Ride report: The Three passes: A Swiss Alp death march

[pete@nsmb.com]

Last Thursday was a holiday, and what better way to celebrate a day of rest than to batter our legs and lungs senseless? Like the tour I did two years ago with my boss Claudio and my intern at the time (Gottardo, Oberalp, and Lucomagno passes), this tour does not have a bail out option: once you set out, you can either complete the loop or head back, so you are truly in the mountains. The italian-looking guy in the orange Swisspower jersey is my boss, Claudio, the other italian-looking guy in the white is Riccardo, who is the sales manager here at Ritchey/Syncros in Europe.

We started in Airolo which is at the northern end of Ticino (the Italian speaking canton of Switzerland), rode over the San Gottardo pass, down into Hospental (the town just down the road from Andermatt where I went b/c skiing in early April) along the valley to Realp, up immediately to the Furka pass, then down to Ulrichen, and up again to the Nufenen pass, ending in a 25km downhill to Airolo and the car. The total length is only 100km, but the short distance makes it harder when you consider that you start climbing at kilometer 2, and the first two climbs are finished inside of 40 kms – that means no warm up and no respite between the first descent and the second climb.

First it was up the Gottardo. I’ve done this climb before and it’s not that bad (12.7km and 932m vert, avg grade 7.4%) but the tricky part is that most of it is cobbled and you start without getting a chance to warm up the legs, plus you’ve just driven from 300m to 1160m and are about to climb to 2300m which is a drastic change.

Up we went, and it was a bit chilly on the climb but sunny at the top – last time up here in mid August it was 3 degrees at the summit so this was a nice change.

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Cobbles, baby!

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Ricki and Claudio approaching the summit of San Gottardo pass.

The descent is super fast and fun – I hit 86 kph and had to slow down on my way into a tunnel or else I would have passed into the 90s. After that the gusty wind and tighter turns kept the speeds in the 70s but that was still fast enough to have bugs die on impact if they hit you and to feel light G forces through the larger sweeping turns.

We got down into Hospental which was a town I saw every day on my last b/c ski trip, but turned left towards Realp instead of right towards Andermatt. Rode through the valley there and I was able to pick out lines we’d skied in April.

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http://photos-293.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v78/172/71/518646645/n518646645_121293_5897.jpg
Heading into Realp, and the climb to Furka pass.

Then it was literally up again almost right away. Furka pass was a bitch – not as much b/c of the numbers (12.3km, 893m vert, avg grade 7.3%) but because it was our second time up over 2,000m in less than 35kms and because our legs weren’t recovered from the first climb yet. We each stopped once to let our breathing and heart rates regulate – it was impossible to do so by riding much slower because of the pitch so stopping was the only option. Anyway, it wasn’t pure suffering like we were about to endure on the Nufenen, and it was scenic and not too cold, but it was still tough.

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After several painstaking false summits we got to the top and started down immediately because it was windy and cold. We descended a few kms and stopped at the Hotel Belvedere for some food – there was no way we were going to make it up over another pass on powerbars and gels alone. We set out again and the descent was nice although there was lots of melt run off on the road so it was tricky to find braking points heading into some of the fast sweeping corners. As we got lower we were riding through a gorgeous road that went through a pine forest – the air was thick and smelled like pine and the forest reminded me a bit of home. We were spat out into the valley that heads towards Brig, and it was very pretty as well – typical Swiss alpine valley complete with wooden houses and green pastures. We had about 12kms into an increasing headwind, so we stopped again in Ulrichen for a coffee and a pastry – which was Claudio’s undoing on the Nufenen pass.

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The road between Oberwald and Ulrichen was perfect, despite the headwind, which would persist until the summit of Nufenen pass.

