July 20, 2023
Bringerbad -> Meiringen
New Shoes and Taking a Bus
I woke up to the sound of a helicpoter overhead. There was a wildfire burning a few miles east of me, and helicopters were dropping buckets of water. I couldn't see or smell any smoke though.
I had ordered bread from the camp host the night before and went to pick up my order. I had ordered a 250g loaf thinking it would be like a large broetchen. Instead it was a full-sized loaf of sourdough. I wasn't complaining.
When I left camp, I stopped at a grocery store and picked up some lunch meat and a salad to go with my loaf. Half the loaf I ate for breakfast, the rest I saved for the road.
The night before, as I was riding into camp, I had noticed my right pedal felt a little loose. Upon closer examination, I saw that it was actually my cycling shoe that had self-destructed. The sole had become completely delaminated from the rest of the shoe, and it was no longer safe to ride with. I had 2 options: buy a set of platform pedals and ride in my trail runners, or buy a new set of bike shoes. I found a bike shop not far down the road and tried on a few pairs. I settled on a pair of SPD mountain bike shoes that felt comfortable, and were easier to talk in than my more sporty, stiff carbon-fiber ones. I paid 150 Francs for them.
A few miles down the road I immediatly regretted my purchase, as my feet were swimming in sweat. These shoes did not breath at all. Oh well, better than nothing. I'm just glad my old shoes didnt break somewhere inconvenient.
I then rode through the town of Bitsch (pronounced Bitch), where the wildfire was supposedly burning (I still saw no smoke). From here, I left the main highway and started climbing the north side of the Rhone valley on a double track dirt side road. This road wound it's way through the Binntal Landscape Park, a scenic area with steep pastures, farm houses, and quaint farm towns. There were frequently fountains that piped water directly from the ground. It was ice cold and tasted great.
At one point I found a restaraunt serving homemade Apricot cake. I ordered a slice and looked down on the Rhone valley as I ate. Eventually, the path converged with the main highway at the end of the Rhone valley at the town of Obergoms. Here the famous "Grimselpass" climb begins. After filling up my water at a fountain, I began to make my way up the switchbacks. By the time I made it to the second switchback, I had had 2 close calls with cars. There was very heavy traffic on this steep narrow highway, and no shoulder for me to ride on. There were also groups of motorcyclists and joy-riding sports car drivers treating the road as their personal race track. After getting passed way to close by an elderly man driving a convertible, I pulled off into the grass on the roadside and started googling public transit options to the top of the pass. While there were many other people cycling up this road, I did not want to risk my safety. If any of the drivers behind me lost focus for a second, I would be a red smear ont he side of the retaining wall. Descending is usually not an issue as you are going roughly the speed of traffic, but ascending in heavy traffic can be terrifying.
I lucked out, and at the end of the switchback was a bus stop with a bus arriving in 10 minutes. It took me 5 to ride to the bus stop at Rhonequelle, and I only had to wait a couple minutes for the bus to arrive. I hoisted my bike onto the rack on the back of the bus, and paid 18 Francs for a 9km ride to the top of Grimselpass. Worth every penny.
I walked around the top of the pass, took some pictures, then made my descent. I was going the speed of traffic, so I felt much more safe. Nobody tried to pass me in sketchy locations like they had on the ascent. It took me about an hour to make it to the town of Meiringen, where I booked a bed at a hostel. Side note: when you factor in the free breakfast included at hostels, it is often cheaper than camping. I headed to a grocery store and ate an assortment of fruit, yogurt, salad, candy, and a chicken burrito for dinner.
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1 year ago
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 1,329 miles (2,139 km)
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1 year ago
1 year ago