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Day 7
Mutschnengia to Andermatt, Switzerland
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Distance: 42.7 (354.7)
Elevation Climbed: 1,095 m (4,637 m)
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Day 7 - Mutschnengia to Andermatt, SwitzerlandEvery day presents its challenges, and today it was the weather. The roughly 900 meters (3000 feet) up as well as down from Mutschnengia to Hospental would have been a bit tough in any climate, but add sleet (by Minnesota standards) or hail (New York City standards) and cold rain and blustery winds, and you get one killer crossing of the mountain pass.The day began pleasantly slowly, with a late wake up call and giant omelet courtesy of Ken. After doubling back to Disentis from our swanky private cabin, we started the assault of Oberalppass, a 900 meter climb that began gradually and became more and more steep as we reached the summit. As we elevated, the temperature dropped and everyone (perhaps with the exception of Ken) felt chilled to the bone. A lunch break in very warm restaurant at the summit was precisely what the doctor ordered. A special feature of the day was our growing posse of groupies, fans and fellow enthusiasts who joined us at various junctures of the ride. A few members of a local Swiss uni club, including Martin Schmid, actually climbed part of the pass with us. Martin's mother cheered us on from her car with a cowbell and flags. Armin Heinzer, a man who learned to uni just 10 days ago, found us by chance in a web searches about unicycling in Switzerland where he found out about our tour and decided to come and visit us on his day off. He and his family also cheered us on at several stages of the pass. The descent on innumerable switch backs was thrilling, though occasionally scary when the wind picked up and threatened to push us in the middle of the road. Cars were actually kind to us, giving us a wide berth, sometimes frighteningly so when other cars were traveling in the opposite direction. By cosmic design, the sun appeared just as we entered our youth hostel. An early dinner immediately across the lodgings, accompanied by Martin and crew, hit the spot. Word of the day: Haarnadelkurve - Switchback Rider of the day: Nathan Hoover Age: 46 Hometown: Los Gatos, CA (1/2 hour from Santa Cruz) Perfect day: "Yesterday, Day 6. My perfect moment was arriving at the hotel in Mutschnengia yesterday to Dana and Connie welcoming us." Hardest moment/day so far? "Heading down Flexenpass, because I was worried about everyone making it through that section." Memorable training moment? "Starting a ride on Sunday after climbing 5,000 feet on Saturday and realizing my legs felt nothing from Saturday's ride. That was amazing to me. I think we did the ride about 2 weeks before the tour." Memorable Alpine sighting? "The goats fighting each other in Disentis yesterday were pretty cool." Weirdest item in your Camelbak? "A Swiss fruitcake." Favorite Alpine Food? "I don't have a favorite food, but the pizzas are good. They remind me of the pizzas my mother used to make." Favorite bathroom? "The one in Lech. It was an absolutely world class bathroom." Have you lost anything so far? "My grandma's seahorse necklace. I have arranged to get it back from a hotel in Austria." What do you do to get through the toughest part of the day? "I crank my legs and turn the wheel one more time until done." What size cranks are you going to use for most of the tour? "125s for the non-steep days, 152s for the Alpine passes." Funniest moment so far? "At the San Francisco Airport when Bronson told us about the Rugrats. He said something like, "Fully loaded diapers, I mean where are the parents?" Quotes of the Day: "I'll take the space suit that allows you to do #1 and #2 inside of it and then it turns it back into Clif Bars." -John, when asked by support what to look for in the next town "Have a good time, Dude." -A passing and photographing bicyclist to Joe as he was riding down the Oberalppass "As long as the flies aren't jumping out of the cereal, I'll be fine." -Bronson, after hearing that our hostel will provide breakfast for us tomorrow "Hey Connie, nice shirt." -Everyone to Connie throughout the day "Right now I can see the advantage of a cigarette. A little warmth around your mouth." -Kim, after coming in out of the hail and cold at the top of Oberalppass "I never smoked until I started climbing the Alps." -Andy, in response to Kim's comment "That was the most freaking awesome downhill EVER." -Ken, with a huge grin after going down Oberalppass without a brake on 110mm cranks |
Move your mouse over the images for a pop-up caption. Click on the image for a larger picture. Created: August 8, 2005 21:02
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