Distance:   36.43km (singletrail: ca. 8km)
Elevation:  657m
Duration:   2h40
Avg. Speed: 13.6km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Last Wednesday I went for the second time to an organized biketour. Just perfect weather conditions for a tour like that. Hot, like in summer and no cloud to be seen anywhere!

Meeting point was the factory shop of Transalpes. When we started, we were 12 people (9 of them had a transalpes bike and I was the only one with a hardtail bike).
The tour sounded promising and was interesting from the beginning. Unfortunately after some time I got a major fissure in my tire. We split the group, 2 people staying with me while the others continued their tour.
Notubes couldn’t help fix the hole. So I had to replace the notubes system with a normal tube. No big deal, but a bit gluey and dirty. I thought, great I’m the new guy with the flat foot!
We then took the normal street instead of the singletrail on the Albishorn to meet the other at the Restaurant Schweikhof and admire the moon!
After having some beers and others we took more or less a direttissima back to Zwillikon. First on cart tracks which turned to nice and flowing single trails at then end.

All in all a great experience and it was just funny and great. I had a lot of fun despite my small incident.
I’ll be there on the next full moon tour!

By the way nobody was really surprised I got a flat foot with these tires (Schwalbe Racing Ralph), as the general mood in the group recommended the Schwalbe Nobby Nic. The Racing Ralph seems to be famous for not being that solid. I used the Nobby Nic during Winter so I just reused them now, hoping it’ll be better now.

Distance:   28.27km (singletrail: ca. 2km)
Elevation:  1200m
Duration:   2h39
Avg. Speed: 10.6km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Inspired by RedOrbiter Panoramatour am Rigi Südhang.
Nice but hard uphill to Rigi-Kaltbad. Mostly on paved roads with grade > 10%. You’ll need to walk a small part at the end of the road. Nice scenery though! Ideal for spring time as mostly on southern parts.
The last part going up is on unpaved, quite bumpy road. After going up you’ll bike on a nice and easy trail to Rigi-Kaltbad. This part is not  recommended for weekends as much hikers will share the path with you!
Going down is no fun at all! Very steep on a bumpy, gravelled road with a rain channel every 10m!
This tour is not recommended!!! (Especially the downhill part is very boring and annoying)

Distance:   53.01km (singletrail: ca. 12km)
Elevation:  1253m
Duration:   3h36
Avg. Speed: 14.7km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Inspired by Chregu’s Rund um den Alpnachersee.
Very nice tour for spring. Uphill on a small road not very steap, first to Fräckmünd (1416m), then to Renggpass (886m). You’ll need to carry your bike for 10min to Renggpass.
Mostly on south hillside, so good option for spring!
The downhill from Renggpass is great and nice if you want to learn to drive some serpentines!
Unfortunately the trail was closed by lumberjacks, but happily it was Saturday evening and no work ahead anymore. So I decided to drive trough. I had to walk around some stems and steel cables but it was worth it.
Back in Lucerne there was Chilbi at Allmend and Stadtlauf in Lucerne. So some big mess, which is why I had to drive like a drunken man…
But great tour worth do!

Distance:   42.48km (singletrail: ca. 7km)
Elevation:  1091m
Duration:   3h26
Avg. Speed: 12.3km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

I got the gps data from seppibucher. So thank you, seppibucher! I changed the starting point a little, bringing it nearer to Zurich.
You can park your car at the football training field of Neuheim (see end point on gpsies).

The tour starts directly with some single trails and some nice tracks along the Sihl! Fantastic scenery with some small tunnels! The uphill to Gottschalkenberg runs on a small paved road without any difficulties. The downhill afterwards is interesting and “speedy”. Take care of hikers (especially on weekends!).
You’ll have fantastic scenery on top of Gottschalkenberg in every direction. You’ll also see some monastery on your way.
The last circle along Lorze has nothing special to get and can easily be cut off!

Nice tour without any big difficulties!

Thx to Rob for the good company .

Distance:   47.74km (singletrail: ca. 7km)
Elevation:  1486m
Duration:   3h34
Avg. Speed: 13.3km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Taking the gps information from gps-tracks, I tried a tour in the Zürcher Oberland. Sounden promising, the tour was not too bad. It had a bit too much paved road in my gusto, but all in all the existing singletrails were interesting but not too difficult!
Some parts of the ascent were really heavy, so be sure to keep some power during the trip…

I had to start the tour twice, because on the first day I had a new chain which did not work with some front gear, so I had to turn back and fix it first.

CAUTION: There is a not driveable iron stair at about km 41!