We climbed out of Ulrichen knowing it was going to be a suffer fest. It starts steep and doesn’t let off that much the rest of the way. On top of that, and our fried legs, we had a stiff headwind – gusts were easily hitting 35kph, which made climbing a special kind of hell. Nothing to do but go up, though, since the alternative was to double back and do two more passes to get to the car – no thanks. Marmots were whistling at us – clearly mocking our pathetic efforts – and the wind howled as we pressed on. The headwind was relentless because we were bearing straight up the valley. We thought the switchbacks would offer relief and they did, except now we could see the road we had to climb (we were directly below the switchbacks before and it was too steep to see them above us) and it was intimidating to say the least, knowing we had to get up there. Claudio stopped no less than 5 times on that climb to make sure his stomach was empty and he suffered badly as a result but still made it up ok. Both he and Ricki think it’s the hardest climb they have ever ridden, and those two have been everywhere. It was very nice to get to the top, but there were times when a light head and spiking heart rate made me think I might end up walking in cleats at some point. Anyway, we all toughed it out and it made the 25km downhill back to the car that much sweeter. Plus we had great views on top and you could even see the valley we had climbed up from – ridiculously far away from the summit.

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The suffering begins on the climb to Nufenen pass. Brutal headwind here sapped your speed - and energy - with every pedal stroke.

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Switchbacks. Love 'em. Hate 'em.

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Despite the pain, the scenery gave you something to look at and enjoy, when you weren't cross-eyed from oxygen deficit or worried about cramping hamstrings.

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Almost there...

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3 down. Only one long kickass descent left.

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They really had us by the balls on the price of a Powerade (1 $CAD basically equals 1 Swiss franc)

Beer and local cheese at the end of the ride was delicious – and well-deserved.


More info in italian about the climbs here, including climb charts:

http://www.salitomania.it/gottardo_ita.htm

http://www.salitomania.it/furkaobwald_ita.htm

http://www.salitomania.it/nufe_ita.htm

[Mic]

Thanx for sharing, pete.. :) Nice reading and even better pix. Myself, I would prolly not even make it to the top of the first one. gotta give up on those smokes...

[Joe Dick]

any ride that requires a meal break in the middle is a worthy ride indeed. thanks for sharing.

[gotham]

Am I the only one that thinks it's nuts to walk into a store and find the beer cheaper than the sports drink?

Good work on the climb!

[LeeLau]

ouch! what was the grade on the final switchbacks

[Splan]

I miss Switzerland =(

Looks like a deadly, yet beautiful ride.

[Ned]

Top shelf Pete,,,, simply top shelf.

[Sharon]

wow.

nice!

Would a cross bike with disc brakes have been nice?

[sanrensho]

Ouch, that last climb is 8.2% at 13.7 km.

Pete, I'm curious about the cobblestones on the first climb. Is there a reason it isn't paved? Low traffic or just "tradition"?

[pete@nsmb.com]

ouch! what was the grade on the final switchbacks

Lee, here's the grading chart for the Nufenen pass:

http://www.salitomania.it/images/altnufe.gif

I have to emphasize that as tough as that last climb was, it was the brutal headwind for the first 1/2 or 2/3 of it that made it truly epic.

[pete@nsmb.com]

Ouch, that last climb is 8.2% at 13.7 km.

Pete, I'm curious about the cobblestones on the first climb. Is there a reason it isn't paved? Low traffic or just "tradition"?

Tradition. In the old days, the cobbles were needed to give horses and wagon wheels traction. The road has held up beautifully for hundreds of years, so why pave it now? I should note that there are two roads up that pass, the cobbled one is the "old road" and it's also mostly cobbled on the way down. Last time up it we rode down the cobbled sections and let me tell you that cobbles at 60 kph really make you pray you tightened all your bolts and don't have a crack in your carbon bar or post, so we took the smooth way down this time and it was amazing.

Sharon - disc brakes would have been nice although all three descents had lots of turns where you didn't need the brakes at all if you could see through the bend. Really swoopy, unlike most of the descents around me here in Lugano which feature lots of switchbacks.

gotham - I almost bought a beer instead of a powerade but was a bit nervous about the effects it would have on my judgment during the last descent...

[LeeLau]

pete - that makes me cringe.

