Report by Nina Umhey .
Haste makes waste. An old adage. For me, it was my first time: Alp cross. It took me 20 years. To be honest my beloved sport in the last 9 years was triathlon and one participation at one 24h race in a team of 8, 2 years ago.
But I made this decision, after I made my certificate in a Bachelor studies, I sat myself back on my MTB. No sooner said than done, I wanted to end up a goal I set me a long time ago. After some thoughts, we wanted not to be in hectic, during our first Alp-cross. We wanted to do without a group, just us alone, with booked hotels and divided into 6 stages, across the Swiss Alps. Planned course: Andermatt-Chateau d`Oex, just following the Alp route 1. We started at the 15.08. We parked our Pirate-mobile in Chateau d´Oex and slept one night at Jess´s parents and headed the next day by train right thru the Walli´s to Andermatt.
Chalet at the station
After two times changing of the train, we arrived at our hotel in Andermatt. With a view over a traffic circle with a view up the Oberalppass.
Andermatt Hotel
Stage 1: Andermatt-Meiringen:
The sun attendant us, when we started our trip after having a wonderful breakfast at 8:30o´clock the next day towards Meiringen. The first climax that day was the Sustenpass. After 10km of downhill riding on trails, gravel and bitumen, the path became more steep while we were riding thru the forest until the end and than we reached the mountain pass, up to the peak. We were quite lucky when we reached the top and just had the downhill part to Meiringen in front of us.
Teufelsbrücke (Devils Bridge)
Sustenpass up
Stage 2: Meiringen-Grindelwald
Even this day the sun was shining on us, when wem ade up our way thru the Reichenbach Valley, over the Große Scheidegg towards Grindelwald. The technical demand for this course was not that high, not like the endurance demand of this course. But the view when we were up the ridge, was awesome.
After a long downhill section to Grindelwald and a steep ascents toour hotel, we enjoyed the view from our hotel room.
View from the hotel room
Stage 3: Grindelwald-Interlaken
Just one day after the Inferno Triathlon, we had the honour to ride up the ascent up the Kleine Scheidegg, right along the foot of the Eiger Nordwand. And now, it started to rain
The clouds were really low, and we didn´t know, if we would see THE THREE ( Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau) today. And, every time we wanted to take a picture, the clouds were before them again
After the downhill part at the Lauberhorn ski course, we took a break in Wengen for an Ovo and a coffee, just to ride to our goal of today, our hotel in Interlaken.
Stage 4: Interlaken-Adelboden
The next day, all the clouds were gone, and there she was, the „ Jungfrau“, right in front of our front door.
Jungfrau right from the Hotel
Passing the Thuner lake, we slowly made more and more m of altitude right into the Bernese Oberland.
Thuner Lake
Please be aware of…: shall we move on? Or stay outside?
Don´t worry of the bull
Than after 62km and 1800m of altitude, even this stage was history.
Stage 5: Adelboden-Zweisimmen
While having a wonderful view, we said good bye, and moved onto our last but one stage.
Adelboden
The ascents up to Hahnenmoos Peak was almost complet on bitumen. The view was amazing, while we had a cup of coffee.
Hahnenmoos
After the downhill part to Lenk, we just followed to „ Simme“ to Zweisimmen…
Stage 6: Zweisimmen-Chateau d’oex
FINAL!!!! And it was hard. After an easy ascent up to Gstaad, we rode over a long downhill part right thru the Griesbach Valley up to La Letmaire. It was hard, felt like an ascent of 80%, allright, but at least 30% over just 2km. In the beginning I rode like a hamster in his wheel, but thann my thigh and my lungs exploded together. Than I gotto knew, what they all told about, the 40min pushing part. And so, we began to hike. When we reached the top, we followed a hiking trail looks like a single trail, this waas thr entry of the downhill section. Than we saw Chateau d`Oex and we began to smile, like the sun above us. We did it.
Good things come to those who wait.
Chain Star board, back to the roots. I´m back in the MTB-business…
Nina
