The Rev. Bob Morley once said, “The best things in life aren’t what you’re doing or where you’re at but who you’re with.” This perfectly describes my riding in Finland.
Potatoes at the market in Forssa
Four years ago I was here and rode every day because I was riding every day in 2019. My Finnish daughter, Laura, even arranged for a 50km ride with her sister-in-law and some friends and it was a glorious time. I hoped to repeat it but it did not happen.
On my way to the airport to pick up a rental car
This time I did not seek out riding but let the rides come to me. I arrived from Frankfurt late at night on Saturday and stayed at the Helsinki Hilton Airport. My Finnish daughter, Jenni, (yes, I have two Finnish daughters) picked me up at the hotel and took me to her house.
Ready to ride
We were enjoying the company Sunday morning and I wasn’t necessarily in a hurry to build my bike up and go for a ride. Nor did we check the weather. Jenni suggested a ride so I built up the bike and we were out the door around 11:00 a.m. It was sunny.
Riding in the rain
Jenni got a new eBike in April and was looking forward to a ride where we could ride at the same pace. And I was looking forward to just riding. We didn’t ride far before the sun that had been shining quickly disappeared behind a cloud. Not long after that it started raining. And it was a steady rain.
Jenni
Despite the rain, we rode. Jenni was in charge of the route and picked a gravel road for about two kilometers. I didn’t mind riding on gravel except for what it was doing to my bike. It was trashing it. It was a sandy mix and there was grit everywhere. But I was with the right person. Where I was didn’t matter.
Sunny days
Jenni and I found a longer route on Monday it was sunny and a gorgeous day to ride. We were almost back to her place when the chain popped off her bike. Maybe it caused a bit of panic but I assured her that I could “walk” it back in place. And I did.
The strawberries in Finland are the best in the world
While Jenni went to work on Tuesday, I had mapped out a ride to the Helsinki Airport to pick up a rental car. It was an enjoyable ride about 80% on bike trails. I could have made it 90% but purposely added some country roads because given a choice between a bike trail and a lightly traveled country road I prefer the road.
There was sunshine in Finland
That afternoon Jenni and I went for a final ride before I left for Forssa. I left my bike case behind and took just my bike with me.
We saw pirates (Tampere)
When I was with Laura we did a lot of family activities. My first day we went site-seeing in Tampere. At no point was I yearning to ride. If it happened, it happened, but I didn’t need to ride. And the weather wasn’t cooperating like it did in 2019.
Tampere
But we had a window of opportunity and I wanted to ride with my Finnish granddaughter, Olivia. We went on city streets although many had adjacent bike trails or bike sidewalks. I wasn’t always sure where to ride. But Olivia was the trail blazer and I just had to follow her directions.
Forssa – Very trecherous wet road
In downtown Forssa we went by the river. The road we were on wasn’t as much gravel as it was clay. It was wet and my tires were sliding like on ice.
Olivia and Barry
When Olivia and I got back to the house we had ridden 15 km. She wanted more and we went back out until we had 25 km. Oh my god. She’s just like me. I love this kid.
Near Forssa
To fulfill my role as a guest taxi driver and exchange grandpa, I took my bike out of the car and stored it in the garage. So on Saturday when I went to visit friends in Turku, I did not have a bike with me.
Turku
My friends, Chris and Eeva, said they’d like to ride from their house to center city in Turku. It sounded great to me except I had left my bike behind in Turku. It wasn’t a big deal as they had two teenage sons and I could ride one of their bikes.
Pick a bike to ride
It was better this way. I could wear comfortable shoes and not my bike shoes that clip into the pedals but are pretty difficult to walk around in. Chris brought a cable to lock up the bikes while we went to lunch. I would have been very nervous leaving my bike behind with just a cable lock. I was much less nervous leaving their bikes with just a cable lock.
Selma and mom
So four of us including seven-year-old Selma followed a bike trail into downtown Turku. It was about 8 km (5 miles). Some of it was almost single-track. And Selma held her own.
Going back was a bit sketchy because instead of retracing our ride we followed city streets. Selma had to know when to be on the sidewalks and trails. She did have her parents to help. And I wasn’t always sure. But what fun! She handled her bike really well. It may have been my slowest ride of the year but it was sure enjoyable.
Bastard Bugers, Helsinki. Didn’t eat here but that name!
My last morning in Forssa I was able to slip out for a 50 km ride. The weather didn’t look promising but I beat the rain. This ride and my trip to the Helsinki Airport to pick up my car were my only solo rides in Finland.
It wasn’t 100% flat
The country is beautiful. Mostly flat. Heavily forested with lots of lakes. It is a great place to ride but the riding was overshadowed by even greater company. “The best things in life aren’t what you’re doing or where you’re at but who you’re with.“
Today would be our final day of riding with only a short window tomorrow that I already nixed. My recovery on this trip has been too little so a day of rest, but with travel, is what is in store for tomorrow.
Dan holding Buffalo Court one final time
The routes were announced as 90 and 130 km. The 130 km would leave at 9:30 although 9:30 never really meant 9:30 much to the chagrin of our 29-year Marine veteran. (And he was right)
Keith and Heather. And cows.
We rolled out with apparently only Brian, our guide, and Alonzo, having the routes on their bike’s computer head units. I had requested three weeks prior to this trip to have GPX files to upload before we arrived but none were sent. A couple of times during the week we were sent files in the morning about an hour before we rolled. I did not have files for France, The Netherlands, or today’s ride. Yesterday was a rainout and the ride to Andy Schleck Cycles was an old route ridden by Will. So basically we only had the Germany route in advance.
