This page was last updated Mo 23 September 2024.

Contents: Tours (256)    Trails (17)    Sites (5)    Cycling info pages (5)    Organizations and clubs (2)   

Pages: Previous   1-40   41-80   81-120   121-160   161-200   201-240   241-280   281-285   Next

Switzerland (all)

This page lists all reports that for Switzerland including those that involve other countries too.
Click here for a list of reports that involve only Switzerland.
All descriptions are in English, unless otherwise noted.

Tours (continued)

Alpine Cycle Touring - A First Attempt
by Neil Critchley, tour started August 1998
Europe: Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France

The 7-week adventure had consisted of a solo cycle tour, which started in Chamonix and finished in Lyon visiting the Alpine regions of Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France.

See all 4 reports by Neil Critchley

Brig to Brig using the Lotschberg tunnel
by Marco Buffa, tour started August 1998
Europe: Switzerland

A long and wide bend on the left takes you into the last 10 kms. quite demanding both beacuse you already are on the climb from 17 km. and because during last 10 Km the average slope is > 7% and there are two flat stretches... After an harpin on the right you meet a tunnel (slope > 11%) that bicycles avoid on the right with a nice route (100 mt. are on pave') coasting some gorge that free climbers use for their training. You see the dam of first lake and you know you'll have to go up there: a set of bends help you on gaining altitude and finally you coast the lake at your right with its peculiar colour. Use the stretch along the lake to rest and don't be deceived by the the fact that you clearly see the [Grimsel]pass not so far.

See all 14 reports by Marco Buffa

Alpine Cycle Touring - A First Attempt
by Neil Critchley, tour started August 1998
Europe: France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy

The well-written, well-illustrated report of a grand tour of the Alps. The 7-week adventure had consisted of a solo cycle tour, which started in Chamonix and finished in Lyon visiting the Alpine regions of Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France. This article covers my journey of almost 2200miles.

Having cycled and mountain biked around my native Peak District for many years, I decided the time had come to venture further afield and to try my hand at cycle touring. I had both backpacked and cycled on many occasions, but never had I combined the two together. Graduating from university gave me a sufficient opportunity, since I had a lengthy vacation to fill and the commencement of work later in the year would inhibit such a trip in the future. Preparations were made, panniers purchased and on the 1st August 1998, I found myself heading for Chamonix.

See all 4 reports by Neil Critchley

Swiss Tour '98
by Olaf Weiss, tour started August 1998
Europe: Switzerland
language: en, de

In August 1998 I've made a cycling tour through the Swiss Alps. To start, my friend Rübe (Turnip) also known as Percus and I rode from Freiburg in Germany to Lugano, which is nearly Italy. From there I continued to Geneva (nearly France), where I caught up with my sister who lives there. Finally I went North to ride in the Jura mountains.

Im August 1998 habe ich eine Radtour durch die Schweizer Alpen gemacht. Mein Freund Rübe auch Percus genannt und ich sind von Freiburg im Breisgau bis nach Lugano (fast schon Italien) gefahren. Von da an bin ich dann alleine nach Genf weitergefahren, wo ich meine dort lebende Schwester besucht habe. Zum Abschluß bin ich dann nordwärts in den Jura gefahren.

Around the Bodensee
by Steve Maas, tour started May 1998
Europe: Germany, Switzerland

See all 2 reports by Steve Maas

Zürich - Gibraltar
by Regula Baumberger and Alois Renn, tour started 1998
Europe: Switzerland, France, Spain
language: de

Es ist schon faszinierend einen kleinen Rucksack zu packen, das Fahrrad aus dem Keller zu holen und sich darauf setzen mit der Zielsetzung Gibraltar zu erreichen. Vor allem, wenn der Startort Zürich heisst und 2800 Kilometer Asphalt in allen möglichen Modifikationen dazwischen liegen. So geschehen anfangs August wo wir uns in Balterswil im Thurgau zum Prolog - so heisst heutzutage der letzte Materialtest - trafen. Der ging über 50 km nach Zürich, bei Wunderwetter das pure Vergnügen, und das Material war perfekt. Also etwas Carbo laden, letzte Details besprechen, die leichte Aufregung spüren und dem nächsten Morgen entgegenfiebern.

