HR pyrenees looking good as of now for july
I am heading down a week early, my boss said it was ok that i work from there that week, looking forward to a few rides in the evenings.
I will be doing the same with the Haute Route events. It is a good opportunity to acclimatize to altitude and local climate, and a great opportunity to tick a few climbs off my bucket list.
Before HR Crans Montana Iâll stay in beautiful Andermatt for a few nights, and will try my luck on Sustenpass.
The big aim here however is the âGiants of Switzerlandâ-Loop. Has to be about as great of a 100k ride as you can get anywhere.
For HR Dolomites I really have to test my legs on Zoncolan and Mortirolo. Not really sure why I would do this to myself but it would be a waste not doing it once I am there anywayâŚ
Nice
I live in northern switzerland and i have that loop on my list too
I had planned to do it next weekend but the weather has been terrible and didnât want to risk it
Handy local weather app
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Yeah, I have seen that, too. I will be there second week of June and as of current forecasts, the temperature is set to stabilize above zero at pass altitude. All else Iâll have to see about. Not looking forward to riding the cobbles of San Gottardo in the snow!
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Have you not done the AlpenBrevet? I see this year that Gottardpass is removed but normally each of the passes in @mtdrinanâs weather pic is part of the Gold route. Itâs a great event.
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Added to the list
Cheers
I just realized that I have my second Moderna shot on 8 June⌠hereâs to hoping that doesnât impact riding Crans-Montana starting 11 June. 
I did this event in 2019 and itâs actually the first day thatâs the worst, at least it was for me. The third day was a breeze to be honest, and was the easiest ascent up the mountain.
I am fully expecting stage one to hurt badly, it has the most climbing, it has gravel, it has the steepest climb, and after the stage, it has 47k of transition. Sounds like a pretty brutal, 150k 3800m stage.
Oof, gravel. There was no gravel when I did it. Keep in mind the transition is halved by going back down Ventoux for 20km so it isnât too bad.
Just saw this HR Brazil 2021 clipâŚgiven that Brazil is a covid mess, Idk what are this ppl thinking ??
Haute Route - Crans-Montana Stage 1 in the books and wow, it was tough.
The Second climb was incredibly steep (10% for 8.8k, 20 max). I went out pretty hard but a few Ks in it became so steep, that even my 35/36 forced me into the red.
The last climb of the day (Col de Sanetsch) had the most beautiful scenery I have cycled in so far. But damn it was hard, 1450m of elevation over 20k.
That one really cracked me up.
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I commented on my overall experience here: Where did you ride OUTSIDE today (2021) - #716 by Aeroiseverything
Now, finally they updated the GC and I am quite pleased with it:
Total time was 5:56:10, finishing 24th of 155 in the GC (164 started the event).
Third of the under 30s is probably the best thing to take away.
Regardless of the result, it was a great event in amazing scenery. Absolutely professional and great atmosphere.
I am really looking forward to the Dolomites event later this year, although it scares me quite a bit alsođ
For people interested in giving Haute Route a go:
I can really recommend a 3 day event to start off. 3 day events are in one base village, while the longer events are end to end. So logistics etc of a 3 day event are very easy.
Also, the Crans Montana event in particular is great. Firstly, Crans Montana is a beautiful little village, looking over the beautiful RhĂ´ne Valley. You can see the Mont Blanc, the Dufourspitze, and the Matterhorn. I have never seen mountains of this magnitude in real life, and it is jaw dropping.
The stage choice was great, and I think it very achievable, but still absolutely challenging. The climbs are probably not your typical bucket list climbs like Alpe dâHuez or Passo Stelvio, but they can absolutely match those in terms of length, steepness, and beauty.
Col du Sanetsch and Barrage de la Grande Dixence are both 1 mile + climbs, so they are bigger than Mont Ventoux or Col du Galibier. Also, you are going from the the beautiful Swiss villages to the forests into the bare high Alps. Amazing!
The Ovronnaz climb is a steep beast than can match the famous steep climbs of the Dolomites or Pyrenees. 10% average for 9k, with 2 very evil Ks right in the middle, that average over 12%.
The Col du Crans Montana was the climb for the final time trial, and with over 8% average gradient for 15+ km, it is bigger than Alpe dâHuez or Passo Umbrail.
Besides the fantastic climbs, one thing about the course that I really loved was that all the descents were neutralized and you could only focus your power on going uphill.
I just donât want to race DOWN a 9% climb. Some people love it, I donât. Also, it gives you time to recuperate, but also to enjoy and to take pictures of the stunning nature that you just suffered through on the way up.
I would definitely recommend this event!
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Congratulations on your results! I had a smile on my face when you mentioned the size of the mountains. That is exactly how I felt the first time riding in the Alps. Beautiful pics as well.
Dolomites will blow your mind, if the weather is niceâŚ
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Chapeau
Great result
HR Pyrenees in less than 2 weeks
Hi, Re. sweet spot base, build and speciality. Did you do Mid or High Volume? And Speciality Gran Fondo/Century or Climbing? I have been looking all over for some advice about 7 day Haute Route and which Trainer Road Plan to follow 
Can you post a link to that Podcast, or an Episode number/title. Be interested to find and listen to it.
Disaster
Crashed out on stage 2 of HR pyrenees
Came too hot in to a corner and hit a seam of stones on the road
High sided my head and shoulder in to the road
Mips helmet did its job
Nothing broken but ribs and shoulder heavily bruised
Also, i was waaaay down the back more training needed and drop some kg
Next yearâŚ
Dude, really sucks to hear, man!
Good to hear nothing broken.
I gotta say in hindsight, I was a little surprised that they have you guys race down the mountains.
Thatâs what I loved about Crans-Montana, basically 2 or 3 mountain TTs a day. Photos and chill on the way down.