So the day started out very nicely. A little overcast and cool; perfect cycling weather. The hotel served a nice buffet breakfast. We now had hard-boiled eggs and some charcuterie. We are definitely heading into a more robust breakfast culture the further east we go. And that's a good thing!
So after a trek (and trek is harsh — more like a pleasant roll) of nearly five miles, we turned inland and faced our first Swiss climb, up from Vevey to Beauregard. Yes, there seems to be a Beauregard, Switzerland!
We made our way through Vevey, looking for the way up. This actually turned out to be an underpass for the railroad!
So here are pictures from the climb. The road narrowed, and it was a nice climb to make, although there were some steep inclines with (short) grades over 16%!
The grade varied considerably, and I didn't really keep a close look at it (on the Garmin). These parts seemed easy compared to later, closer to the peak.
Almost at the peak, and the grade rose to 16% per my Garmin. With no real momentum by me to support it, the going was tough. I even had trouble keeping the front tire down. Ultimately, I had to walk the last 10-20 feet!
But they were not far behind, with Jerry arriving first. At the top, we entered a mountain valley with mostly gentle rolling terrain and great views back toward Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains.
So after rolling along the mountaintop for a bit, we started a long descent. And it seemed to go on forever. It was a great ride, with only a short stop in Chalet-Saint-Denis for lunch. Here are the pics.
That last picture was taken as we continued to descend into what seemed like an endless hill. But we came out on the other side into another beautiful valley. And from there, after a short climb up from a river, onto our home for the night, Auberge de l'Ange.