I did a ride in Newfoundland with 60kmh headwinds. Sharon was smart and hid behind me and rested the whole way 3hrs 30mins to cover 98km on totally flat roads. That hurt bad but I didn't have to climb Seymour at the end. Oh and I got through day by eating scrunchins

http://www.leelau.net/2005/newfoundland/norrispointtoportlandcreek/sufferingheadwind07a.jpg

[sanrensho]

Tradition. In the old days, the cobbles were needed to give horses and wagon wheels traction. The road has held up beautifully for hundreds of years, so why pave it now?

Neat. And not a single pothole evident in any of your photos.

[pete@nsmb.com]

pete - that makes me cringe.

I did a ride in Newfoundland with 60kmh headwinds. Sharon was smart and hid behind me and rested the whole way 3hrs 30mins to cover 98km on totally flat roads. That hurt bad but I didn't have to climb Seymour at the end. Oh and I got through day by eating scrunchins

Ouch! I'll take a tough climb over a headwind any day. I don't feel the same sense of accomplishment beating one that I do getting to the top of a climb. Of course Sharon tucked in behind you, she is the smart one after all, is she not?

Um, what are scrunchins?

[pete@nsmb.com]

Neat. And not a single pothole evident in any of your photos.

A lot of it was insanely well paved, although there were some rough sections as well. On fresh legs it's ok but as the third climb it also would have been tough.

[thewalrus]

MONTE ZONCOLAN

http://www.customgetaways.com/images/Giro/2007/zoncolan.jpg

http://www.bikenews.it/2003/GIRO/tappe/12/alt.JPG

[pete@nsmb.com]

Toughest known climb in Europe. Simoni ran a 34-27! I was running 34-25 although I mostly used my 23. I don't know if gearing exists that would let me haul my carcass up Zoncolan, Simoni is a total midget (he's been to the office here a few times) and WAY lighter than my 78ish kilos...22% in one section and 14.9% for 5.9 kms? Brutal. Even the pros were sub 10 kph in the steep parts.

[LeeLau]

scrunchins are basically fried pork fat. Newfoundland delicacy and vital for 98kmh timetrials in a furious headwind

[pete@nsmb.com]

...with an impatient better half chomping at your backside. Damn, those scrunchins sound pretty good. Right near the start of our lunch ride is a grotto (i.e. traditional local restaurant) which has the best ribs ever. On a cool day especially you can always smell them at lunch. Many a day I have been tempted to stop and eat rather than ride...something about salty pork really kills your motivation to ride, or at least substitutes that motivation with a desire to eat.

[Sharon]

...with an impatient better half chomping at your backside.

what?!?!

[enduramil]

scrunchins are basically fried pork fat. Newfoundland delicacy and vital for 98kmh timetrials in a furious headwind

Just remember not to ask, Can it get any worse?

[pete@nsmb.com]

what?!?!

:lol:

I think I meant to write "chomping at the bit while riding on your wheel". It was late...

[Mic]

:lol:

I think I meant to write "chomping at the bit while riding on your wheel". It was late...

http://images.allposters.com/images/20/wag2564.jpg

[thewalrus]

Great site: http://www.climbbybike.com/

http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Scanuppia---Malga-Palazzo&qryMountainID=3597

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Scanuppia_-_Malga_Palazzo_profile.jpg



http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Rionda&qryMountainID=5550

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Rionda_Lavey_les_Bains_profile.gif

[pete@nsmb.com]

Wow those are ridiculous. At a certain point it's masochism. You can't enjoy the scenery when you're cross-eyed and ready to explode the whole time.

@ Mic: That Freud has a strangely appealing forehead...

[the flying moose]

thanks for the post pete. i wanna ride my road bike really bad now.

[hooli]

beauty stuff pete...i really want to get my roadie over there...

[pete@nsmb.com]

I was really looking forward to seeing the pros ride the Nefenen pass in the Tour de Suisse last week but those wussies bailed and re-routed around it...something about hailstones the size of tennis balls.

Anyway, now the pain has been erased from our heads and there is talk of another three pass ride (two would be so much more appropriate but you have to do 3 to get back where you started). This next one is harder than the last...