See all 3 reports by Regula Baumberger and Alois Renn

The Alps East to West 1998
by Carsten Gregersen, tour started 1998
Europe: Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France

From Carsten's Cycling Web, the Web site of Carsten Gregersen.

This tour has it all: Deep Austrian lakes, steep rocks in the Dolomites, impressive Swiss mountain scenery and the gentle slopes of the Jura Mountains. Last, but not least, there is Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc. I have only one day off-road in the Dolomites - otherwise I go along surfaced roads. Starting out as a group of ten we eventually split into smaller groups. I ride most of the tour by myself.

See all 11 reports by Carsten Gregersen

The Fanes-Sennes nature reserve is definitely worth a visit
Europe by bike II: Budapest to Gibraltar
by Glenn and Sheila Ord, tour started 1998

Theft Incidents:

  • Muesli and milk (fox suspected); Germany
  • Dog chewing Glenn's dinner plate; France
  • Cat burgler..feline attempt at food in tent vestibule; Spain

See all 5 reports by Glenn and Sheila Ord

Ord's Bike Guide to Europe
by Glenn and Sheila Ord, tour started 1998

From Glenn and Sheila Ord's Home Page: On the Road to Nowhere - Nowhere is the Place. With an emphasis on budget travelling - Our experiences and advice for cycling in Europe. This guide is entirely based on our 7 1/2 months (12,000 km) in 1998 across (and back) Europe: staying almost entirely in campgrounds (185 tent nights). This was supplemented by our time in Italy (April-May 1999).

See all 5 reports by Glenn and Sheila Ord

Discovering the Alps by Bicycle - Part II: Eastern Alps and Dolomites
by Christian Gfeller, tour started 1998
Europe: Switzerland, Italy, Austria

This year's bicycle tour was to take me roughly from where I had left off last year all the way to Slovenia and back, traversing Southern Tyrol, the Dolomites and the Carnic and Julian Alps on the way there, the Karawanken, Grossglockner- and Zillertaler-Alps on the way back.

See all 2 reports by Christian Gfeller

Tour of the Alps 1998
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1998
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

We took the old road that hangs in a notch carved high above the Aar in the slot below. As we climbed above the upper Grimsel reservoir of the Haslital Power Company, the Finsteraarhorn (4275m), the source of the Unteraar and Oberaar rivers, came into view to the west.

After a light breakfast under a partial overcast, we headed up the wide concrete Gotthard highway that starts climbing in town. Here, above tree line, only scrub brush, grass, wildflowers, and alpenrosen, an azalea prevalent throughout the Alps, decorate the landscape. The alpenrose, among the many wildflowers, adds a lovely bouquet of pink and red with its dark green leaves, as do the striking deep blue gentians, pale blue forget-me-nots, and many varieties of daisies and dandelions.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Europe by bike: London to Budapest
by Glenn and Sheila Ord, tour started 1998

Travel Notes:

  • Thumbs up to: French friendliness, secondary road system, campsites, the bread, wine cheese, pate, supermarkets.
  • Thumbs down to: the April weather, birds that chirp all night long.
  • Most bizarre sight: we spotted 3 English train spotters on holiday watching the trains go by.
  • The gift for the person who has everything: a waterproof baguette holder

See all 5 reports by Glenn and Sheila Ord

Look, Ma! No Brakes! A Tour of the Berner Oberland
by L. T. Reissner, tour started 1998
Europe: Switzerland

It is a general rule of cycling that all hills basically just go up. Once you have gone to all the trouble of climbing a b-I-g hill on your bicycle, however, you should enjoy the luxury of the wind blasting past and a downhill run unimpeded by the need for brakes. But in Switzerland's Bernese Oberland, on some downhill rides it is hard to determine whether the source of all that screaming is the brakes or you. [...] the Bernese Oberland boasts beautiful lakes, picturesque villages and, of course, the magnificent Swiss Alps. Here are the Big Three, all stunning jagged granite peaks--the Eiger, the Jungfrau and the Mönch.

