Saturday, October 16
We woke up to more cold and dreary weather this morning, but that didn't stop any of us from wanting to explore more of what the Jungfrau region had to offer. Erin and Amie went hiking (they will fill you in later), and I decided to bike up to Grindelwald.
After bundling up in practically all of the clothes I packed, I headed up the mountain. The first half of the ride was pretty gradual, and I barely noticed the rain pouring down. Although the air temp was probably about 2 degrees Celsius, my body was working hard enough to stay warm. The road carried me alongside the beautiful glacial waters of the Lutschine river, and I occasionally crossed paths with the train tracks that lead up to Grindelwald. I reached the town at about 20k and proceeded to follow a narrow winding road beyond town. About 5k later, the rain turned to snow! I could see the snow accumulating on the hills above me, and I realized I better bike down into Grindelwald before I became hypothermic.
Back in town, I found a cafe where I warmed up with a few cups of hot tea and warm milk. After thawing my extremities and warming my belly for about 30 min., I headed out for the 20 km descent back to Interlaken. I had to constantly wiggle and blow on my fingers to keep them from freezing. I stood up and pumped as hard as I could on the relatively flat sections, so that my body could stay warm. The ride literally flew by (compared to riding up), but I would say the descent was much more of a challenge than the climb. I guess I'll have to come back here some day to do the ride when it's 65 F and sunny.
Once I made it safely to the hostel, I headed straight for a nice long warm shower! Erin and Amie had already returned from their hike, and we all spent the rest of the day relaxing, eating, and trying to stay warm.
As I mentioned in the last post, we are headed for Lutry today, and we will spend tomorrow planning the next few segments of our trip.
"My love for the bike remains as strong now as it was in the days when I first discovered it. I am convinced that long after I have stopped riding as a professional I will be riding my bicycle. I never want to abandon my bike. I see my grandfather, now in his seventies and riding around everywhere. To me that is beautiful. And the bike must always remain a part of my life." -Stephen Roche
I love this quote because I too hope to be riding my bike (and x-c skiing) around when I'm in my seventies just like my granddad :)
Long descents in the cold are brutal. I did one in Washington in the spring, and I've never been colder in my life. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to squeeze the brakes. It was only on the way down that I figured out why there were no other bikes on the road up to Hurricane Ridge....
ReplyDeleteI was most worried about not being able to squeeze the brakes too!! mckayla
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