Anyone doing the gruyere cycling event on the 29th August?
http://www.gruyere-cycling-tour.ch/en/home

haven't quite commited myself but the shirt looks nice and it is hilly time of year.

Hi Kate,

Yes, I am planning on going (although also haven't quite got round to signing up yet). I did it last year - well organised, nice course, should have taken it a bit easier at the beginning...!

Cheers,
GS

We'll be there as well. Sounds like good fun and we haven't done much cycling in this region so far.

Thanks for the link..it looks like a fun cycle to add to the list.

yipee, looks like i'll be in good company.

Anybody who knows me have any idea as to how long it could/should take me?
- for the long route?

I took 5 hours last year. Not sure how well your mountain riding vs flat riding compares to mine, but I beat you round Lac Leman by 25 minutes.

Given I died horribly last year and am therefore hoping to pace it a bit better this year, I am aiming for perhaps 4h45 this year for Gruyere, so I guess that should give you a rough idea.

I think that 5-6 hours would be a decent target for you, Kate.

I've done the event twice before, and since it goes over my local riding area, I know the roads and climbs very well. None of the 3 climbs are particularly long or high by Alpine standards, so the ride is quite accessible to people of many levels. There used to be a longer version that also included the Col de la Croix, but unfortunately they haven't included that in the last few years.

The course is closed to traffic for the first 25 km up the valley to Juan and over the first pass, Mittelberg. Mittelberg is a very small, narrow road, so if you're in the middle of a big bunch then there's not much room to pass people while climbing, and it can get a little backed up. The last few km of that climb are the only steep part. The descent is narrow and very steep for the first few kms (9-12%), with lots of turns that are hard to judge the severity of when approaching them. There is also one section of 10-20 meters of unpaved road in the middle, which you cannot see coming because it is just after a bend. Lots of people fall on this decent, so take it very carefully. If you can get there to preview some of the course beforehand, make sure that you at least ride that descent. The other descents are on far larger roads, and those are the places to get some speed up, not on the first descent.

The road is open to traffic again once you hit Saanen, but if you're in a group of a decent size then you might get a motorbike escort. The other two climbs are not particularly long, about 400m climbing each. After descending Col des Mosses there is a long flat valley ride before reaching the finish. If you're not in a group of riders at that time then you'll lose lots of time.

It's a well-organized ride, the feed stations are well stocked (amongst other things they have cheese from their sponsor, Gruyere), and lots of people do the ride.

In previous years, the entrance fee included a shirt and bib shorts, but I see that the shorts are not included this year, but the price is no cheaper than before - 98 CHF seems like a lot of money for such a relatively short ride (most other cyclosportives offer a ride that is at least 150 km) and a basic jersey. However, I'm sure that I'll still do it. The price increases after August 15th, so get your registration in before then.

There's a campground less than 5 km from the start/finish, and it's also possible to take the train there from Lausanne that morning if you get up early enough (we've tried doing it using both methods, I'm not sure which I preferred).

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Cycling in Switzerland | Photo blog (mostly travel pics from Switzerland)

thanks Chris, very useful intel, will definitely try and ride that first hill before hand.

oooh, maybe I will join as well. I would have to take the camping option though. Keep me posted as the date gets closer...

Do, do Kat, think I might camp, so long as forecast is ok

The campground that we stayed in is called Camping Les Sapins, which is in Epagny, 5 km east of Bulle, see their website. The facilities were fine, there were lots of families there, plus a few cyclists there for the event from the UK and Holland.

So how many actually got their entries in and are ready to race on Sunday?

Weather is currently looking cool but dry. Fingers crossed the rain stays away otherwise it could get interesting!

http://www.meteoblue.com/en_GB/point...ast/c/ch/f/731

A few of us that i know at any rate; me (despite breaking my bike a week ago, thanks to Chris), my mate Jeff Bateman, Sylvain and Matilde, and of course Chris. Plus the odd undecided who are no doubt waiting to see the what the very latest weather says.
Some of us are camping too.

and yes that first descent would be truly awful in the wet, so have toes crossed too.

Here's hoping we get a big slab of cheese, and please feel free to give me a push if you pass by, need all the help I can get.

I can't get to it this year. But if any of you guys can record a GPS track of the ride and then post it on one of the well known sites (MapMyRide, Connect.garmin, whatever) I would be happy. Please PM me if possible when it's available.

Wishing you all good weather and a safe, enjoyable ride,
-Barry

Thanks to the EF, we learned about this event and are heading up there tomorrow from Nyon. Husband's doing the 85km & our two kids are signed up for the kids ride even though I couldn't figure out the distance for them Just landed here last week so it's our first big outing. Thanks EF for the lead!

Yes, thanks to some EF members for letting us know about this event! We had a great time and really enjoyed the race. I was impressed by all the efforts made by the organisers in term of safety. The whole ride felt very secure.
Shame that we couldn't stay for long after the finish and had to rush back to Zurich...

yeah, tarmac-ing the gravel section in the first descent was much appreciated, wish i'd known in advance so I wouldn't have been such a basket case in the run up to this event. I was very worried about descending that hill in a group, espesially being such a rookie and never having descended in groups at all before. As it turned out it was fine.
Think I might be back again next year to do a puncture free run, it's a nice course with none of the hills too big or too long and with a bit more experience i might be able to relax and enjoy it all even more.

Congrats Sylvain and matilde on your awesome performances (24th and 6th), think mathilde should go for a top 3 placing next year.

Yep, Congrats to all participants! I'm glad the weather was so nice (I was unlucky with the weather in the other 3 sportives I've done this year). It was also nice to have so many people there to chat with after the race.

I was happy with my time, but then when I checked my old result from 2 years ago on Datasport after getting home I discovered that I was 30 seconds slower this year! Oh well, I'll have to try a bit harder next year, I guess. I agree that it was an awesome surprise to find that the short unpaved section on the first descent had been paved during the last one or two weeks.

Complaints: Not getting a free meal after the ride was disappointing. Plus, I really wish that they would still offer a longer version of the ride. Unfortunately, any longer version would involve additional distance on main roads, so I think the authorities aren't letting them do it (in previous editions they've used other routes, sometimes including the Jaun Pass and sometimes Col de la Croix).

For the guy who wants a GPS plot of the route - that is unnecessary, just buy a decent map. The turn-off to the first pass is the only thing that is not incredibly obvious. Basically, start in Bulle, take the road towards the Jaun Pass, but 1km after the village of Jaun, turn right off of the main road onto the road towards the Mittelberg Pass. Ride over that pass and down towards Saanen, then do Col du Pillon then Col des Mosses, then return to Bulle. A GPS would certainly not be needed.

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Cycling in Switzerland | Photo blog (mostly travel pics from Switzerland)

VERY disappointing. After paying 100.- entry fees for the race, I wasn't in the mood to add another 15.- for my bowl of pastas and drink.
With revenge in mind, I stopped at a nearby shop instead and bought some imported French cheese

Thanks Chris for the route description. I have also found this route description: http://www.bikemap.net/route/79569#l...&zoom=9&type=0

I'm thinking of using Saanen as the start point because I have a possibility of accommodation near Thun.