Our 2013 Cyclotour du Léman guests arrived in Switzerland from the UK, Brazil, Australia and Switzerland with the same aim in mind – get some early season climbing in the legs and 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 of the trip or check out why Outside Magazine rate this as one of the best training camps out there.
Day 1 – Côte des Voëttes & Col des Mosses
- Distance: 30km
- Elevation Gain: +566m
During the transfer from Geneva Airport our riders were able to get a good look at the course of the Cyclotour du Léman sportive which hugs the coast of Lac Léman. Soon we were climbing up into the mountains to our base in Les Diablerets and as ever the chat in the Brevet Team Car disappeared as the team got their first glimpse of the mountains we would be climbing in the coming days.
Here at Brevet we don’t believe in wasting transfer days so we quickly assembled the bikes and headed out for a welcome ride.
Our first climb, the Côte des Voëttes, has a little bit of everything with the gradient varying from easy to difficult, tight hairpins and long straights with amazing views of the mountains.
This challenging climb soon had the group split up with riders climbing at their own pace, motivated by the rain clouds threatening all around!
It was a big surprise for Nilton, our guest from Brazil, on his first cycling trip to the Alps!
After our legs well well tested by the Côte des Voëttes, the gentle gradient to the top of the Col des Mosses was a welcome relief and everyone was thrilled to get a Cat 1 climb under their belts that features regularly in the Word Tour race the Tour de Romandie.
Day 2 – Col du Pillon and Col des Mosses
- Distance: 70km
- Elevation Gain: +1,289m
After successfully avoiding the rain on Day 1 we awoke to the threat of snow! Over the border in Italy the Giro d’Italia schedule was being ravaged by snow.
We set out for the first climb of the day prepared for changing weather conditions and luckily the local weather forecasting was accurate – we escaped with just a few minutes of light snow on the final KM of the Col du Pillon – the first Cat 1 climb of the day.
For more photos check out our Facebook Album
As we descended the Col du Pillon we were greeted by dry roads and fabulous sunshine! Riding in the Alps in spring can be incredibly uplifting – you get the combination of snow on the tops of the peaks and sunshine that tells you that summer is just around the corner.
After working well through the valley and with the mercury rising we hit the Cat 1 Col des Mosses and were rewarded with expansive views:
Day 3 – Lac Léman
- Distance: 70km
- Elevation Gain: +422m
On waking to fresh snow at 1,000m we quickly changed our plan of climbing the Hors Catégorie Col de la Croix (1,778m) and took advantage of the flexibility of our base in the Swiss Alps.
After descending to the lower elevation of Lac Léman we were greeted by sunny riding conditions as we rode a half tour of Lac Léman via the ferry between Evian and Lausanne.
The highlight was sharing one of our favourite local climbs – the Corniche through the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux Vineyards:
Meanwhile over the border in Italy Stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia was cancelled due to heavy snow blocking each of the schedule 5 passes in the Dolomites.
Day 4 – Race Warm Up
- Distance: 35km
- Elevation Gain: +389m
To prepare for the Cyclotour du Léman we had moved down to our hotel in the Lavaux Vineyards to be closer to the start line and today;s agenda was relaxed – a short spin into Lausanne to check out the start/finish area and the Olympic Museum before opening the legs in the vineyards:
The view from the bike wash wasn’t bad! This hotel was used by the Movistar team during the 2013 Tour de Romandie and the mechanics worked from exactly the same spot:
Day 5 – Cyclotour du Léman
- Distance: 180/110km
- Elevation Gain: +890m/+640m
The theme for the week continued as race day arrived – you will need all the layers you brought with you!
In testing conditions all our riders completed the Cyclotour du Léman sportive with rain, hail and bright sunshine all on the menu! Fortunately the weather had cleared up by the time everyone arrived back at the Brevet Club House to celebrate with beers at the pasta party:
The sun shone on the pasta party leaving everyone with an unexpected ending – beers in the sunshine!
Thank You!
A big thank you to all our guests on our Cyclotour du Léman holiday and the local riders who joined us for our Brevet Pro Support package too!
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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