Although the weather forecast was not so good, I tried a tour in the Alps. I came through the 1st pass, but at the 2nd pass heavy rain started.
The First Pass was the Pragel Pass
The Start for the Pragel Pass is in Riedern (Glarus) at 511 m over sealevel. As you can see in the graphic below there is a steep part (red) right at the beginning. As the top is 1550 m you have a gradient of 1039 m with 4.9 % average climb. In Salite.ch the online archive of all the European passes the difficulty of this pass is a high 103.64. For the 21,3 km it took me 1:26 min.
The downhill from “Pragel” belongs with parts of 18% to the toughest in the Swiss Alps; not the best down-hill racer, I had at the end cramps in both hands and was happy after 26 min to be down.
But then came with “Ibergeregg” my 2nd pass. The start is in Rickenbach at 586 m and the top at 1406 m. For the 820 m gradient I needed 1 hour 10 min. Comparing the 1 hour 26 min for the 21 km at Pragel to the 1 hour 10 min for the 9.7 km at the Ibergeregg is really slow. But although tired, the Ibergeregg is with 8.5 % climb also marked a little tougher (105.69) than the Pragel 103.64.
But I made it!
Later there was thunder and lightning. And I had to cross over 50 waters that were flowing from the green on the streets. At the last river, a sharp stone punctured my tire. With a flat tire I had after 90 km and 2700 m climbing to change to a train for the last 10 km downhill. With the still heavy rain, I didn't mind at all!!
Distance: 91 km Time 5:14 Average Speed 17.4 km Gradient: 2693 m Average climb: 6% Pulse: average 130; max: 165; calories 3685. Weather: Max 20 C; cloudy, min. 14, heavy rain (last 1:30 hour)
TIPP: BUTTERFLY lightweigt-rainjacket (120 g, made from 3M Propore (Propylen) keeps your upper-body dry, when the rest is soacked. CHF 78.- www.veloplus.ch
