Name: Klausenpass (west-east)
A challenging mountain pass in the Uri/Glarus region. 30km in-your-face climb to the pass top, paid off with a tapering decent and a flat finish.
Area: East-Central Switzerland (Uri / Glarus)
Date: Various Length: ca. 80kms
Time: 3:45 to 5 hours riding time Total Altitude: 1,600 meters (the pass it about 19:50 meters) Difficulty: Medium-hard. Ascents: Altdorf - Klausenpass (28km-1500m) Traffic: Can be heavy motorcycle traffic on the pass especially on weeekends and early season Transportation: Train to Altdorf / Flüelen , then return from Ziegelbrücke
Well, I knew it was late notice so not surprisingly I ended up doing this ride solo. I managed to drag myself down to Zürich HB, landing at the right platform at about 07:45 for the 08:09 to Flüelen (this train goes right through to the border). I am really glad I ended up there just as the train pulled in, as it filled up quick. The train has a whole wagon just for bikes, and it was full, full, FULL by the time we left, as was the entire second class section.
The train arrived at Flüelen around 09:15, and its important to be ready in the bike wagon by the time the train stops, otherwise you might end up on the wrong side of the Gotthard. After downing a banana I headed off towards Altdorf. I had to reset my Polar after about 3km as it wasn’t picking up my heart rate (and I was pretty certain I still had one).
After a few km’s from the start, there is a well signposted left turn that marks the start of the climb. A small burgundy cycling route sign with the added text “1490m climb over 27km” clearly reminds you of the task ahead. The first 5km climb through the first village had me a bit worried, and I knew already this would require some discipline if these grades were typical on the entire length. However a few flats and light descents were a welcome relief and proved encouraging.
With a third of the climb behind me, a few hair pin bends brought me to the town of Springen. I contemplated a stop here but chose to keep the momentum. A short downhill through the halfway at Unterschächen represented another breath of fresh air, but the joy proved short-lived. After leaving this town the climb was unrelenting as you switchback and head the otherway. With no view of the bottom or the top, a moment of despair set in, especially as I was already starting to feel that I was one gear short. With 39-25 the lowest I had, I was regretting not having 27. I was also being plagued with a slight but somewhat irritating lower back pain.
Pedalling through Urigen (another suitable rest stop if needed) brought me back in the right direction, and the pass became visually reachable somehow. Breathtaking views to the valley floor also gave an indication of whats been achieved so far. But a quick glimpse at my Polar brought me back to earth – there was still around 700m altitude still to go.
Fortunately the motorbike traffic seemed to be heavier in the opposite direction as the road narrowed and landscape more rocky and sparse. My legs were starting to punish me for failing to have my 27 tooth granny gear, as my odometer or altimeter seemed to be moving at snails pace.
With about 5km from the top, a headwind through the pass presented a chilly reminder of where I was, and my short sleeve jersey was no longer adequate. However I wanted to push to the top, as I feared stopping would cause me to seize up. I made it to the Restaurant Passhöhe (false advertising really, as this is not the top) and finally took my rest, as a pain in my left foot from a badly adjusted lace needed attention. Unfortunately here is where I accidently stopped my Polar, hence the ride profile is broken into two pictures! After downing my snack I put on a light windvest and battled the last 1.5km to the real top of the pass. Even at 11.30am it was incredibly busy, but good to see that toilet facilities were conveniently placed for riders if need be, and not hidden away for paying customers.
Then came the payoff- the descent towards Glarus! The first few km’s were spoiled by a lot of runoff from melting snow, but otherwise a straight-forward glide towards the valley. But today was one big spoiler – the strong headwind. It even had me down to around 28km/h on stretches where I should be doing 40km/h. Despite this the main descent was quite quick, and some bone-shaking cobble stones represent the arrival at the valley floor.
After Linthal, the ride is basically a rolling flat ride, but with very little left in the tank, even the slightest rise represented a small challenge. Glarus was reached about 40km from the top of the pass, but after Näfels, there is almost no signposting to Ziegelbrücke. My advice is simply follow the rode around to Niederurnen, and then turn right to Ziegelbrücke.
I arrived at Ziegelbrücke about 13:10, having just missed the Express that leaves at 1 minute past each hour. I decided to wait for the next Express, as a direct trip to Zürich was worth the wait. This train wasn’t so full, and had more bike facilities peppered along the train.
So it took me about 4 hours all up, and I probably should have added one or two more rest breaks on the climb, especially to take more pictures! It was generally sunny with frequent hazy periods, with temps between about 24-17 degrees. I consumed about 1.5 litres of hydration drink on the climb, and about 1 litre on the trip down. Food wise: 2 müesli bars on the way up and a power gel about 20 km from the finish.
Will definitely take at least 1 more riding buddy with me next time!
HIGHLIGHTS : Great climb, great descent, great scenery. No nasty suprises.
LOWLIGHTS : Headwind, full train leaving Zürich HB, tall gearing