One of our Motos at Gustyland
We left the hotel and went up the first hill at a comfortable pace. My left shoe wasn’t clipping in. Before the ride, I walked through some cedar chips to get to the support van for water for my bottles and suspect that a chip was stuck in my cleat. I went to the front and asked for a stop when we made a turn. We made a turn but did not stop. I quickly stopped and shook out the offending tree piece then remounted and had to chase up a grade to catch the group. I caught them but not without using serious effort. In cycling terms, I burned a match or two (of energy).
Elvang, Luxembourg
It was an up-and-down day. My Wahoo recognized the roads and displayed the climbs as I rode them. In all, we had 21 summits on the route and missed a 22nd when we turned off right before the summit. It was a hilly or rolling day to be sure (4700′ of climb over 65 miles).
One of our motos
The first real climb we had come to left the river Moselle and climbed high up the hill. I hadn’t recovered yet from my effort 10 minutes earlier and immediately was dropped. Or dropped back because I didn’t want to go deep this early in the ride. Brian said we all ride at our pace and I accepted that. There would be two or three climbs like this and I felt I was holding back my group of strong riders. If I had the map I might have told them the truth. I prefer a group ride of one where I can stop and take photos, something I can’t do sitting in a group.
Riding along the River Moselle
Our guide for the week, Gusty (Goose-ty), was hosting us for lunch. His son, Pet, was riding with us. Incredibly skinny and small, he looked to be 5’5” and no more than 100 pounds. He looked very young, maybe 13-14, but was 18 years old.
Waiting for the group
It was fascinating watching Pet’s recovery as we rode. We dropped him once and he may have been 500 meters behind us. We stopped and when we resumed he took off up the next climb like a bat out of hell. He could fly uphill but didn’t yet develop endurance muscles. I also heard it was only the third or fourth time on a bike. I figured if he was behind me I could stay in the middle between him and our group.
Climbing away from the River Moselle
Pit appeared to be tiring or maybe we were just running behind schedule. Brian and he made some adjustments to get to his house and cut our ride short. Amazingly we beat the second group although we were riding 30-40 km farther and left just 30 minutes later.
The River Moselle. Germany is on the other side of the river.
Gusto’s wife, Dani, had set up a nice lunch spread. The one food I really wanted, small sausages, were gone by the time I went through the line. But I got two Cokes so it may have evened out.
When we left Gustyland we rolled out as a group. On the road Alonzo and Danny went to the front and took off, presumably to break up the group to see who would follow. I didn’t want to even if I could have and I’m not sure that I could have. They developed perhaps a 300-meter gap on us when we came to the fork in the road. Will’s head unit said to turn left whereas Brian’s said to turn right. We stopped and waited for the third group on the road, headed up by Gusty for the correct turn.
Quick stop (Pet)
On one long grade, I was pulling along without realizing Paul was on my wheel. He passed and thanked me for the pull and I reciprocated by grabbing his wheel. We passed Pit and tried to get him to join us but he couldn’t. Of course, as soon as the road turned up he flew past us. Again.
Gusty demonstrating his knife to Zim and how to kill a wild boar
One final grade and this time the three of us were together. The van, driven by our mechanic, Jean-Claude, passed usandthen pulled in front. Paul encouraged Pit to follow the car but he wasn’t ready to. I thought Paul was going to but in the end, it was just me.
Dinner at the hotel – Julie and Heather (L), Brian (R)
And I took off. Jean-Claude seemed quite pleased that someone was drafting his car. We passed maybe 6-7 in our group hoping that each one was envious of my drafting. We reached an intersection catching the first group and as I passed while he braked, we did a “low-five” hand slap. Drafting isn’t easy and the driver and both have to trust one another. And we did.
Lisa and Julie waiting to sign Gusty’s flag
It was literally all downhill from there. We rolled into town as a team (or a group that wants to be a team) and I rolled out of town. I wanted a photo of the town’s entrance sign that I tried to take yesterday in the rain. And I had to go to France one last time.
Bikes at Gustyland
At dinner in the evening Gusty shared how he met the Schlecks (hunting). He stated that he doesn’t live a luxurious lifestyle but in his own words makes up for what he doesn’t have materially with a big heart
Bike sculpture in
Mondorf
We would learn later that the first group was delayed when one of the rental bikes wouldn’t shift due to a discharged battery. Fränk rode to his place, got his gravel bike, then rode both back to the hotel so that Lisa could ride his bike.
Our Germany ride would be different than the last time four years ago. And it would be much better.
Welcome to Germany
Fränk announced that we would be riding in the same groups as in Holland and then Gusty and he had a somewhat spirited conversation in Luxembourgish. I was luck to have my Google Translator nearby.
Alonzo and Bryan
Gusty: Wait, you said in Holland that I could take the cool kids
Fränk: Well it seems I changed my mind
Gusty: Please don’t make me ride with the loser group again
Fränk: Fine. I can roll out with them but if you catch us after I give you three minutes then we will just roll as one group
Saarburg
And with that my loser group rolled out with Fränk. We headed for the bike path that we rode back from the winery (lunch) on Sunday, down into Schengen across the Moselle River into Germany. I was consistently in the top four with a gap to the others. I enjoyed riding with our second guide, Brian from Ireland. We gapped the group a couple of times. Oops.
Dan and Lisa
I also noticed that as we climbed my right foot was slipping. This was the sign of a loose screw in my cleat which was confirmed at the top of the climb.
Rest stop near Saarburg While other s ate I sat fixing my cleat
I had been following the GPX file Fränk had sent out when at a fork in the bike path he turned right whereas the map had as going left. Unless you saw the group turn you would not have known the direction to follow. I announced that I would wait for our stragglers to make sure they made the turn. As I stood waiting the second group came by. I wondered if it looked like I had to stop to walk. Oh well.