One of the great undiscovered pleasures of European travel is bicycle touring in Switzerland. The scenery is glorious, the roads perfectly-kept and superbly marked. The country is small enough to cover a lot of ground in a short time and there are excellent maps available. The trip can be a strenuous climb through bare mountains or a relaxing roll through alpine meadows.

See all 2 reports by L. T. Reissner

In High Gear in Heidi Country - A visit of the Gruyères region, just northeast of Lake Geneva
by L. T. Reissner, tour started 1998
Europe: Switzerland

Lessoc had beautiful houses, with painted facades picturing Alpine life. In the center of the village was a fountain with an onion dome, dating to 1796. We followed the signs from Lessoc to Grandvillard and then Estavannes. These were just typical villages of the Gruyères region, with nothing out of the ordinary but their charm.

A short ride on the main road past Les Moulins led us to a sign showing a bicycle and pointing left. These red signs are common in Switzerland and will direct you to scenic roads less-travelled by cars. We spun down a well-kept rural road, heading rapidly downhill, past manicured farms, where the barns and farmhouses are built as a single unit, and the only sound was the wind and the gentle clanking of cowbells in the air.

See all 2 reports by L. T. Reissner

Discovering the Alps by Bicycle - Part I: Central Alps
by Christian Gfeller, tour started July 1997
Europe: Switzerland, Italy, Austria

This is the report of a one week bicycle tour in the Swiss Alps and parts of the Italian and Austrian Alps I undertook in the ``summer'' of 1997. Complete with plenty of useful practical information. The itinerary was Zürich - Tannen - Grimsel - Furka - Hospental - Oberalp - Splügen (village) - Splügen (pass) - Maloja - Bernina - Poschiavo - Aprica - Gavia - Bormio - Alpisella - Ofen - Umbrail - Stilfserjoch - Reschenscheideck - Arlberg - Braz - Wildhaus - Ricken - Zürich

See all 2 reports by Christian Gfeller

A Tribute to the Alpine Passes of Switzerland
by Marco Buffa, tour started March 1997
Europe: Switzerland

This short set of pictures can not exhaust all the passes in Switzerland because I've never been to some of them (Grosse Scheidegg, maybe in 1997 ?) or the camera went out of order at the moment of taking the picture (Susten Pass - July 1995) and also because of their number. Most of the passes are not so far each other and looking at a map is not so difficult to project a ``one day'' tour including the crossing of at least two passes. I think my personnel record is this tour including three crossings and a back and forward stretch to reach a fourth pass: that day.

See all 14 reports by Marco Buffa

Geneva - Barcelona
by Regula Baumberger and Alois Renn, tour started 1997
Europe: Switzerland, France, Spain
language: en, de

Nice layout, good pictures, altitude diagrams, maps, useful information - well, the works. The route follows the rim of the Alps, crosses the Rhone valley close to Montelimar and enters the Massif Central to follow the gorges of the Tarn river. With an excursion to the Lacaune Mountains and Pic Noire we cross the Garonne valley and head the Pyrenees to climb the Mountains to Puerta Envalira and Andorra. After this excursion to big tourism we enjoy the quietness of the Sierra Cadi from where we visit the Monastry of Montserrat and finally ride down to Barcelona.

See all 3 reports by Regula Baumberger and Alois Renn

French and Swiss Alps
by Trevor and Thea Warwick, tour started 1997
Europe: France, Switzerland

Complete with beatiful pictures: thumbnails on-line, with links to bigger off-line. This year, my wife Thea and I had planned a summer Alpine cycle tour, two weeks riding in the Northern French and Western Swiss Alps. Our proposed distances were less ambitious than some of the other tours described on this web site, with an average of around 80km per day, with no more than 2000 metres of climbing. We were planning to travel with one pannier each, and ended up with about 4.5 kilos of luggage per person.

See all 5 reports by Trevor and Thea Warwick

Tour of the Alps 1997
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1997
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

3400km, 55337m, and 22 days on the road in rain, sun, and snow.

