Ever biked a road that you frequently drive? Yes, you have, and on one of those rides, the first time, in a totally nondescript stretch, you grunted, “Where did this soul-sucking hill come from?”
Nothing connects you to topography like a bicycle. You steer your car over a substantial hill without registering it. On foot, you might take note but maybe not, because you adjust naturally by slowing down and changing your stride. But on a bike, the rise is instantly noticed in the quads, the lungs, the arms as you grip the handlebars a little tighter. You start shifting down. And down. You pedal frantically because if you don’t keep that minimum speed, you do the classic Benny Hill sideways tip. And because you’re putting all your leg pressure down, on the pedal, it’s too late to twist out of the clip. Boom.
So that is why pedaling in the mountains can seem unappealing. And if you are a purist, and not a masochist, it will always be thus. However, if you are not averse to a little help, you can tame mountains. Take Switzerland, where (says the New York Times) you can rent an electric bike to travel across the country’s 5,600-mile network of trails. Looking at a daunting alpine ascent? Engage the bike’s 250-watt motor, and it will amplify the power of each pedal stroke by 150 percent. Because this is the Alps, you’ll be using the motor a lot, which is why there are many many places to switch out a depleted battery for free.
Sadly, the Swiss franc is one of the most popular currencies in the world today, so the exchange rate bites, so it isn’t as cheap an e-bike adventure as it might be in another place or another time. It’s probably more expensive than renting a Porsche in Germany and screaming across the border and racing up and down those hills with just the twitch of your foot on the accelerator. But that’s another trip. And do you want it over that quickly? This is Switzerland. It’s summer. You’re on a bike. Make it last.
Photo by Petar Milošević (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons. This isn’t an e-bike. And it’s the Julian Alps, in Slovenia. But this is the kind of view you’re after if you’re biking in the Swiss Alps.
