A road biker’s dream: the Gstaad - Saanen Region in the Swiss Alps
Early spring in the Alps. Makes for beautiful scenery no matter the weather.
The weather had just started to change for the better here in Aachen, but my colleague, Stefan, and I were already itching to get back into the mountains and ride through winding passes. To keep this dream from taunting us, we decided to take a trip to the Alps around Gstaad and Saanen region in Switzerland. Working with Roadbike Holidays we were able to quickly find a hotel for that perfect for our needs.
Leaving Aachen
After a little planning, it was time to hit the road. We packed the car the day before and we left Thursday night so we could get as much riding in a possible. There was a 7 hour drive between us and road bike freedom, so we wanted to get to it. As soon as we hit the Swiss boarder, we couldn’t take our eyes of the scenery. So many beautiful cols and alpine panoramas took our breath away. As we turned off the highway with 50 km to go, we were itching to get the pedals turning. The wait was definitely worth it as we arrived in an even more astounding area then we had seen so far. The views were so good that we almost forgot we had to check-in to our hotel.
The way to the hotel was impressive.
The hotel
We stayed at the Hotel Ermitage in Saanen. Right after check-in we were greeted with a glass of Champagne and were brought to the viewing area to take in more of the scenery. When we got to our luxurious rooms, we realised the view was just as good here too. The hotel had everything a high-end spa should offer including a great breakfast and wonderful service. This was my second time booking with Roadbike Holidays and I was once again thoroughly impressed.
Ankunft am Hotel
The riding: day 1
Even with all the pampering available, we wanted to get out on our bikes as soon as possible and get a taste of the fresh mountain air. The weather was kind to us with 20° C in the valley and blue skies. Before heading out on our ride, we imported a few routes on our Garmin devices. Saanen has quite a few routes with various distances and altitude gains that can all be found on Gstaad’s home page. We found 5 routes that we really liked, and we wanted to do at least two of them. For our first day, we went with a 120 km route that started directly from the hotel.
Ankunft Hotel
The hotel has a luxurious atmosphere.
The route we chose, “Tour de la reine sud, was described as a great way to see panoramic views and get a ton of altitude gain while doing it. We couldn’t wait! The route was supposed to take us up to 1767 meters and the climbing started right from the get go. In good spirts we climbed Col du Pilon which took us to 1546 m. There was still snow on the ground even though it was 12° C outside. We were a little taken a back as we saw a skier ride the snow right up to the road. They gave us a funny look as well, but we all smiled at each other and took pictures of one another. The Swiss are truly a wonderful people.
| Name | Time | Length | Up | Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro di Röstigrabe | 2 h | 40.72 km | 933 m | 933 m |
| Giro di Simmental | 2 h | 45.54 km | 1012 m | 1012 m |
| Gstaads 4 Finger Loop | 2.5 h | 59.03 km | 985 m | 985 m |
| Königsrunde Nord | 6.75 h | 162.83 km | 2693 m | 2693 m |
| Strade Bianche di Simmental | 3.5 h | 79.8 km | 1867 m | 1867 m |
| Tour de Gastlosen | 3 h | 62.07 km | 1686 m | 1686 m |
| Tour de Gruyère | 3.5 h | 79.79 km | 1328 m | 1328 m |
| Tour de Gstaad classique | 3 h | 63.01 km | 1178 m | 1178 m |
| Tour de l'Hongrin | 3 h | 70.26 km | 1068 m | 1068 m |
| Tour de la reine sud | 5.25 h | 121 km | 2830 m | 2830 m |
Now, we put on our wind vests and sped down into the next valley. The ride down gave us a chance to recover and get ready for the Col de la Croix that would take us up to 1767 m. After climbing 12 km up to Lac Hongrin, we found a blockade telling us that the col was closed due to snow. As we were trying to find another route, a local group of road cyclists appeared. They told us to it was worth it to continue riding up the col until we hit snow. The friendly local riders also told us not to try and walk through the snow because the other side of the pass would be covered all the way into the valley. So we took a few pictures at the end of the road and took the same way back hitting the Col du Pilon once more.
Narrow mountain roads invite you to climb.
Stefan enjoys the impressive view.
The riding: day 2
We woke up super early on the next day extremely excited to hit the road again. We planned to ride the “Tour de Gryère” with an extra loop at the end. However, the weather had a change of heart and was showering down a good bit of sleet. We waited a bit and started our ride during a short break in the rain. Low hanging clouds and wet fields has its own charm and the scenery was still quite astounding. We continued to get hit with sleet during the ride though and we shortened it down to 30 km. Of course, we hit the Col du Pilon once more for good measure.
Col de la Croix closed due to snow.
Final thoughts
We would have really enjoyed riding more kilometres and experiencing more altitude gain in the two days we were in the Gstaad and Saanen region. However, things don’t always go as planned. No matter, this part of the Alps was probably the most beautiful one I’ve been too. The panoramic views are unbelievable, the locals very nice and the roads perfect for road biking. Our early need for mountains brought us to this beautiful area too soon and I would recommend waiting until late June instead of when we went in early May. The chances are that all the cols will be open and the weather will be much nicer. I will definitely be back to take more advantage the great road riding and I still need to climb the Col de la Croix!
Benjamin right before almost running into the skier.