Fränk next to the River Saar
We had a beautiful descent to the River Saar. We jumped on a bike path and eventually came to a SAG stop hosted by our mechanic, Jean-Claude. I borrowed a screwdriver and he was insistent on helping. I missed the refueling at the van but grabbed a Coke and two pastries for my pockets as we rolled out.
Bryan, Fränk, Zim, and Alonzo
The second climb turned up leaving Saarburg. A ski lift ran above our heads. Bob and Heather usually rode together but Bob went up the road without her. I followed him at first but decided to do a U-turn and ride with her. She had walked in Holland on a climb and while not as tough today it seemed right helping her.
Heather
The food stop or rest stop was at the top. Both groups assembled and when it was time to leave we rolled together as one. I think, I know, Fränk really wanted to ride with his original group. We had a couple more climbs when a Strava segment popped up on my Wahoo. I do not remember riding here four years ago but I did since that is how I was able to star the segment.
Saarburg
We had a controlled descent to the Moselle River and found the bike path on the Germany side. We rolled together to the last rest stop and Fränk took off with three riders. This was a private ride by invitation only. Not that I would have wanted to join them.
Keith being pursued by Fränk
The rest of us so headed up out of Schengen and made our way over to the bike path that we rode on Sunday. I took the lead this time and stayed there 90% of the time. I was on pace for a PR and didn’t want to get it by sitting on someone’s wheel.
Climbing above Saarburg
It was a great day on a bike. Of the 6-7 rides I did four years ago here and the 3-4 so far this year, this was my favorite route. Unlike four years ago we did not stop for German Chocolate cake in Saarburg. What we did was much better than cake.
Although I track much of my ancestry to Germany, I haven’t studied enough to know where exactly my ancestors came from. But my DNA matches this region, the Rhineland-Palatinate. This was not lost on me as I pedaled through here wondering if 300-350 years ago my ancestors lives in this very place.
Today was a scheduled rest day for the Roosters Racing group. In Rooster tradition it meant a ride to Andy Schleck Cycles in Luxembourg (city). This was sort of the gift shop exit at the end of every ride at Disney.
Someone is not happy that we are rolling out late
Without a GPX file, Will downloaded the route we took four years ago. We headed out a farm road that was marked closed and ignored the barrier, On a bike this is often the case as a bicycle may be able to squeeze by whereas a car cannot,
A cookies stem cap – a gift from Will
We were probably 3/4 of the way on this road when a car came and stopped us. The road was fully closed. They were putting down new asphalt so we turned around and looked for an alternative.
Road closed part deux
And we came to a second road closure. This time it was tree trimming. I suggested to Lisa and Julie that they should proceed to talk to the young tree trimmers and perhaps they could be more persuasive than Will was. And they were. We walked our bikes around the trucks.
Tree trimmers in action
Andy Schleck was not expected to be at work today. When we arrived at the shop the Roosters gathered outside. I stuck my head inside the door and said hello to Andy. I then told Dan that Andy was indeed here at work.
Andy at work
Most everyone in our group went shopping. I did not although I eyed up some sunglasses that were 50% off. But my Apple Pay was tied to a credit card they did not accept and I didn’t even think to bring a credit card.
Andy Schleck Cycles Shop
Four years ago our group came to the shop then went to the Luxembourg American Cemetery. I really wanted to go today but it was not in the group’s plan. I was disappointed.
Lisa, Julie, and Bob
On our way back we would hit another road closure. And we would talk our way past it by again walking our bikes. So that made it two out of three.
Wahoo Speedplay Pedals
The afternoon group event was a wine tasting. The bus would pick up riders for this event. I am not a wine drinker and respectfully declined. Instead I kept riding, into France and a loop back to Mondorf.
Hello (again) France
My Whoop Band recovery score was just 18% today. In fact, five of the last six days it was in the red and yesterday, it was 34% which landed it in the yellow zone by one percentage point. I was tired and did not need the Whoop Band to tell me this.
Andy Schleck Best Young Rider jersey
The group left by bus and I took a shower. When I finished I sat down on the bed. I woke up 90 minutes later. I needed that. I was wiped out.
France Luxembourg border
Refreshed, I went for a walk searching for Coke Zero. I ended at Hoffman Pâtisserie in Mondorf and bought an ice cream cone too. Now all set for tomorrow.
Ice cream and Coke Zero
Andy Schleck came to our dinner tonight. He didn’t come to eat but to bring merchandise some of the group ordered.
Fränk and Andy Schleck Heather and Bob. Paul and Lisa.
I told Andy that I saw the latest documentary on GCN called Rivals – Contador vs Schleck. He asked me who I thought was better, him or Alberto Contador.
Andy and Barry
Ugh. So I said “ you, of course” and Andy replied, “No, Alberto was the better rider, but I am the better person.”
Every day begins with a hearty breakfast and that is easy to do at the Mondorf Park Hotel.
Breakfast at the Park
We left the hotel in a motorcoach that pulled a custom-enclosed bike trailer. I can’t imagine any bus company in the U.S. having such a trailer. But this is probably not uncommon in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, or Belgium.
Bus with trailer
Once we arrived in Valkenberg we were delayed as one rider forgot shoes and was taken to a bike shop for a quick shopping trip. Other riders had to walk carefully the dog poo that seemed to be everywhere in the park where we were waiting.
Dutch and the Cargo bike
This was not unlike my first impression in Arreau, France in 2010. Americans do better at curbing their dogs than Europeans.
Bikes loaded in trailer
Fränk announced the seven names of the riders in Group A. He paused and then said that it wasn’t based on ability but just broken out that way. The pause seemed like he protested too much and I sure didn’t believe him.
