The magic Alps, through the wizardry of the E-Bike

Story and photos by Paul Hughes USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

The Swiss Alps provide a wild and thrilling playground for adrenaline filled adventure in both winter and summer. After the skiers hang up their mittens, fields of flowers and rolling green hills beneath the snow capped mountains provide a breathtaking backdrop for cycling enthusiasts.

Ski resorts in Switzerland have found new ways to continue making money after the snow melts by turning ski runs into downhill mountain bike courses, and their access roads into electric bike tour routes during the warmer months.

The beautiful area of Flims/Laax in Switzerland is a 3.5 hour drive south of Stuttgart, and is packed with adventures.

Author Paul Hughes takes a break for a photo on the 1,000ft ascent from Valendas Sagogn railway station back to the village of Laax.

CYCLING

If you are more of an explorer than a thrill seeker, and you prefer a little help with your exercise, electric biking may be for you.

There are several perfectly planned e-bike specific trails in the area to allow you to get the most out of your bike. They take you to the very top of the mountains and back within the capacity of your battery.

There is something uniquely freeing and exhilarating about being pushed up a sheer mountain by electric magic. An e-bike gives you the freedom to choose your adventure based on where you want to go and not where your legs can take you. You cover the miles faster, with less effort, but the beauty and reward of reaching the top of a mountain are just the same.

If you are craving the white knuckle thrills of downhill riding, then you can take the same ski lifts that ferried skiers to the peaks in winter to the top of several technical trails carved into the mountains. These trails descend against the backdrop of some of the finest mountain biking views in the world.

The view from the top – after a 3,000ft climb on an e-bike, the view is your reward. Located on the climb towards Alp Dadens.

Trails such as the Never-End-Trail, a 4.5-mile run with jumps, drops and twists are best attempted by those with moderate experience of downhill riding. The Runca Trail is more suitable for beginner mountain bikers with more moderate experience.

Do note that when they say it is a beginner level trail, the skill required indicates that they mean beginner on downhill trails, as opposed to a beginner mountain biker.

THE SWISS “GRAND CANYON”

A perfect Swiss adventure should combine riding and hiking, and a trip to the “Swiss Grand Canyon” or Rheinschlucht, does just that.

Start your day by descending the few miles from the Flims/Laax area to the Valendas Sagogn railway station at the bottom of the canyon. Lock your bike is up and head on foot toward Reichenau.

This easy hiking path cuts along the river through an incredible gorge with sheer cliffs. The beaches along the river make for a perfect spot for a picnic or a BBQ. The tourism office even supplies chopped wood at permanent fire pits along the way!

Upon arriving at the Versam Safien train station after three miles or so, hop aboard the train and ride the railway back along the route you just explored for another unique viewpoint.

Then, if you’ve had enough walking, simply get off at the station and collect your bikes. However, if you want to go on, keep traveling on the train to Llanz, where you can pause for lunch before hiking back along the river to collect your bikes. This will add another ten miles to your journey.

Whatever hike you prefer, preserve some strength, because the climb from the floor of the canyon back to Laax is around 1,000ft.

The Rhine gorge between Reichenau and Ilanz. You can also ride this route by train.

Although your e-bike motor will enable you to make quick work of the hills, make no mistake, it’s not a free ride – you’ll be earning your dinner.

Your wallet is also something that will undergo its own workout. Switzerland is not a cheap vacation. Accommodation, food and gas are all very expensive compared to Germany or Austria. For example, a basic lunch out for your family could cost around 100 Euros ($122.) Fortunately, this makes the hike back to your bike a bit easier now that your wallet is lighter.

ACCOMODATION

In terms of where to stay, you have countless choices in the region, from hotels to campsites. In most hotels, there are facilities where you can enjoy a sauna or swim in the spa to relax your aching muscles.

If you’re taking your own bikes (e-bike or not) many hotels provide safe storage, charge points and bike wash stations. If you want to rent bikes, it will cost around 60 euro ($75) a day and include a helmet. Riders must be 16 or over.

If electric biking is something you’ve been dying to try, or something you already love doing, then consider visiting the Swiss Alps this summer. Everything you need to know about accommodation, rental and riding can be found at www.flimslaax.com.

Before booking any travel, check your unit’s travel policy as well as COVID-19 restrictions on entering Switzerland and returning to Germany. For details on Swiss tourism, visit (www.myswitzerland.com) and check out RKI.de for the latest information on returning to Germany.

Additional Tips

Try before buying: Want to try biking without committing to buying one? You can rent bikes from Family & MWR for a local day out cycling in Stuttgart.

Bike commuting: Stuttgart is a bike-friendly city and commuting between Patch, Panzer and Kelley can take as little as 30 minutes by bike, escaping the lengthy roadworks currently afflicting our area.