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Trip report

1. Lake Constance to Lake Geneva, Switzerland
2. The French Alps
3. Mittelland (CH) - Schwarzwald (D)

On a cheap Schönes Wochenend ticket (35 DM for me, 6 DM for my recumbent bike) I took the train from the German/Dutch border to the Bodensee (Lake Constance), situated on the German/Swiss border. From there I crossed Switzerland, following the brand new extensive bicycle network, beautifully sign posted. In the French Alps I witnessed the Tour de France, but had no luck: the riders were on strike. After visiting the beautiful canyons of the Vercors, I climbed a few famous passes like Galibier and Madeleine. Back via Switzerland and the German Black Forest. There I ended my trip and took the train back home in Offenburg.

Route

Statistics

• Total distance cycled: 2400 km
• Average per day: 92 km (excl. rest days)
• Average speed: 18 km/u
• Maximum speed: 77 km/u
• Longest stage: 176 km
• Highest elevation: Col du Galibier, 2646 m.

Links

• Veloland Schweiz - National bicycle network of Switzerland
• Deutsche Bahn - Timetables of German railways
• Recumbent trip in Swiss and French Alps (dutch)
• Cycling in the mountains - Luddo's trip reports
• Lenore en Denis' bicycle trip along the river Rhine
• Patrick Schleppi's bicycle pages of the Alps
• Trento Bike Pages - huge collection of reports about cycling in Europe
• Archivio salite d'Europa - Profiles of famous climbs in Europe

Maps

• Touristische Velokarte Schweiz, Kümmerly + Frey, scale 1:301.000. Overview of the national bikeroutes. Indicated are campgrounds, difficulty of climbs, amount of traffic.
• Rhône-Alpes (F), Michelin, 1:200.000
• Schwarzwald und Bodensee (D), Die General Karte no.21+24, 1:200.000.