Heather
Oh well, it really didn’t matter. The nine riders in the group not called Group B would be led by Brian and Gusty. I was in this other group. We had the five Florida friends, Bob and Heather, and me.
Detour
I was feeling bad about this arrangement while at the same time understanding that based on yesterday’s riding this is where I belonged. True, I added 33 kilometers in the morning and went farther than anyone yesterday but that’s not really an excuse. I cramped and Fränk helped push me up the last climb.
Bryan
At the base of the first climb today I passed a guy on what looked like a cargo bike. It had two front wheels with a cargo area and the cyclist sat on the saddle like a traditional bike with one wheel in the rear. I could see a child riding up front. As I went to wave I could see the “seat” the child was in was a small wheelchair.
Horses look the same in any language
No matter how I may feel be it soreness or cramping, I am healthy and pedaling a bike. That little fellow may never get to enjoy the pain and suffering we willingly undertake to enjoy the freedom and exhilaration we get from pedaling our bikes. That was my lasting image of the day that trumped everything I did on the bike. (No photo)
Unloading bikes – Fränk and Alexander the bus driver
After seeing him I never once cared about why I was or was not in a certain group. I would enjoy the freedom on the bike and the beauty of the countryside.
Riding in Valkenburg
I did not know how my legs would respond to yesterday. How could I forget my HotShot cramp drinks? My simple goal was to achieve three PRs since the Strava program shows three segments without clicking to see the full route. It’s nice to show those first three lines with PRs.
Water break in Noorbeek
And with that, I was very successful. Although I had already secured three PRs on minor climbs it was the big climbs that I really wanted PRs. Before we would come to the first climb, Will turned a corner and dropped his chain. In doing so the chain severed the Di2 wire on his rear derailleur.
Winner
Although Will was going to try riding in one gear, the derailleur was stuck between two gears so kept shifting from one to the other. Just 500 meters farther he was able to jump in our SAG wagon.
Heather and Bob talk to the owners of the horses
Our group was delayed by construction and a detour. We were further delayed by a flat on Gusty’s bike.
Taking advantage of a flat repair for photos
The first major climb was Eyeserbosweg. I climbed it and had a PR. Our second one was Keutenberg. Depending on your body type this may have been the toughest of the day with gradients in the earliest portion of 22%. I hit the climb and was eight seconds down. I kept at it and brought the time back for a PR and then descended back down the climb for photos and to shepherd some riders to the top.
Snack shop
The Cauberg was the last major climb and true to form I set a PR. On all of these, it seemed I was consistently fourth behind Bob, Carl, and Doug in my group. I was not racing except against myself. On some of these, I started last wheel and may have been higher than fourth. But on all, there seemed to be a major gap to the remainder of our group.
My Domane
I asked Dan who the oldest Rooster was. He mentioned Margaret (73) but he was referring to all time. On this trip once I confirmed my age (67) he said I was. I don’t know who’s over 60, if any, let alone 65. While I may have been down just a little bit, all day long I was above the line in our group and always AGE GROUP WINNER!
Back at the bus at 5:00, we had a spread for lunch. Our bus trip back to the hotel would get us in at 9:00. Dinner was served. I made the decision to skip dinner. I haven’t been recovering the way I need to and food in my stomach at 9:00 was not the best thing.
Barry (credit Will Swetnam)
All in all, I had a great day in Holland. Our group was shorted a little on distance due to our mechanicals. But even with a poor recovery from yesterday, I rode well. I am healthy. I am on a bike. Peace.
MyStrava Times (2023 vs 2019) Cauberg: 4:15 (4:19) – Well that wasn’t much improvement Eyserbosweg: 5:34 (5:50) – A bit better Keutenberg: 7:14 (11:30) – Massive improvement
I was warned. My Whoop band showed a recovery of just 10% and was the seventh day in the last eight I was in the red. My warning was to not engage in heavy training. I ignored it. I had to.
Whoop. Six days of poor recovery.
I was antsy. My bike was missing for one week in Europe which means I hadn’t ridden in one week. Today was probably not the day to go long but I had to.
Fränk with some quick instructions Breistroff-la-Grande, France
It was our first day of riding with Rooster Racing but we wouldn’t roll out until 11:00 am. At dinner the night before one rider, Bill, asked me a question “As a veteran of this group.” He said that he wanted to ride early and wondered if that was allowed or would be looked down upon. I told him that I was headed out around 9:00 with Alonzo and that he could join us.
River Moselle Sierck-Les-Baines, France
We rolled out at 9:00 a.m. and went about 400 meters before leaving Luxembourg and entering France. We stopped for a photo op. I had designed a route that would take us along the Moselle River.
Moselle River
We came to a “road closed” sign but went through to see how far we could get. In fairness to us, we weren’t 100% sure that it was a road closure sign. And we got to the safety of a bike path that took us over the river.
Bill and Alonzo
We followed the path on the other side of the river and were still in France. Without notice or signage, we entered Germany, and as quickly as we entered Germany we crossed the bridge back into Luxembourg at Schengen. We climbed the hill for the direct route back to Mondorf. Partway up the climb a policeman routed us on another road. The main road was closed for a triathlon.
Bike path in France
We started on an alternative route but Wahoo wasn’t finding an alternative. We stopped and then went back to the policeman. He wasn’t local and checked his phone. We decided to go back to the French town we came through and rode back to start arriving at 10:45 a.m.
Sunday morning ride
At 11:00 we were greeted by FränkSchleck who went over our riding rules and itinerary. We started out on the same route that I had just ridden and rode to France.
Rooster Racing
But we took a different route than four years ago and found some great bike paths. We ended up at the same place at Schengen as I had ridden earlier and climbed a long hill to lunch.