Distance:   24.12km (singletrail: ca. 4km)
Elevation:  834m
Duration:   4h09
Avg. Speed: 11.0km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Because of bad weather predictions we decided to go for a small “good-luck” trip around the corner. The start will wake you up from the beginning. 20% and more grades along a single trail will force you to push hard!
Unfortunately there were quite some un-driveable sections because of stairs. One part was even closed because of rock fall. We decided still to pass. No problems occured.

So you might take the path the other way round, especially the first 8km.

During the trip it got darker and darker and the temperature fell suddenly. We managed to get home dirty though. But it was just a matter of minutes.

Distance:   53.36km (singletrail: ca. 18km)
Elevation:  1523m
Duration:   4h09
Avg. Speed: 13.0km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

My trip started with a double platter, probably due to horse chestnut in Ticino.

I got the trail parts from Vazifar last year. So the track is not unknown to me. But this time I suited it to my needs and especially removed the part in the Reppischtal, as the street there is often closed due to shooting exercises from the army (see also Waffenplatz Reppisch).

The trip includes some of the best singletrails around Uetliberg! It’s a very varied trip with a lot of different singletrails.

There’s just some short snowy spaces left, especially after Buchenegg. But all ridable!

Distance:   24.37km (singletrail: 1km)
Elevation:  613m
Duration:   1h50
Avg. Speed: 13.3km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Easy starting along the Ticino. Uphil (10-15%) on a small paved road, as almost always in Ticino . You’ll then follow a small trail on a stony path downhill. There are lot of leaves which makes the path slippery. Some turns are quite exposed, so be sure to not fall.
After the short trail you’ll land on paved roads again and ride along Bellinzona. You’ll encounter the castle “Castello di Sasso Corbaro”.
Except from the short trail no difficulty and nice scenery.

Distance:   30.68km (singletrail: 1km)
Elevation:  1010m
Duration:   2h21
Avg. Speed: 13.0km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Uphill on paved path or street, panorama route on forest track. On one small part you need to carry your bike on stairs going up.
Nice scenery, no difficulty.

Distance:   48.19km (singletrail: about 13km)
Elevation:  931Hm
Duration:   3h01
Avg. Speed: 15.9km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Inspired by TobiTobi I chose the well known Altberg extended by the Elefantentobel.

The trip goes along the Limmat until after Höngg in Zurich. Interesting part of Zurich! Didn’t know this scenery there so far. At the beginning it was quite cold and foggy, but short after going up I got into the sun! After about 250Hm you’ll reach the Altbergtrail. You’ll follow the trail on normal forest tracks until you reach the restaurant Waldschenke

From the Altberg I crossed the ETH Hönggerberg (they have very modern sports facilities, haven’t seen that one until now!), going trough Käferberg until Irchel then going up to the Zoo of Zurich on some interesting trails (tricky one going up as well). Shortly after passing the Zoo and the skating park of Dolder I reached the Elefantentobel trail which follows a small stream. Nothing special there, but okay as track extension.

With this track I reached my year goal of 100′000 elevation meters by cycling (normal work drive excluded).

Distance:   72.12km (singletrail: about 19km)
Elevation:  1944Hm
Duration:   5h01
Avg. Speed: 14.3km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Inspired by TobiTobi I did my longest mountainbike track yesterday. I knew most interesting parts of the whole trip, but it was still interesting. Sometimes it was too muddy and slipery to bike

There are 4 hills to climb: Üetliberg, Heitersberg, Lägern (Hochwacht) and Altberg.

5′186 Hm left to reach the 100′000 by cycle this year.

Distance:   41.39km (singletrail: about 6km)
Elevation:  1736m
Duration:   4h21
Avg. Speed: 9.4km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

On the last day we took again some shorter trip, but boah. Just hard. If you are the person able to cycle 25% and more (!) of grade over a longer period, ie 3-5km on a stony path, this is your paradise! You’ll be rewarded with a nice flowing single trail slightly going down from the top.

If on the other hand you prefer to cycle most of the part, you should do the tour in the opposite direction.

8′000 Hm left to reach the 100′000 this year.

Distance:   53.23km (singletrail: about 16km)
Elevation:  1850m
Duration:   6h05
Avg. Speed: 8.7km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Second day in Ticino with Röbi we chose some longer tour, which was highly promoted on different websites. We were not disappointed. We already did the upgoing part to Monta Bar this year, but it was amazingly easier this time!

Then came a 12km long singletrail all around the valley. Great! Fantastic. Not everything was cyclable though (just some smaller parts) and the trail is not that easy neither. But “Freude ohne Ende”.

We stayed in a bed&breakfast at Isabelle Bernasconi’s place we can highly recommend. Very nice. And by chance 2 of our tracks were just quite near the house

Distance:   35.29km (singletrail: about 8km)
Elevation:  1532m
Duration:   3h49
Avg. Speed: 9.2km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Röbi and me went on a 3 day short holiday trip to Ticino to do some biking. As the weather was predicted to be lousy in the north, this came very handy. Even it was quite cold in the south as well.

