European Randonneur: Swiss roll – the Heidi-land challenge

“Why cycle in Switzerland when you live in Austria? Aren’t there plenty of lakes and mountains where you live?”

A reasonable question posed while on tour along the Veloland Lakes Route 9. This crosses Switzerland in a north-easterly direction taking in mountains and the best-known lakes.

It really looks like Heidi land

Climbs 235m over 4km!

The first answer is scale. The mountains are higher, more massive, more impressive. The lakes bigger, bluer, more beautiful. The mountain slopes are steeper and even more perfectly groomed. The bike trails are generally smoother than anywhere else.

The second answer is a sentence in a magazine article which stated “the 4000 meters of climb were not evenly distributed and there are some really tough hills to overcome. It would be a shame if for the sake of a few climbs not to view the many lakes along the way." Red rag to a bull.

The article was right…to an extent. But there were more than just a few tough climbs. The useful Veloland website also understates the challenge. What they described as a “moderate” etappe included numerous tough ascents totaling over 600 meters vertical climb. There are hills steeper than 20%. And there were not just a few of these stages. We recorded eight days with more than 500m height difference.

Fabulous scenery, quiet roads, but "moderate"?

Beginning at Lake Geneva close to the French border at Montreux, the route passes a dozen lakes, the biggest and most beautiful in the country. It includes cities such as Lucerne and tourist highlights at Interlaken. Here a train will take you through the Jungfrau mountain to 3400m. So the Veloland Route 9 has a lot to offer.

Meeting other cyclists was a rare event

The route is very well signposted. It’s easy to ride the whole way without a map. The tourist offices in each Canton offer maps – but not all are much good. It follows tiny rural lanes through pretty villages and past beautiful houses. There’s not much that is not smooth asphalt and with very little traffic.

Plenty of short, sharp climbs on smooth asphalt

So why, at the height of the holiday season, were not more than a handful of people riding along the route? Probably because the eye-watering exchange rates make Switzerland expensive.

Booking each night on the previous evening made price comparisons and good deal possible. But this break from finding accommodation on a whim at the end of the day meant that each