Will pitching in to change Alonzo’s flat (tubeless)
I did not have a good day on the bike. Being off the bike for more than one week had taken its toll. Also hurting was that we went out early for 21 miles before the 47-mile ride and did not have a chance to refuel before the second part of our ride.
Lunch stop
For the first 20 miles or so I hung near the front. But the rolling hills were beginning to take a toll on me. I could feel cramps coming on.
Julie and Barry at lunch
On the way up the climb to lunch I cramped. I dropped behind the group I was riding. Fränk saw this and came back down the hill then pushed me for about 200 meters. I couldn’t figure out if it was cool or embarrassing. It was both.
Dan and Lisa
This was not a good thing. Fränk was sizing up all the riders and it did not matter that I rode 50% farther than the others. He saw that I could not hang with my group on this day.
Lunch was these very thin pizzas. Will and Alonzo are ready to eat.
Lunch was a very thin pizza with an excellent view. After lunch, we followed a nice path that was flat or downhill to Mondorf.
Never forget who I ride for
I was feeling better and a bit recovered after lunch. The path back was nice and I had it marked as a Strava segment. I thought I might get a PR but if I was going to it was because I earned it. I went to the front and picked up the pace. And I got my PR.
Apach, Germany
I felt pretty good at the end of the day. I did have the cramping problem right before lunch which would define my week. The main group rode 47 miles and the three of us rode 68.
Will. Either pushing or hanging onto Brian’s saddle.
Yesterday I traveled from Basil, Switzerland to the main airport in Frankfort, Germany. Travel was easy except for returning the rental car in Basil at the train station. Which train station, as they have two.
Frankfort Airport. Hotel wing. Both the Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn are here.
I took the Deutsch Bahn train from Basil. Somehow it lost an hour on the schedule to Frankfort but was an excellent ride. When I got off the train at the station I was dreading the walk to the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised to see when I got above ground that I wasn’t really in the airport itself but the extension where my Hilton Hotel was.
Deutsch Bahn Station, Basil, Switzerland
I checked it, took my luggage to my room, and went to find the Roosters who were already there. I reacquainted with some and met some new people, all part of Roosters Racing, an International cycling team dedicated to doing good, riding hard, and living well.
Roosters in Frankfort Rufus, Bill, Bob
My bike, which had been missing for a week, started moving yesterday. I first saw the movement on my phone tracking the AirTag. Shortly thereafter British Airways texted me like they “found” my bike which I knew where it was exactly for five days. But for the first time in a week I could fall asleep at least knowing my bike was found. They would send it to Luxembourg.
Julia Buckley reached out to me. Great appreciation.
At breakfast I was able to recount my story for the Roosters. It was the first time in a week I was relaxed. I checked Twitter and saw a reporter, Julia Buckley, had commented on one of my tweets and told me to follow her so she could send me a direct message. I did, she deleted her comment, and then offered her help in finding my bike. I told her that the bike was moving and thanked her. We talked some and she offered to write an article about this once the bike actually makes it.
Our bus in Luxembourg
We boarded a coach for the three hour trip to Luxembourg. It was inadequate for our group plus luggage. We had to load some bike cases on the seats and I’m not sure where mine would have gone if I had a bike to transport.
Danny making his way back to the restroom and climbing over bikes
I was tracking my bike and saw it was at the Luxembourg Airport and then it made it to the hotel.
Bike at the hotel
We arrived and I immediately went and found my bike. I was anxious to open the case and make sure everything was still there. We all went and built our bikes but I was the only one to go for a ride.
France
I didn’t ride far. I could walk to France from the hotel which was about 100 meters away. By road it was about one kilometer to ride to the French border.
We met our leadership team and, in Rooster tradition, exchanged gifts.
Keith, Alonzo, Zim, Lisa, Doug, Carl, Bryan
After introductions and just a little time to get settled, we would have our first official team meeting.
Gusty’s wife (sorry), Brian (Ireland), Martine, Daughter, Gusty, Fränk
We would have a team meeting each evening where Buffalo Court would be held. Anyone caught doing something stupid would be awarded a “Buffalo” and have to chug a beer. Exceptions were made for non drinkers.
Fränk
At Buffalo Court there was the initial oath that pertained to never drinking alcohol with the right hand. Danny had everyone stand. “Now sit down if you have shaved legs.” The hairy legged monsters were left standing. And had a Buffalo.
Our week would be spent at the Mondor Park Hotel and Spa. We stayed here in 2019 and it was great to be back.
I love cycling. I love to ride and I love watching races. I had not planned but maybe hoped a little bit, to be in Switzerland during the eight-day-long Tour de Suisse (Tour of Switzerland). But last week my friend, Ben, told me that the Tour de Suisse would go by where I was staying.
Climbing Oberalp – 12:39 p.m.
My mind was not in a good place. My bike was missing for the third straight day even though I knew where it was at London’s Heathrow Airport because I have an Apple AirTag in the bike. But no one at British Airways gave a damn.
Race Caravan – 11:28 a.m. Riders still coming up the mountain
Unable to ride, I was now trying to enjoy the best of Switzerland without a bike. I drove the Furka Pass yesterday mainly envious of the cyclists I saw climbing it but also to see if I could find a great viewing location for today.
Belvedere Hotel (closed) on Furka Pass First climb of Stage 5
I saw the turn to Oberalp but did not drive up that climb. But that would be the second of three big climbs today. So today I decided to go back to Andermatt and find a spot on the climb to watch the race go by.
Breakaway of 19 riders – 12:42 p.m.
Leaving Andermatt just as the road turned up there was a sign marking the Green Zone. This is a designated area where riders can discard their food wrappers and bottles. What is cool is right after a feed zone, and this may have been that, where the riders get fresh bottles, they discard the used bottle by gently tossing them to the side of the road, generally towards spectators’ feet.