We set out toward Luzern and the central Alps in a cold rain, riding south across the Reuss valley to Merenschwand, in canton Aargau, with its slender church steeple and red tile roofed houses with window boxes of geraniums.

I looked out the window at first light and thought I was wearing red filters. After some more sleep and better daylight I checked again and it was true, it had snowed more than 15cm during the night. We got a good breakfast before heading up the hill on the freshly plowed road.

Only intermittent drops fell as my max speed record also fell, recording a speed that newscasters would have you believe occurs regularly in the TdF and on far gentler slopes. This is a 13% descent, perfectly straight into Ciapela (1450m) and smooth enough to reach terminal velocity. It was a gas.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Tour of Switzerland
by Carsten Gregersen, tour started 1997
Europe: Switzerland

Sion is start and finish for this mountain bike tour through the cantons Valais og Graubünden. Most of the riding is on tarmac, but occasionally I leave the pack behind and go off-road. This turn into a tour across some of the highest passes in Switzerland with detours to Stelvio in Italy and the Silvretta ski arena in Austria. Primarily I camp, but because it is raining a lot I sometimes stay in hotels to dry my clothes.

See all 11 reports by Carsten Gregersen

Still 20 hairpins to go to the Stelvio summit
French and Swiss Alps
by Trevor and Thea Warwick, tour started 1997
Europe: France, Switzerland

This year, my wife Thea and I had planned a summer Alpine cycle tour, two weeks riding in the Northern French and Western Swiss Alps. [...] Our proposed distances were less ambitious than some of the other tours described on this web site, with an average of around 80km per day, with no more than 2000 metres of climbing. We were planning to travel with one pannier each, and [...] ended up with about 4.5 kilos of luggage per person [...]

See all 5 reports by Trevor and Thea Warwick

Col St Roch on a hot day
Bicycle trip along the river Rhine
by Lenore Kennedy, tour started 1997
Europe: Germany, Switzerland, Holland

This is a five week odyssey roughly following the Rhine River from its source in Switzerland to its junction with the Moselle River at Koblenz in Germany, with a little bit of the Netherlands tacked on for good measure. The original plan was to follow the Rhine from its source all the way to the North Sea, but, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men... This is more a socio-historico-geographico-meteorological report on European holiday I never thought to experience - coming from Down Under, Europe is a distant ream for the average person.

A beautiful report, full of vivid details and useful information, and very nicely illustrated.

See all 2 reports by Lenore Kennedy

7500 km im Velosattel - Fahrradtour ans Nordkap
by Thomas Kiser (tomK), tour started 1997
language: de

Mit dem Fahrrad von Bern ans Nordkap und über Finnland bis in die Baltischen Staaten. Mit vollbepacktem Drahtesel vier Monate unterwegs. Dabei ergeben sich interessante Begegnungen und eindrückliche Naturerlebnisse. Regentage, Fahrradpannen und andere Tiefpunkte sind schnell wieder vergessen. Einige Eindrücke (nicht nur) aus dem hohen Norden.

Swiss Alps Tour
by Milosz Wisniewski, tour started June 1996
Europe: Switzerland

The adventure has been born in circumstances having a little in common with generally conceived tourism or ``communing with nature'' pattern; namely, in front of the computer screen in which I tried to find through the Internet links something which could have become a seed of future voyages. And I did - hundreds of pages of stories written by people for whom the Alps and bike were something more than just a holiday idea. [...] Such stories are extremely infectious, therefore it wasn't long before I have sketched on the map of Switzerland my route of dreams. The idea was even more encouraging for me, as the tour was supposed to run very close to numerous summits which I read about so many times - symbols of pioneer and contemporary alpinism.

See all 6 reports by Milosz Wisniewski

Tour of the Alps 1996
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1996
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

This is the great report of a tour in the Alps that Jobst Brandt did in the summer of '96.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Central Switzerland
by Marco Buffa, tour started November 1995
Europe: Switzerland

Goschenen - Andermatt - Furkapass - Gletsch - Grimselpass - Innertkirchen - Sustenpass - Wassen - Goschenen, Km 120.

