Originally Posted by
Schteffaknee
I'm planning to set off on a European bike tour early this September. I'm starting in Holland and hoping to travel through Germany, France and Spain as well as potentially some other countries. The only touring experience I've had is this summer in Snowdonia (Wales) I crossed a couple of mountain passes (on rough tracks) although nothing over 800 meters and nothing that couldn't be managed within one days ride.
I'm wondering if I should avoid the alps entirely as it will be autumn when I get there or if there are any relatively easy passes I could do. Does anyone have an estimation of how long they take to cross - for the average tourer?
Many thanks for any related info!
Steph
My guess is your biggest challenge will be fading light earlier and earlier (losing five minutes a day or so).
But Swiss trains are pretty good, and local trains in France will take bikes, so worse comes to worst you hop a train to a warmer clime. Well, the worst is you freeze to death on some God-forsaken pass, but if you pay attention to the weather, that's unlikely.