Viewing location – 11:03 a.m.
I thought that the Green Zone could be a good place to watch from but it was quite low on the climb. Maybe higher up would produce better memories. I kept driving.
Alpenhorn – 12:47 p.m.
Parking was scarce on the sides of the road but I passed a few locations where I could have stopped. Near the top before the climb plateaus to a 2-3% grade there was a camper van pulled over with four other cars. There was room for two more. I stopped.
View from across the road where I parked – 10:49 a.m.
It was chilly on the climb. I first wore a wind jacket but switched to my thermal jacket. I walked around a little but mostly sat in the car with the windows open enjoying the fresh Swiss mountain air. If Switzerland has the purest mountain water (it does) it also has the purest mountain air.
Head of the chasing peloton – 12:44 p.m.
I was envious of the recreational riders pedaling the climb. Many were laboring but some were flying. Some were obviously on e-bikes which are very popular here whereas others could have been on less obvious but still e-bikes. I had some energy chews for my riding that wasn’t happening and decided I would hand those to the next three riders who passed by. I stood at the road as a guy came by and held a pack for him to grab. He completely ignored me. I didn’t try a second rider. I needed my food more anyhow.
Matthias Norsgaard (DEN) – Six minutes down – 12:48 p.m.
Across the road from us at this intersection two team cars parked. One was from Arkea-Sampson and the other was BORA-Hansgrove. Both drivers wore team colors or put on a team vest. They prepared water bottles and would hand their riders a drink bottle as they rode by. The BORA soigneur saw two riders coming up the road including a young woman wearing a full BORA cycling kit. He held out a fresh water bottle for her and then pushed her butt up the road. I think he really just wanted to touch her butt.
Team cars
The television coverage of this race was not wall-to-wall (start-to-finish). Basically, there would be coverage for the final two hours which meant that the race would pass by my location before coverage started. I have the GCN+ app on my phone and would have liked to watch the race to know where the riders were and what was happening.
The peloton – two minutes behind the breakaway – 12:44 p.m.
Instead, I went to the procyclingstats website and could find text coverage. I knew where they were on course and who was in the breakaway.
Elevation map
One hour and 15 minutes ahead of the race the publicity caravan came by. In the Tour de France this is an exciting part of spectating as many vehicles, mostly large trucks decorated as floats come by and people would throw items to the crowd. Not so for this caravan. There were maybe 10 cars total and each one would slow to a crawl if not stop to hand out items.
Peleton – 12:44 p.m.
I got a bamboo paper fan, many pieces of mint gum, a tiny pack of gummy chews, a little drink bottle, a can of soft drink, and a box of pre-made cabbage salads. That last one is staying in Switzerland.
Peleton – 12:44 p.m.
With TV coverage, you can hear the helicopter overhead when the race was near. Without thinking about it I expected to hear a race helicopter but there would be none. It was a TV helicopter after all.
Race Director – Seven minutes ahead of the first riders – 12:35 p.m.
There was a parade of policemen on motorbikes passed by and we knew the race was close by. I was at the edge of a hill and could see switchbacks below.
Peleton – 12:44 p.m.
And we have an Alpenhorn. One of the guys, maybe in the camper van, brought out his Alpenhorn to serenade the riders as they passed. He only played for the riders, that is, he did not play the horn unless riders were present.
Off the back – 12:46 p.m.
The breakaway group was composed of 19 riders. I knew two Americans were in the bunch, Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) and Nielsen Powless (EF-Education Frst-Easy Post). As they got in front of me I stopped taking photos and became a fan/supporter.
ABANDON – Louis Barré (FRA) – 1:04 p.m.
They were both recognizable and I called them out by name. I suspect they heard their names and hoped it gave them some encouragement.
Further off the back – 12:52 p.m.
The breakaway group had a lead of two minutes over the peloton. This group had the yellow jersey wearer and also Swiss star Gino Mäder as well as American Magnus Sheffield.
Thanks to the technology of time stamping photos I can say the breakaway group went past my location at 12:42 followed by the main peloton two minutes later at 12:44. A solo rider from Bahrain Victorius “in the cars” came by at 12:46.
Breakaway – 12:42 p.m.
The last rider, followed by the broom wagon, or Besenwegen, was French rider Louis Barré, of the Arkea team. He was heavily bandaged and it was unclear whether that was from a crash today or yesterday. He was relaxed and calmly stopped and dismounted. The soigneur took his bike and removed the front wheel to put the bike in the car. The rider took a Coke and then climbed into the front seat.
Broom Wagon – 1:03 p.m.
The end of the race went by followed by what appeared to be regular traffic following the Tour up the road. The Arkea car looked to be having a problem pulling out into traffic so I stepped into traffic and held it up so they could leave. Probably not culturally appropriate and maybe even illegal. Oh well. I looked at Louis Barré and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and gave me thumbs-up as well.
I was headed to the summit and followed the cars. It didn’t feel like the peloton had gone by that long ago and expected to slow down as we caught the back of them. It never happened. These guys go faster than you think.
I reached the lake and the world’s highest lighthouse. I checked my maps and decided to turn around to head back to the Hotel Searausch in Beckereid, my hotel for the evening.
Oberalppass
Perhaps 90 minutes later, Gino Mäder (SUI) and Magnus Sheffield (USA) crashed. Since they were “behind the race” this was not immediately reported on. There were no media with them to see them go down.
The highest lighthouse in the world – Oberalppass
Unbeknownst to followers, both Gino and Magnus went off the road into a ravine. While Magnus would crash out with a concussion, Gino would be airlifted to the hospital in Chur. It was reported later that he was found in water and was resuscitated. The Tour was notified of his death at 11:30 the next morning.