See all 14 reports by Marco Buffa

Graubunden Tour
by Marco Buffa, tour started October 1995
Europe: Switzerland

Thusis - Tiefencastel - Albulapass - La Punt - Zernez - Fluelapass - Davos - Klosters - Landquart - Chur - Thusis, Km 190.

See all 14 reports by Marco Buffa

Raid Alpine: Thonon-Trieste
by Francis Cooke, tour started 1995
Europe: France, Italy, Switzerland

From Arrivèe On-Line, Audax UK's quarterly magazine.

A certain Frenchman, Georges Rossini of Thonon on Lake Geneva, has set up four testing Alpine routes, or 'Raids':

  • Randonnee Alpine - Thonon to Antibes, 740km and 43 cols through the French Alps.
  • Randonnee Alpine - Thonon to Trieste, 1180km and 41 cols through the Swiss and Italian Alps and Dolomites.
  • Randonnee Prealpine - Thonon to Antibes, 894km and 47 cols through the French Alps.
  • Randonnee Prealpine - Thonon to Venice, 1209km and 69 cols through the Italian Alps and Lakes.

See all 5 reports by Francis Cooke

Tour of the Alps 1995
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1995
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

This is the great report of a tour in the Alps that Jobst Brandt did in the summer of '95.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

A Tale of Two Trains, between Switzerland and Italy
by Marco Buffa, tour started September 1994
Europe: Switzerland, Italy

One day: 6 September 1994 from 6:30 to 20:00. Chiasso-Airolo by train then: Airolo - Nufenenpass - Ulrichen - Briga - Simplonpass - Domodossola Domodossola-Vergiate by train then: Vergiate - Azzate - Vedano Olona Olgiate Comasco - Drezzo - Pedrinate - Chiasso Km 180 (only cycling). Find more of Marco Buffa's tour reports here.

See all 14 reports by Marco Buffa

Six Passes in the Alps, between Italy and Switzerland
by Marco Buffa, tour started July 1994
Europe: Italy, Germany, Switzerland

One day: Tour 21 July 1994 from 8:00 to 20:20. Pontresina - Zernez - Ofenpass - S. Maria - Umbrailpass - Bormio - Passo Foscagno - Passo Eira - Livigno - Forcola - Bernina - Pontresina, Km 180. Find more of Marco Buffa's tour reports here.

See all 14 reports by Marco Buffa

Tour of the Alps 1994
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1994
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

This is the great report of a tour in the Alps that Jobst Brandt did in the summer of '94.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Tour de Suisse
by Torsten Lif, tour started 1994
Europe: Switzerland

When Richard Freytag and I started planning this year's recumbent tour, the somewhat obnoxious idea of touring Switzerland on the outside came up. We liked it, although it was soon clear that we would not manage the complete round in the time we had on our hands so we decided to go for a semi-circle and save the rest for later. After contacting Andreas Fuchs (from the HPV mailing list) in Bern for help with some practical details, it was decided that we would start in Bern and thus get a couple of days of riding in Switzerland before entering France.

See all 3 reports by Torsten Lif

Geneva to Venice
by Trevor Warwick, tour started September 1993
Europe: Switzerland, Italy

In mid-September 1993, a group of five Digital employees set out to ride from Geneva to Venice The planned route was 800km, and had > 10,000 metres of climbing, with pre-arranged hotel bookings at strategic points.

See all 4 reports by Trevor Warwick

Filisur (Switzerland) to Milan
by Christian Flenker, tour started August 1993
Europe: Switzerland, Italy
language: de

An excellent report, also from a technical point of view.