First trip started near Minusio and the plan was to bike along the south mountain parts to profit from the warming sun. Well, it was cold and the tour wasn’t too much on the sun. The upgoing part is all on paved roads until almost to the top. The last part you probably will need to walk some 15min. From the top it goes down on some nice singletrails until you get back to the starting point.

Nice trip for these cold season.

Distance:   22.3km (singletrail: about 7.5km)
Elevation:  1054m
Duration:   2h22
Avg. Speed: 9.5km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Short but hard tour. It starts quite ok, with a decent ascend. But soon it’ll be very steep. Especially from about the middle station from Parsenn until to the Panoramaweg it’s very hard. Rocky street and probably always more than 20%.

As soon as you get to the Panoramaweg you have about 7.5km of singletrails in front of you. After Schönboden it’ll go down, sometimes very steep as well until you reach some forest tracks to Davos.

Not for beginners.

Distance:   14.8km
Elevation:  813m
Duration:   1h44
Avg. Speed: 8.5km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Short but challenging trip! It’s going up quite steep (sometimes even too much). Starting with a large road you’ll reach a single trail going up after about 4km. You’ll stay on hiking trails until Marguns. The major part downhill is (unfortunately) on forest tracks.

Btw: Just before you start going up, there is a bike park on the left side, which looks quite difficult…

Distance:   18.2km
Elevation:  603m
Duration:   1h19
Avg. Speed: 14.9km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Did a short evening track today and tried a downhill trail I already knew (the one just north of “Leimbach” in the map, going down from Üetliberg).
I tried to run that trail going up. But at some places it was just too steep. At that time I thought “Wow, who the f*** cycles this path down?!?”. Today I did it and it was very fun!

BTW: It’s already getting dark very early nowadays Aaargh.

Distance:   28.5km
Elevation:  1372m
Duration:   3h14
Avg. Speed: 8.8km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Short but very hard and steep trip! There are always some nice single trails around, but be aware of the bumpy roads going up
Until Strelapass the track is cyclable. Going to the Weissfluhjoch it gets harder and even steeper. So you might need to walk some parts (I did about 20min walk I think).
Soon after Weissfluhjoch it’s going down on a singletrail, which is quite rocky. You might be better off using a fully

The downhill in direction to Wolfgang is not as nice as I thought. The first part is a walking tail which is very bumpy and steep, which means you need to walk again and again. Soon you’ll get on an unpaved road (no trail unfortunately) almost until Davos.

Distance:   36.1km
Elevation:  1106m
Duration:   3h19
Avg. Speed: 12.9km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

Last weekend Adrian and me went on a tour around Davos. We chose the path by using a Bikemap for Davos. There is a short part on the map, which says you should cycle that part in the opposite direction on the map. We ignored it. It was very steep (> 20%) for about 3km on an unpaved road! But it was doable and worth it.
There are great singletrails on the trip (about 30% of the whole track).

You could probably stay a little longer on the singletrail in the Sertigtal and drive to Sertig Dörfli instead of going down on a very steep bumpy unpaved road.
At the end you can fly down a paved road in order to try to get a new speed record.

Fantastic. I really loved this trail and can recommend it.
Be aware of the 3km very steep part just after Monstein though. The singletrails are all cyclable with a difficulty of 3.5 (max 5).

Distance:   61.5km
Elevation:  486m
Duration:   2h11
Avg. Speed: 28.0km/h
Details:    gpsies, trainingstagebuch
TCX file:   TCX file (including elevation alerts)

I’m working in Lucerne once in a while. So to keep more or less on track with my training I cycle one way and the other way goes by train. Even if it’s a little mess to take the sbb with a cycle on the rush hour I have the advantage to be faster at the company from the railway station.

I’m still trying to find out the best way keeping the elevation low. Seems to be not that simple, as there are some bottlenecks regarding the road system.

Besides some parts on large roads, this proposed route seems to be an option. The cycling path (thank you veloland) around Meggen and the cycling road between Risch and Cham are fantastic!

The dark sides: The outgoing road from Lucerne as well as the surroundings in Bar/Zug are messy and noisy. The sihltal can be quite cool (even in temperature mode) if there is not too much traffic. You can just cycle as speedy gonzalez there

I’ll probably tweak this track on some smaller part, but generally seen I could live with that one even if it takes some 10min more than the first one!

Unfortunately there are some working areas: Just before Meggen and in Fänn. Be sure to follow the orange signs “Risch” even if you are on the road “Zug/Zürich” (Usability?!?) or you’ll end in a (temporary) one way road!