Stage 6 would be neutralized and only the last 20 km would be ridden in a silent procession.
I surely have one of the last photos ever taken of Gino Mäder.
I love cycling and recognize that it is inherently dangerous to balance on two wheels and sometimes in traffic. But to think that Gino and the peloton passed in front of me and 90 minutes later would die, left me shaken.
Gino, in red, is drinking from a blue water bottle
I first came here four years ago with my friend Ben. We climbed the Gotthard Pass and watched the first riders go by in the Tour de Suisse (Tour of Switzerland). We were short on time and Ben and I had to ride 30 km in one hour to make the last connecting train of the day that would get me to Zurich before DHL closed. (We made it.)
Devil’s Bridge
Ben and I left our viewing position in Hospental where the Tour de Suisse route would turn and head up to Furka Pass. As soon as the leaders flew by we took off for the train station in Wassen. It was all downhill but into a headwind.
Reuss River
We came to the Schöllenen Gorge and I knew nothing about it. I’m not sure Ben, a Swiss native, knew either. And I marveled at how gorgeous it was. I even yelled to Ben how beautiful it was and he asked if I wanted to stop. “No, we don’t have time!”
I didn’t know what it was. I would learn later that it was Devil’s Bridge. And I knew that I had to come back someday and ride my bike through here again.
Devil’s Bridge
Getting back to Devil’s Bridge became a bucket list destination. This trip was made solely to come back to this area, by bike. It would not work out that way. British Airways lost my bike and I didn’t have a bike to ride. So I would rent a car and drive.
Tunnel through a sheer cliff
I spent last night at a “House in the Swiss Alps” that I had rented near Wassen. It was very remote, about nine kilometers up the mountain from Wassen. I left there this morning to find Devil’s Bridge.
Reuss River
I found Devil’s Bridge. I really wanted to be here by bike. I passed two cyclists climbing the formidable route up to the bridge and felt a twinge of jealousy. In the four years since I last visited a bike route up the mountain had been built that takes cyclists off the main road and into the woods. That is where I longed to be. But, as the adage goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And I would.
House in the Alps
Because I was not on a bike I was free to explore a little more. I didn’t have to worry about leaving my bike unattended in the parking lot. And I wore running shoes so I could walk much easier than if I was wearing my cycling shoes.
Restaurant (closed) at Devil’s Bridge
Despite my high expectations for this area, they were still met. Even exceeded. This place is beautiful. My memory did not fail me.
I don’t know if I will ever be back here. And if so will it be by bike or by car? But my bucket list item has been met.
Road below Devil’s BridgeBike path by Devil’s Bridge
There’s a ride out west which bills itself as “America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride.” It circumvents Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada and it sure is beautiful. Maybe the title is a little presumptuous but it surely is in the top ten of beautiful rides in the U.S.
Arth-Goldau. Cog Railway
Today I cast my vote for my most beautiful ride in the world. I would not have found it without Ben. I learned a lot about trains and bikes in Switzerland today. Ben and I (but mostly Ben) thought we had a plan but there were many moving parts. And not all went so well. We left Ben’s house at 6:40 a.m. and walked to the train station in Sissach.
Airola, Switzerland
When the train for Zürich came we tried to be aligned with the car that takes bikes. We weren’t. Ben spotted it and we rushed with two bikes, a bike case, and two suitcases. And barely made it.
Airola, Switzerland
Once on board, it was a relaxing train ride to the Zürich Main Station. There we found the DHL luggage drop-off, mainly because I had used it before but had no idea when, how, or why. The cost for day storage was 12 CHF per bag. I loaded both my two extra bags into the empty bike case to make it one bag instead of three. This is beating the system.
Airola, Switzerland Rolling through town and already climbing
Ben had tried yesterday to make a reservation for our bikes for the train out of Zürich and could not. He assumed the app or website was not working properly but it may have been because they were sold out of bike reservations. But it didn’t display that way.
Tremola Road
In Zürich, we rushed over to the track and Ben asked a conductor about getting our bikes on the train. She told him he needed a bike reservation and there were none available. Ben said he had been trying but their app wasn’t working. After some back and forth she told him to see the conductor at the end of the train. (The exchange was not this pleasant though.)
Now the end of this train seemingly was 200 meters away – at least. Ben was running to reach the conductor. I was in flip-flops and couldn’t run without them falling off. I got on my bike and rode down the platform. I hope that was OK.
Water water everywhere. But no fountains on Tremola Road.
The conductor took our bikes and put them in a freight car on the train. We took a seat and the conductor came by at which time we paid 5 CHF for the “reservation” which we did not have. The cost of a bike pass was 20 CHF so now I was in for 25 CHF to be able to take my bike on a train. I had paid 30 CHF for a companion pass to be with Ben.
St. Gotthard Pass CREDIT: Thomson Bike Tours, Weekly Newsletter, 12 Jun 2020
We had to transfer, somewhere, I was just along for the ride. Ben said to disembark and we got off and then transferred to another train. This train to Airolo only required that bikes be hung on one of the two hooks in each car. The train came into the station and we looked for a car with room for our bikes. As the cars went by the bike hooks were all full. We went to the last car as did four other cyclists and neatly put six bikes in a space for two.
Once the train started rolling we felt safe. But Ben mentioned that if they saw the bikes they could put us off at the next stop, which was a couple of stops short of our destination. Two conductors came by. I could not hear or at least understand what they were saying. Ben said they laughed at all the bikes and said it wasn’t the record – they once had 47. Or maybe we have 47 on this train.
Tremola Road
Some of the riders on the train were road cyclists headed to see the Tour de Suisse, as we were. Some were enjoying a beautiful summer day to go mountain biking. But there were lots of cyclists on the train whether they be of the slick tire or knobby tire variety.