See all 4 reports by Christian Flenker

Tour of the Alps 1993
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1993
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

[...] I rode past the emerald Lago di Carezza in whose glassy surface the myriad spires of the Latemar (2846m) were mirrored. Then after passing the huge magnificent hotels with massive 1920's architecture near the summit of the Costalunga (1753m), I descended to Pozza di Fassa (1220m) and on to Canazei and turned up the Pso Sella (2257m), the Gardena (2121m), and the Campolongo (1875m) and onward to the Giau (2236m). The view from the Giau was magnificent with the great Dolomites, the majestic Le Tofane, Monte Cristallo, Monte Cadini and the Marmorola above Cortina, clear and bright in the afternoon sun while to the southwest, the glacier glistened on the Marmolada.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

The Swiss Alps
by Carsten Gregersen, tour started 1993
Europe: Switzerland

We are two friends bringing our mountain bikes on the plane to Genève. From here we go for a ride through the cantons Bernese Oberland og Valais. We carry full pack, i.e. tent, sleeping bag cooker etc. Occasionally we leave the pack behind and ride on the small hiking tracks in the mountains. The highlight of the tour is Pas de Lona (2787 m) on the last part of the Grand Raid Cristalp mountain bike route. We also find time for a few trips with some of the fascinating Swiss narrow-gauge railways.

See all 11 reports by Carsten Gregersen

Two proud cyclists at the high spot of the trip, Pas de Lona
Tour of the Alps 1992
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1992
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

The adventure of riding over Frut to Tannalp and Engsteln from Sarnen was out of the question because the snow level was about 1500 meters and I am not so hot on trails on cliffs in the snow. We rode over the Brunig (1008 m) and down to Meiringen, where we wolfed down some good bratwurst with potato(e) salad, hot soup, and good fresh whole-wheat bread.

The rain lifted in the morning as we rode up the Grosse Scheidegg (1961m), directly beneath the face of the Wetterhorn that was making artillery like sounds as enormous icefalls crashed down its walls before we broke out of the clouds. By the time we could see the mountain, the show was over. About 15 cm of new snow made a beautiful spring scene as we reached the summit where Eiger, Moench, and Jungfrau with their glacial appendages made a striking appearance in spite of grey skies.

The climb [up the Izoard] crosses a false summit from which the rest of the road is visible on the opposite side of the canyon. After stopping at the Coppi memorial for a picture I found mysterious power for the last two kilometers and rode like 30 years ago feeling no limits but the size of the carburetor bore as I breathed at max volume. Marc asked, ``what happened back there?'' when he arrived at the top. It was great!

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Tour of the Alps 1991
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1991
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

In the morning we headed back up the hill in a light drizzle that turned to snow just below Gletsch. But wait there's more. As we entered the high valley below the Rhone Glacier and Furka Pass (2431m), we saw snow blowing about in brilliant sunshine on the summit. It was so cold and dry our clothes were completely dry as was the road where the snow just blew to the gutter. The drifts of powdery snow on the summit were so deep that my bicycle would stand alone in it. It was an exhilarating climb with storybook weather.

I passed the closed Lingotto FIAT plant, with test track on the roof, that is being refurbished as an automotive trade center. The modern streetcars with antique trolley poles and bronze trolley wheels wend their way between ancient buildings on narrow streets paved with 0.5x1.0m red and tan granite plates set at a 45 degrees. The rushing sound of the trolley wheel on the wire is truly a sound from the past for me, reminiscent of four trolley tracks on San Francisco's Market Street in my youth.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Tour of the Alps 1990
by Jobst Brandt, tour started 1990
Europe: Switzerland, France, Austria

The Iseran probably earns the ``highest pass in France'' title, being actually higher and because it is steep, spectacular, and is surrounded by glaciers and snow. When you're there you know there's a There there. This is truly the haute Savoie, whose red and white emblem was the inspiration for the emigrants who took their red flag with the white cross along as they founded Switzerland.

The Stelvio may not be the hardest, longest or anything else, but it has a special place in my heart for its magnificent and exquisitely orchestrated landscape. It seems to have its own Wagnerian accompaniment, magnificent and grand. I have ridden it in every weather and it is always an emotional moment at the top with the ice caps of the Ortler and snowfields of the Gran Zebru as a backdrop to the road that drops 1000m into the canyon in the Shadows of this deep ravine. Forty nine numbered hairpin turns and 2000m below lies the valley.

See all 20 reports by Jobst Brandt

Pages: Previous   1-40   41-80   81-120   121-160   161-200   201-240   241-280   281-285   Next