages I traveled through made the
morning pass. Before I knew it I was at the beginning of the Furka pass. The steep
climb was challenging and my legs were heavy but I made it to the top. I stopped there and
had the mental dialogue about turning around, that it was too much, but knowing there
was the same train escape that I had used on my first attempt I figured I could go on.
So I zoomed down to Andermatt. Got a sandwich in Goshenenen and arrived in
Wassen and the start of the Susten. Knowing a ride always makes it easier for me. I had
jut done the Susten and was ready for its challenges.
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| One pass down! |
faced with the road to infinity I began to focus on those short term goals. Being
able to locate the top of the pass was also a big asset. I cranked my way up and by the
time I made it to the switch backs I was determine to get to the top. Luckily it was a
tourist Sunday and the top had a restaurant to cater to the people in cars, motorcyclist,
and the few other bikers. I am ashamed to admit that I had a meat sandwich. The line
for hot food was huge and I didn't want to wait and the only prepaid sandwich was ham.
I grabbed it figuring my vegetarian ways would not suffer too much with this small
indiscretion. A bag a chips, a Snickers bar, and two powerades I was sufficiently
refueled. I think at this point I knew that I was going to do it. It was just a feeling but with
two passes down and plenty of day left all seemed good.
.JPG) |
| Two down! |
I did the long descent to
Innerkirchen. I really dislike descents. The speeds that you travel at are ridiculous and
combine that with traffic, hairpin curves, the chance of blowouts, it is unnerving. It is hard
to go slow since riding the brakes is strenuous and your hands become fatigued from
the death grip on them. I look forward to the end of the descents. When I am climbing
my mind is relaxed and though it is tiring on the legs the rhythmic zen of pedaling is
very peaceful. So finally as I entered Innerkirchen the final pass lay before me. The
mighty Grimsel pass. I had had a battle with it the previous year on another ride and
after two attempts had done it. At 26 km with a very steep final leg it was a challenge in
its own right but the combination of the the other two was going to make it nasty. After only
pedaling about 5 km I could tell that I was wiped. Usually I can sustain a minimal effort
forever but climbing require a type of power that is strength based. It is like doing a
military press when you shoulders, like a light switching off, just stop working and you
can absolutely not lift the weight. I was getting to that point. I stopped at a house
advertising food. Standing awkwardly at the door I asked if there was food here and a nice
German couple invited me in. I felt like I was in their kitchen but there were three small
tables set up for dining. I suspect that they had decided to take advantage of the tourist
trade and with a few homemade signs and these tables had their own business. Luckily
they made cheese sandwiches and I gobbled two down. I felt okay but my legs were
just so tired. I always get impatient and though I should have rested more I wanted to
get it over with. So after the sandwiches I and this short rest it was back on the bike. It was
strange the last leg. I was tired but the thought of success buoyed me and the Grimsel
pass is absolutely stunning. Two thirds of the way up is an amazing dam and high lake
and the natural wonder of it all sustained me. The last bit is über steep but I was
psyched by my soon to be accomplishment and gutted it out to the top.
.JPG) |
| The final pass finished. |
the top in a parking lot space for hikers, a dirty diaper near my feet, I was just to tired to
care, I thought about the day. In the movies and TV accomplished feats and victory are
these mammoth celebratory releases of emotion. People hug, announcers gush,
medals and trophies are wheeled out. But as I sat alone munching on a margarita
flavored clif blocks it all seemed like just a minute passing in another day. To be certain
there was some serious high-fiving in my mind and of course later I would brag to my
friends and write this blog promoting my achievement but really it is so hard to
describe. It is what makes life worth living. It is doing what you know you can but really
maybe you can't. It is the motivation that is fueled by imagination. It was just mine.
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| Bike race. |
followed by 45 km of mostly a downhill lie it was not trivial. I got back to Brig exhausted,
my butt was so sore. I striped of my cycling clothes, got on my civvies and drove my
car back nearly 2 hours to my home in Leysin. It was the highlight of my summer. I feel
somewhat cliche with the thought that I am sad it has been done. Of course I can do it
again or ride it the other direction but there is something about having a nemesis. I am
sure I will find something else and I absolutely can't wait.
Final stats - Distance:225.98km, Riding Time:11:38:59, Total Time:13:28:47,
Elevation Gained: 5776 meters
Dedication - I want to dedicate this post to my good friend Tim Whittemore. Tim was in a bad
bike accident this summer. He is now slowly rehabbing from his terrible injuries. I know he has
the spirit to overcome this challenge. Go Tim!