We exited at Airolo, which is in the Italian-speaking portion of Switzerland. I met a couple who saw the cookie decal on my bike. He asked me if that was a Phil Gaimon cookie. Who knew someone in Switzerland would know about the cookies? It turns out that the young man was from Switzerland but has ridden Mount Palomar and Mount Baldy in Southern California, as I have. His friend, or girlfriend, was from Russia.
Airolo, Switzerland. Young Swiss man with his Russian girlfriend.
We did not have water in our bottles and would make a critical mistake. Seemingly water is free (and good) everywhere in Switzerland. We found a fountain in town but it was turned off. We found a second fountain and it too was off. What was up with that? We began the climb with no water.
Turning onto Tremola Road we faced a stretch of cobblestones. They were beautiful in design but require, of course, more effort. I had read about this climb once and thought there was 1-2 km of stone. Boy was I wrong. It was cobbled for all 14 km (9 miles) of the climb.
I had gotten sick midweek in Luxembourg and it was hanging on me. I was sick. My legs may have been dead from all the work too. I had nothing. Perhaps the answer would be revealed later.
We may have been 10 km in when I spotted a bathtub in a pasture with a pipe over it and cold running water. I asked Ben if we could drink the water coming out of the pipe and he said sure. We filled out bottles and it was good. The cows agreed.
At the summit
Near the summit is a four-kilometer (2.5 miles) stretch of 24 hairpin turns (or switchbacks). Some riders were riding in the gutter, a paved concrete section that was smoother than cobbles, but when I tried it I found I was too tired to hold a straight line. I was afraid I would hit the curb and go down. I moved back to the cobbles.
At the summit, we found a restaurant. Many people were here, not just cyclists, although there were plenty of them too. I had told Ben that when I reach the top I only wanted a Coke. Two Cokes, actually. But I saw some kids eating pasta with a meat sauce and it looked delicious. I ordered it and it was. I would have eaten a local bratwurst too except there was too long of a line.
Pasta at the top
Ben was on his phone checking train schedules and the progress of the last stage of the Tour (actually, it had not yet started so we were checking estimated times of arrival). These races publish an estimated time, a fastest expected time, and the slowest expected time.
We decided we would follow the route and ride to Hospental where the course turned left, sharply. From there we could go right (or straight) to catch our train without being on course. But it would be tight to make the train depending on how fast the Tour de Suisse was riding.
I could not miss the train. My suitcase was in my bike bag. I was sick. I wanted to be on the first flight to the U.S. tomorrow. If I missed it I might be able to go to the hotel with my bike and the clothes on my back. Tomorrow I would have to go back to the main station and retrieve my stuff then get back to the airport, where I was staying, in time for my flight. The thought of managing this was blowing my mind.
We finished eating and on the initial descent, I had hit 75 kpm (47 mph). Had I been riding and displaying miles I would have hit 50 mph. Or tried. But my mind and computer display were in kilometers. In Hospental we had found our position on the corner and waited for the Tour de Suisse to come by. After an hour, it did, with Hugh Carthy (EF-Education First) with solo breakaway and a 2:00 lead which he would hold to the end.
It was here that my bike was in the wrong gear to start, having descended in a 50:11. I decided to change gears by hand cranking the bike which is when I saw it. When I spun the wheel it went a few revolutions then stopped. The brake pad had been rubbing on the wheel. No wonder it was so hard climbing. All the jostling of bikes probably caused it but I should have checked it in Airolo.
As soon as part of the peloton had come through, we planned our escape. Ben said it would be 32 km and we had one hour. We would have to average 20 mph and would have no time for stops. That would normally be a very tough ask but we also knew the road went downhill.
However, we did not plan for a headwind – a vicious headwind. Ben did better on the climb, much better, than me but was having a problem with the wind. I took the lead most of the way and let him sit in my draft.
We went through Andermatt, a beautiful mountain town. And then for the next 20 km, the scenery just would not stop. Unfortunately, neither could I. We didn’t have time.
We were riding through Schöllenen Grorge. We saw a white water river (upper Reuss) with the glacier turquoise water blasting down through small canyons under stone arch bridges. The scenery was breathtaking. But we knew not to stop, and besides, by the time we saw the perfect place we were already 200 meters past it and would have to turn around.
Devil’s Bridge
We kept the speed up and Ben made one final check – seven km to go (4.2 miles). And we had 20 minutes. I knew an easy day I could do those in 16 minutes. Of course, we would have to get to the station and find the right track. I rattled off each K-to-go and we pulled in with 10 minutes to spare.
Old train in Wassen
Ben was worried about this train as it might be full of cyclists from earlier stops. If we missed it we would miss getting my luggage from the train station. It was a train where no reservation was needed or apparently accepted. Just first-come, first-served. Look for empty bike hooks, and we guessed right for the car.
Ben and Barry at the Airport
What a day. It was my most beautiful day on a bike. I’ve never seen anything like that from Andermatt to Wassen. And going up, wasn’t as scenic but it was epic – a 14 km climb on cobblestones. Wow!
EPILOGUE – June 25, 2019. I was at the doctor’s office and had a very bad bronchial infection. She examined me and asked if I was exhausted. I pulled out my phone and showed her Tremola Road.
“Well, two days ago I biked up this 9-mile cobblestone road in Switzerland. Then I went 24 hours without sleep.”
She replied, “I take that as a yes.”
Of the great climbs I have done, many or all call for a do-ever. But none more than this one. I was sick and weak the day I climbed this and want to go back healthy. It’s more than Strava times. The scenery from Hospental to Andermatt is beyond description. I want to ride it without worrying about a train to catch.
