As I cheerfully start the climb to Lac de Tseuzier, I see to my right, on a hill beyond, a large statue of Christ. Not as big as Christ the saviour in Rio de Janeirobut also not so small that you cannot see it in the distance. A few hundred metres to the left of it is a striking little church. It is a beautiful image, made even more beautiful by the impressive mountain panorama behind it. That I will often think of this picture during the day, I cannot yet imagine then. Above all, let it be a nice frame for cycling in Crans-Montana. Where a total of four of us tackle beautiful cols and, above all, fight the heat.
Nice meeting
More than six months ago, the Mountain High Chasers, Erwin & Erwin, joined us with their inspiring content. What is very funny: we had and have only spoken to each other by email and phone so far. Today, we meet at the bottom of the climb to Tseuzier. What stays with me: it is as if we have known each other for years. Smooth conversations, with the bike often providing the connection. Great stories about climbs, adventures and in the meantime, the writer's bad jokes are brought out again. It's a good start like this.
The dam region
The Valais region, on the one hand, is known for its stunning amount of mountains. Here you will find the most 4000'ers in the whole of Switzerland. An additional phenomenon are the reservoirs (and thus the dams). From Crans-Montana alone, you can reach many lakes. Among them Lac de Moiry, Lac des Dix and, the goal for our morning, Lac de Tseuzier. All lakes have their own look, but you can bet money that you won't be disappointed at the top. Lac de Tseuzier was created back in 1957 . Clear blue water is held by a huge long dam, one of the longest in Switzerland. It is part of the electricity supply, but it is also a storage basin in case of emergency.
Steep up and down
Cycling in Switzerland and specifically cycling in the Valais region is different from normal Alpine or Dolomite climbs. It is relatively narrow, it is very steep and because of its location on a valley, you have insane views. The climb to Lac de Tseuzier is no exception. It is uneven and at a minimum you are looking at seven to eight per cent. Often the counter shoots into the double digits. The road winds up and is sometimes just wide enough for a car and a bike. Towards the top, you come across a number of tunnels, sometimes with a blind turn. Good to remember for the descent too.
Open mouth
After a climb of just under 13 kilometres, we reach the top of the dam. During the ride, we have already gazed open-mouthed at the view, but at the top it is repeated. There is always something impressive about riding on a dam like this. The combination of the blue water, the mountains in the background and, on the other side, the deep valley makes sure you can't see enough. In the ranking of beautiful dam climbs it is just below Barrage d'Emosson, but for me it is a close second
Coffee lunch
At the top of Lac de Tseuzier sits a typical Swiss mountain hut. One of those with a nice raclette or a typical 'valais cheese plate' for dinner. Funnily enough, closed today due to lack of water. We dive into the descent towards the village and after some searching we arrive at a tearoom/boulangerie in Ayent. The guests present have already moved on to wine, but we indulge in good coffee and local delicacies. The company of Erwin & Erwin does us good. What a nice start to the day! After sponsoring the local hospitality industry well, our paths separate. I have done the Sanetsch Pass before, which is on the programme for the Mountain High Chasers. For us, a crossing across the valley is on the programme. We head downhill towards Vercorin and Lac de Moiry.
Swiss climbs
If you may give a characteristic for a climb in Switzerland, it is probably steep. That's quite apart from all the side roads in villages where the sign reads 20%, 25% or even 27%. This day we also started with such a nice warm-up. For the longer climbs, you see that they usually have an irregular gradient. It goes from flat to fifteen and back again. You never really get into a nice rhythm. For an anti-climber like me, that's no fun. Our afternoon programme actually has two climbs in it: first, we have to manage to move up to Vercorin. A lovely Swiss village where little happens in the off-season. After an eight-kilometre climb at an average of eight per cent, a longer descent awaits that leads to the foot of the real climb to Lac de Moiry. That's 13 kilometres of increasingly steep ascent. Painful.
On the grill
It is June in Valais, but it seems full of summer. The sun is high in the blue sky and has free play on the roads of the southern canton. Christ the Redeemer shines in the sun as we cross the valley. Secretly, I ask 'm for some good legs. For some gusto for the part ahead. Crossing the valley goes pretty smoothly and when we are at the bottom of the climb towards Vercorin everything feels nice. Only that sun is starting to get hot. The counter now reads 33 degrees. The beginning of the climb still has some shade along the side of the road. The further up, the more often I look to my left, to my big friend across the valley. How long is it? I feel like I am completely on the grill. Halfway up, it gets too much and I stop in the shade. Cool off for a while.
Good choice
Actually at that point I decided not to ride all the way to Lac de Moiry. That's an extra 1000 altitude metres in total and in this scorching heat that's going to cost me my head. In hindsight, a very good choice. The second section towards Vercorin just keeps climbing above eight per cent with peaks towards 12 and 13. The Wahoo shows red outliers. Fortunately, there is sometimes some shade to escape the scorching sun. Pooh. I was not expecting this. The counter rises to 36 (!) degrees. Perhaps that's the sun on the computer, but it's a good indicator. Keep that fried egg coming. In Vercorin, we make a stop and after refreshments take some photos before descending.
Downhill greatness
Uphill is a horror. Downhill is pure enjoyment in Switzerland. The descents are quite technical, sometimes a bit confusing but you can really enjoy turning, turning and whizzing downhill. Do watch out for the stones on the road, as there will sometimes be a piece of mountainside on the tarmac. Stay alert, it's not the Tour de Suisse after all. Or the Tour de France. Another side benefit: you can shoot beautiful pictures on the descent. See for yourself!
Towing up between trucks
After a fast and beautiful descent, it's another 10 kilometres uphill towards our hotel in Crans-Montana. It is part of the Crans-Montana experience. You almost always have to go back up to get home. The cable car (funiculaire) is out of use for a while. You can normally take your bike then too, but the rack and pinion system from 1911 (!) needed replacing. So it is up. The first few kilometres we still ride between vineyards, but then we hit the main road. Route planning mistake. Eventually we ride up between trucks and some unfriendly fellow road users in the scorching heat. Halfway up, I am completely cooked and we make another stop to cool off. I just put the iced tea in my neck, it's that hot. Looking further up, I see that image of my friend again. Jesus the saviour.
Cool and broken
We are completely cool again when we finally reach the top. It's a bizarre experience to sit through it like this. I won't exactly score high marks in the Strava lists. But then again, we don't do it for that either. At the hotel, we park the bike and I really need to catch my breath. It was a warm, beautiful day. One I won't soon forget. Several times I thought: this won't do. But still we managed. We've earned a drink now!
