Brienz to Grimselpass

August 16, 2016

I approached today with a lot of trepidation. Until yesterday, when it all seemed to melt away. Riding up into the Lauterbrunnen Valley may have been a part of it. Or maybe it was conquering Passwang. Or the ride from Bern to Interlaken along the Thunersee and getting a real close look at the Alps.

Familiarity breeds contempt, they say . . . or respect . . . or an understanding of how to solve a problem. I have often observed that a lot of people around me see walls, whereas I always see where the door is, a window, a way around, the secret passage, or code that makes the wall penetrable. And so it was.

Not that I am the first to climb Grimselpass, but it will always be my first Alpine pass.

Today's ride to Grimselpass.

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We started the day early (by our standards at least). The weather predictions were not good. Low 50s even in Brienz and a high in the mid-60s in Grimselpass with rain! Mark did not like that. I observed it's better to climb in the rain than descend in the rain. He could not argue that point. Still, not the best way to see the Alps either. And while I'm good with 60-degree weather, Mark likes it very hot, so he donned a base layer before leaving the room.

Preparing to leave our hotel. I had more confidence in the weather! As it turned out, it stayed warm and never rained.

He doffed it two miles down the road. It was much warmer than predicted, and the sun was out. And it was flat riding the first 13 miles or so . . . except for that slight blip at MP 9. But that is how I had planned it. I need about 10 miles to warm up, and the climb at MP 9 came at the right moment. The far side was steeper, and we descended on a switchback to reach the valley floor.

After we cleared Brienz, it was flat riding for about 10 miles, which served as a good warmup.

And the switchback we descended. We aren't even at the start of today's real climb yet!

That introduced us to Innertkirchen, which, in my quick assessment, appears to be the gateway to Grimselpass. However, we did not linger and biked through, crossing the Aare River and taking our first right, a clear sign where we were headed. That turn kept us on Swiss Route 6, which we had basically been following since Bern, and along the Aare River, with its headwaters in Grimselpass.

A bridge across the Aare, right after passing through Innertkirchen.

I would not say it was a gradual ascent. As soon as we turned, it was somewhat flat for a short distance and then turned upward slightly, but by MP 13, we were at a 6% grade.

But it wasn't continuous. The whole climb, if averaged out, is under 5% (depending on who you listen to), so there will be easy parts between the harder parts. At the end of the climb, RWGPS reported a maximum grade of 16% for me and 20% for Mark, both near MP 21. Well, the road doesn't vary that much within several tenths of a mile, but I do suspect that was the steepest part of the climb.

So, like any valley climb, there were some steep sections, and then it would flatten a bit (you could feel it in the pedal if not see it on the ground), and then climb again. All I could think was, thanks for the occasional relief, but I'm going to pay for this later!

Our first tunnel came surprisingly quickly, at MP 15. I had routed us directly through it, but we spied a bypass road, the original way through the pass, and after consulting with each other (and possibly a map, I can't recall), we decided to take it. It looked inviting after all!

Our first tunnel, and even though you could see through it, we took the bypass for fun.

And it was more fun, especially with the old rock tunnels.

It was a good call. While there are no (apparent) restrictions on cycling the tunnels, we had planned to fully "light up" for the longer ones. This was probably one of the longer ones (although we could see through it), and while I knew most, if not all, of the tunnels had bypass roads while planning our route, I was never sure what the quality would be. This one turned out more than fine as it was paved!

At the end of the bypass, right before rejoining the main road, Mark noted we were being followed. Sure enough, another cyclist was behind us, sans panniers. Mark thought he was older than even me, but you can judge for yourself. He was having a bit of an arm issue and needed to rest awhile, plus he did not speak English, so there was not much to talk about. Ciao and bonne journée!

On we trekked.

Shortly after the tunnel, we had an 8% climb and then another tunnel that did not have a bypass. It was longish and on a curve, but we could sort of make out the end. By now, we were confident with the traffic, so we turned on our taillights and rode!

And the tunnel we braved before stopping in Guttannen.

That took us into Guttannen, where we stopped for refreshments. Only 10 miles to go, and it was barely 12:30! And when it leveled out to 5-6%, it felt flat!

A short break in Guttannen, long enough to consume a liter of water (between us).

I had read about reports of false flats and false tops on this climb. I did not experience that, nor did Mark. Maybe we knew better, but we could tell when the grade lightened up, and there was the occasional (and rare) descent dictated by topography and road construction. But no false flats (and forget about false tops — we knew where the top was!).

Our next big tunnel bypass was shortly after MP 20. This one was unpaved, and we went into our larger cogs to cover the rougher terrain, which turned into a grass road. This particular tunnel was well lit but also one of the longer ones on the route. Traffic was not bad, but there was the occasional large truck. Plus, the bypass had better views! And again, we were in no rush, so we took our time.

The start of the longest tunnel at MP 20 or so.

Mark on a grassy field while bypassing the tunnel.

And finally, the far side where we rejoined the main road.

While RWGPS says our steepest section was around MP 21.3, at MP 22.5 we hit a switchback that gave us spectacular views of the valley and was a precursor to what is the longest tunnel on the climb.

Approaching the last big tunnel. We bypassed this one. Note the 11% grade warning sign. I suspect if there were any grades steeper than this, they would have been signed as well.

However, this one is well-paved, marked for cyclists, and also used by the occasional car. In fact, two passed each other as I made my way around them. The grade through this section was about 8-9%.

Initially we were on cobblestones! But it became paved and very ridable after a short distance.

The bypass road was quite steep and even had roadway markings at points.

The fantastic view of the valley, looking back (of course).

Two cars (actually a van and a bus) fighting to pass each other. As a cyclist, I was given the right-of-way.

Back on the main road with about four miles to go!

At this point, we were about 4-1/2 miles from the hotel and feeling pretty good. Neither of us had used our third chainring yet! But the ride was not over. We still had two more sets of switchbacks to climb.

Shortly after the last bypass (but not the last tunnel), I spied the lower dam of the three that comprise the power station at the top of the pass. That was thrilling since I knew there was a lake behind it. The first of three, each requiring its own climb.

On the switchback leading to the second dam.

A view looking back from that switchback, halfway up the next leg.

I would say this is about where the climbing got to be the toughest. We were not shy about taking breaks and photographs, but at MP 26.5, one mile from the hotel, I relented and dropped to my third chain ring. Not the lowest cog, about three down from that (I have a 32 on the back). That made it very easy, and I'm glad I saved it. It wasn't that my legs were worn out since I resisted mashing up any of the climbs. But maintaining a high cadence for a long time can wear your body out (and your legs can feel like rubber!).

In a short time, we were at the hotel entrance, and I felt a big accomplishment. Then I saw the climb up to the hotel! This clearly was steep and all cobblestones! I had to stop halfway up as I ran out of gas. If it had been a smooth surface, it would not have been a problem, but the cobblestones were rough. And it was doubly hard to get started after having stopped because there was almost no resistance in the drivetrain. I had to gear down and go sideways, and then I was there.

Mark, crossing the road on the dam leading to our hotel (or, in other words, crossing the dam road).

After letting the hotel know we had arrived, we headed straight for the terrace and consumed two 50 cl beers (although Mark had two panaches, beer with lemonade)!

Today's ride: 27 miles (43 km)
Total: 687 miles (1,106 km)

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