I found the following page on swissinfo.ch which shows the status of many passes and high roads:
http://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/infos_zu...nfo/index.html

It doesn't have every pass though, for example no information on Grosse Sheidegg (between Meiringen and Grindelwald), probably because (I believe) the road is closed to cars, only open for postauto. Does anybody have a better site than swissinfo for pass closures? Maybe with more webcam photos?

Anyway, I used swissinfo to find that the Glaubenbüelenpass (1611m) is open, so planned a very long tour for today, something like 160km and 4,000m+ of climbing, but the weather didn't play and I bailed out after being rained, hailed and then snowed on at Beatenberg (1200m), so I turned back at Interlaken. Now, of course, the sun's out in Thun and I'm full of regret at not being tougher and weathering the storm ...

You can use this website from the TCS Switerland:
http://www.tcs.ch/main/de/home/verke...e_tunnels.html

I know this thread is kind of long, but did you try reading the very first post? I think you'll find all the info there. Your question belongs in the thread linked to below.

Did it for you

Hi guys,

I'm kind of hoping for the cycling buffs to come good for me here with some top tips. 2 weeks ago I was out pass cycling with friends when I blew HARD! I was about 2 kilometers from the top of the last pass when a friend found me lying on the side of the road and donated a mars bar to me. I think I have pinpointed the problem to a lack of calories since after I ate I felt awesome again. I really hate cycling with a bag but I am pretty much stuck doing it now after that horrible experience so I was wondering

What sort of food is good to take for a long day cycling in the hills?

Any suggestions are welcome as I found this is a steep learning curve

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Well spank my ass and call me Charlie!

For a long day riding, I'd stay away from sports bars, gels and drinks and go with the kind of food that you would usually enjoy (within reason).

There's endless science behind it but at the end we're (mostly) not professional athletes and common sense is the most sensible approach. You're looking for balance- something you enjoy, can stomach, something salty, something sweet.

There's no one size fits all approach. My bag tends to contain dried fruit, salted nuts, sometimes a couple of carrots (the crunch of a carrot at the top of a long hill is something to be savoured), a couple of cereal bars, some biscuits etc. A good sandwich also takes a lot of beating.

Gels and syrupy drinks can be very effective (particularly in competition where you may not have time to eat something more substantial) but they can also lead to digestion issues, they're expensive, and for a long day you need something more substantial in your stomach.

Cheers

Jekyll

Thanks for that, I went with just cereal bars last time and discoverd that it was a terrible idea unless you have about 20-30!

As an emergency instant boost I really like the lemon dextrose tablets that you can get at any kiosk. If you always have a pack of those in your bag then you should get to the restaurant at the top!

I've just ordered a very light musette bag (like the profis get handed up in stage races) just for holding food. When the bag is empty it weighs practically nothing and can be stuffed in my jersey pocket (instead of being thrown to my fans in the watching crowd) and reused.

Did I hear correctly on ITV2's Tour coverage, that on Thursday 8th July stage, one rider consumed 17 x 500ml bottles? (Presumably, this is quite typical, and the figures were just being cited as an example, rather than an exception).

/GD

When you are putting out 300 or more watts in 28-30 C for 4-5 hours then the body has certainly to cool itself down by sweating. But I tend to think eight and a half litres would be a bit much in this time. Perhaps he was a water carrier and passed the bottles to his teammates or poured water over his own body. Or that was his total intake during the non-riding parts of the day as well. I think I read that the body can only take in liquid at the rate of 750-1000ml per hour but stand to be corrected. I suggest that we continue this off-topic on another thread.

In an interview after yesterday's stage, Andy Schleck estimated that he'd DRANK 20 half-liter bottles. On the other had, Kloden and Cancellara both lost much more time than they were expected to, and the cause for both of them is said to be partly dehydration. The top riders know only too well what happens when you don't drink enough.

If you're heading into the mountains on a hot day, you might consider attaching a THIRD water bottle holder to your bike, or getting some extra large 1 liter bottles (not all of us have a support vehicle and teammates whose job it is to keep us well supplied). For many ideas of how to put an extra bottle cage on a frame that only has two mounts, see this website.

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

GULP! Thanks for the info.

I have a problem getting more than half a bottle down during a two hour ride around the Zurichsee. Looks like I'll have to change that habit before I tackle my first passes later this month.

Are you drinking while cycling or do you make a small break ?

I just take a slurp when riding or when stopped (I'm old school) at traffic lights, or sometimes I stop at a cafe for a coffee. I guess it's better to take a 3min stop every 20minutes and down a quarter bottle or so.

(In my racing days we didn't drink even in 50 mile time trials. In a 100mile event maybe a bottle was handed up. I remember my dad dropping mine at 70 miles so that meant over 4 hours without a drink.)

i think it is better not drinking while cycling, usually i make a small break every
25km, have a big slurp and start over for the next 25 km

I'm curious. Is it for some kind of safety reason or because you find it hard to drink while gasping for air?

both.
I think i don't loose much time , when i recon my average speed is going down, then i am going stop, have a big slurp and start over.
I think the important thing in cycling is having an high average speed.
Safety is an issue , too.

Hi guys,

Another question for you all. For some reason I decided today to have alook online to see how much the tyres on my bike cost. Turns out expensive..... But whilst looking I read reviews claiming that after around 1000 - 1250 km they will need to be changed as they will be worn out. I want to avoid forking out lots of money on new tyres untill I have to so I was just wondering

How do I tell that I need new tyres?

The reason I ask now is that I am close to the magic numbers mentioned above

__________________
Well spank my ass and call me Charlie!

Hello all,
I finally got to do my ride this past weekend after having to cancel in late June due to snow at the Albula pass.
Overall the ride was incredible! This was my first Alpine pass and now I can't wait to do more! I highly recommend the ride from Tiefencastel. The scenery is incredible (including the Rhaetian Railway train), and I even got to see teams HTC Columbia, Lotto, and Cervelo Test (support cars and all) on training rides climbing the pass from the south side! I found the grade fairly comfortable with the steepest section of the 31 km climb at kms 14-18 before Bergün. The road bike with a double crank and a seatpost rack (about 6 kgs) was no problem.
Followed posted bike routes for the most part and I enjoyed going a little "Paris-Roubaix" on the unpaved sections, but I did tear up my tires quite a bit. I need to put some serious thought into getting a cross bike!
Cheers,
Carlos