Geoff Jones

Inveterate dabbler in business, travel, gadgets & life

Category: Biking

Rorschach to Ellikon – Swimming differently

Today was yet another scorcher, last nights lightning made no difference.

I did 64 miles in just over 6 hours making it 10mph! Some of the places I went through were simply unbelievable eg Stein am Rhein a real postcard town!

Its pretty amazing to see folks been carried along in the current at 6mph, they just get out and walk back to the start! I did it outside my hotel in Ellikon – great fun 🙂 they also have a cunning ferry crossing too, basically its like a giant pendleum that swings across the river on a slider wire! The hotel itself, Hotel Zum Schiff dates from 1541 so is an interesting place although a fan would be useful.

Apparently the river is navigable all the way to Rotterdam now – so maybe I will just float down.Its at 272m altitude so compared to The Amazon its a pretty fast river.

Here’s the route and statistics:
Rorschach to Ellikon (Rhein Radweg Day 3) at EveryTrail

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Zizers to Rorschach

Perfect Cycle path

As The Sun would say – Phew what a scorcher! The temperature was well into the thirties today, so just as well I started at 6am to get all the hills out of the way before 8am. I had an excellent section along The Rhine embankment with the wind behind me, amazing to see inline skaters going at well over 15mph the surface was that smooth 🙂

I had a slap up breakfast in Buchs with a fish soup lunch at Rohcspitz campsite the campsite wasn’t to my taste 🙂 so I ventured on, couldn’t find a hotel until Rorschach. It has to be said that there seem to be very view zimmer frei signs around. Even more amazing that the waterfront has loads of industrial buildings rather than hotels..

Managed a quick dip in The Bodensee before my hotel then a longer one from the rather quaint  Badhutte on stilts in the sea.

Todays statistics where 71.6miles in 6hr 42min  about 10.7mph Heres the route:-

Zizers to Rorschach at EveryTrail

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According to my  Bikeline books I have 11 more nights to get to Rotterdam, if the bike and me hold up 🙂

Andermatt to Zizers

I left the pub at 6.25 after the mother of all sleeps. Just as well because the first part is straight up 2000 feet! I got to Oberalp Col in under 2 hours 🙂 and had a celebratory frustuck at 2045metres above sea level, this is also the watershed for The Rhine and The Rhone rivers.

I thought it was going to be all downhill from there but as a fellow diner at my lunch in Ildnz took great pains to point out there were going to be a series of whoppers until I got to Bonadoz. Through spectacular scenery – The Swiss Grand Canyon as its called locally. The whole of the ride so far is through stunning alpine scenery and the railway follows the route closely so for lazy sods you can dip in and out 🙂

I did 69miles in 7hr 40mins  about 9mph plus over 3 hours of stops. Goodness knows the total ascent but must be over 3000feet. A fair bit of the way is over rough tracks so to be kind to the bike I had to slow down a fair bit 🙂

Andermatt to Zizers at EveryTrail

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Photos are going up on Picasa and Hopefully route on Bikely and everytrail – watch this space!

Day 1 Les Gets to Martigny then to Andermatt on the train

With much trepidation and a loaded up bike I left my apartment in Les Gets at dawn break (06.30) to try and beat the high temperatures (30 deg) today. I made it to Evian by 8.30 getting frozen in the process! as its mainly downhill in a sun shaded valley.

I soon warmed up on the road to Martigny stopping for a 10quid sandwich at St Maurice and arriving in Martigny at 2pm after a 67mile ride. Once in Martigny I decided to take Michaels advice and get the trains upto Andermatt where the Rhine Radweg starts. So 47 pounds and three hours later that’s where I arrived.

It has to be said Switzerland is expensive but then again you get something for your money! Superb cycle lanes on the roads and along The Rhone, the railway is clean punctual with special places for the bikes and the ride from Brig to Andermatt is stupendous on a narrow gauge with new track viaducts and tunnels.

Here’s the cycling bit of today:-
Les Gets to Martigny at EveryTrail

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Tomorrow starts with a mega 600 metre climb up the Oberalp pass to Sedrun after that its mainly downhill and 1000miles to Holland!

I’m getting to practice my German  too 🙂

auf wiedersehn