This stage was from Ulm in Southern Germany to a town near Annecy in France. It followed the Rhine through Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and into the Swiss Alps - then over the Alps, following the Rhone, Lake Geneva and into France. Here are some highlights:
My stay in Ulm with an old friend was a much needed break. When I first arrived, Anja was a bit confused by my strange request for lots of ice (she thought I meant ice cream) for an ice bath to help my legs recover. My room was very special - the attic of a hundred year old house with beautiful exposed timber beams and a view of the tallest church in the world. One of Anja's friends was a keen cyclist (strangely he also had the idea of cycling to Gibraltar) who gave me some great tips and convinced me to change my route to go through more of Switzerland instead of Italy.
Days 1-3: took me along the Dunube, through rolling hills and along the Rhine. As I got closer to the Alps the scenery was became increasingly stunning. Staying overnight in Liechtenstein I noticed an interesting vibe - people seemed affluent and carefree (it is a very wealthy country). It was also very expensive and I had fun finding ways to stretch my budget (twice I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu without bothering to translate and both times it turned out to be a sausage with fries).
Rest/weather day: the last hour of day 3 had been one of the few in rain and it continued the next day so I took a break. It snowed higher up which would make the scenery even better.
Day 4: was the most I had ever climbed in a day with 2 significant mountain passes. I wasn't game to book accommodation as I didn't know if my legs could do it (I had the choice to stay between the passes). The first climb was about 1,200m to Oberalpass (to 2,046m). About 3 quarters of the way up I began doubting I could do the second climb - but when I realised I was on the steepest part of the climb and it would soon ease back to 6% I knew I could do it. I was now thankful for the nasty headwinds earlier in the trip that had got my legs into shape.
Then I descended to 1,400m, crossed a valley and climbed Furkapass (to 2,436m). It wasn't until I reached the top and was surprised by how out of breath I was that I realised how hard I had pushed myself. I had now crossed the Alps!
Side trip: with a day to spare I took a side trip up Nufenen Pass without luggage. It was one of the most interesting climbs I have done with constantly changing scenery. Near the top I said hello to a group I had met the previous day and I noticed one of them was pushing her bike up the hill (and I'm pretty sure she was gaining on her friend).
Day 5: was 203kms to Lake Geneva - just 1km short of the longest ride I have ever done. There was almost no climbing and the roads were mostly great. It was a big step up in distance but was by no means the toughest day.
I was expecting day 6 to be relatively easy, hugging the lake to Geneva. However the traffic by the river was frustrating (sometimes stopping every hundred metres (getting my >20kg bike & luggage started that often isn't much fun)) so I ventured into the hills. I didn't pick the best routes and found some steep roads. I also found it was now 10-15 degrees warmer on this side of the Alps (high 20's) which I wasn't used to and I suffered. I persevered up the hills thinking I would get a good descent - but again I didn't pick a great route and gave up most of the altitude on a ridiculous road that must have been about 20%. I was glad to have disc breaks but even so it was very hard work just to control a very slow descent.
Overnight in Geneva, I caught up with an old school friend who took me on a beautiful ride on the outskirts of town and had me over for dinner. It had been 8 days on my own so it was great to have a nice home cooked meal and company. He also gave me some great tips for my ride through the French Alps.
At breakfast I was amused by an Englishman at the next table striking up a conversation with a disinterested stranger about the relative price of a litre of beer (yes a litre of beer) in different countries and the drink driving laws in those countries.
Day 7: Rob and one of his friends came with me for most of the day to guide me into France. It was such a nice change to ride in a group: having people to talk to and not worrying about navigating. It was a bit more hilly than planned so we ran out of time to do Col de Aravis - I thought it would be the first time I would miss a hotel booking but realised I could take a flat road by Lake Annecy and get there in time. This was one of the nicest days of cycling I have done, with perfect weather (the first time I have seen AccuWeather use the phrase 'sunny and beautiful'), stunning scenery and even a tailwind.
Stage 3 by the numbers (because everybody loves stats):
Days cycled: 7
Distance cycled: 880kms
Total climbs (very approx): 8,000m
(Plus the side-trip up Nufenen was 40kms and a 1,100m climb without luggage)
Cumulative stats:
Distance cycled: 2,170kms
Days cycled: 20
Punctures: 0
