Our 2014 Cyclotour du Léman guests flew into Switzerland from Dubai, South Africa, USA and the UK looking forward to getting in some early season climbs in the mountains and before taking on the take part in the Cyclotour du Léman – the first sportive in the Swiss sportive season.
Our Tour Report looks back on a great week from the perspective of our Guides, if you are thinking of joining us on the Cyclotour du Léman holiday then do read this in depth Guest Review or check out why Outside Magazine rate this as one of the best training camps out there.
Day 1 – Côte des Voëttes
- Distance: 25km
- Elevation Gain: +406m
On the first day of all our trips we head out for a shake down ride to check the bikes are working OK and to acclimatise our guests to riding in the mountains. The aim, odd as it may seem is to get the problems out of teh way on the first ride! Well today certainly didn’t disappoint! Three punctures before we left did not bode well and the short weather window we had was first disappearing. With final bike adjustments made we rode out under threatening clouds to climb the Côte des Voëttes, a tough back roads climb on the side of the Diablerets valley.
Just as we neared the top, climbing out of the mist we were hit by sideways snow – just proving that anything can happen in the Alps!
Day 2 – Col du Pillon and Col des Mosses
- Distance: 70km
- Elevation Gain: +1,296m
Thursday promised to be a day of blue skies and white toped mountains and we were treated to a beautiful ride in Spring conditions in the Alps. For riders more used to South Africa and Dubai it couldn’t have been more different! Our first test was the Cat 1 Col du Pillon (1,546m):
It’s always a huge pleasure to help riders climb their first categorised climbs of the season, the sense of achievement, relief and pride is palpable as riders realise their training paid off and they are here in the Alps surpassing their expectations.
The reward was a sweeping descent down into German speaking Saanenland with breathtaking views of typically stunning Swiss countryside. But what goes down must come back up and soon we hit the footslopes of the Col des Mosses(1,445m) , a Cat 1 climb that splintered our group!
Day 2 – Col de la Croix
- Distance: 60km
- Elevation Gain: +1,537m
When you roll out under a perfect blue sky over the Col de la Croix you know it’s going to be a special day:
After a fun 20km decent down into the Rhône valley our team shed their layers at the Team Car pit stop in Aigle, home to the UCI and Château d’Aigle:
Today’s objective was the Hors Categorie Col de la Croix, where our riders relived the moment Nibali attached Chris Froome in the 2014 Tour de Romandie only for Froome to counter attach with a race winning move on this stretch of road:
Chris Froome knows these roads well after spending time in the UCI Development Team in nearby Aigle.
Josh was in similar form as he prepares for taking on La Marmotte this summer:
Brett, never far behind Josh, just couldn’t stop smiling at the views as we climbed higher and higher above the valley floor:
Derek, who lives in snowbound Jackson Hole, was overjoyed to complete the biggest climb of his life – over 4,400ft from valley floor to mountain top:
For Bassem, who lives in pan flat Dubai, this training camp was ideal preparation for the Etape du Tour
Day 4 – Lavaux Vineyards
- Distance: 50km
- Elevation Gain: +634m
To warm up for the Cyclotour du Léman we rode out from our lake level race night base in Lausanne into the Lavaux Vineyards:
People ask why we set up Brevet. It’s really simple. We are motivated by sharing the riding that we love with like minded guests. And it doesn’t get better than this:
Day 5 – Cyclotour du Léman
- Distance: 180/110km
- Elevation Gain: +890m/+640m
After sleeping in our race night hotel just 3km from the start/finish line our riders were ready for an epic day out riding round Lake Geneva:
A big congratulations to all our riders including all the local riders who joined us on race day.
This is a sportive not a race, we had riders doing 180km/110km/70km on road bikes and commuter bikes, but a special mention to Brett and Josh who came 17th/18th overall and were the first non Swiss riders home!
Thanks also to our guides and Soigneur Anna of Massage Me who was a welcome sight for the riders on returning to the Brevet Clubhouse!
Brevet Guest Holiday Reviews
Our cycling holidays are awesome but don’t just take our word for it, check out these in depth reviews from our guests:
Sportive Holidays with Brevet
Join us for a sportive holiday in the Swiss Alps or Italian Dolomites:
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