So Long Zernez

Day: 366
Zernez to Visp
Time: Most of the day
Avg Speed: 80 kph


Even though our stay in Zernez was unplanned and under some less than ideal conditions, we were sad to get on our train this morning. We got up early and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel’s salon. The coffee we got for breakfast is probably some of the best coffee I have had anywhere. We always got the stink eye when we asked for another pot, but the little lady would whip out another one for us and smile when she brought it to our table. I guess we are just likeable.
We got on the train around 10 this morning and had a quick 10 minute ride to our first change. We made a change to a train that took us through a tunnel for 45 minutes before dropping us off. That was our escape route from the little valley we enjoyed so much. The next leg brought us into Zurich where we frantically searched the platform for the bicycle car, only to find it with a minute or two before departure. This last leg brought us into Visp and the Rhone River Valley. Here we should be able to get some kilometers in on some flat ground while the rest of my wounds heal up. I did miss a couple of equipment failures that didn’t materialize until the bikes were loaded. I now have a pannier that is duct taped up. I will need to do some more permanent repairs as soon as I can.
Not much else to report on from Switzerland. Just high mountains, nice people, good cheese and yummy pastries (and oh my are they yummy!!).
CK

Worst Case Scenario

Day: 363
Zernez
N 46° 42', E 10° 5' 60

Even though what happened was one of the worst things that could happen; the resulting generosity, and circumstance are some of the best things that could happen.

Let me back up and tell you about the worst part. Yesterday Leslie and I had been going along pretty good climbing some steep roads. We had one pass under our belt and had just finished another smaller point. We were descending into the valley of Zernez and were in the mix with some cars. The road was under construction in spots and traffic control had squeezed it down to one lane, so we would group in with cars, ride to the next section, wait for the oncoming to pass and then proceed. At the second stop area Leslie and I became separated by a few vehicles. I think I must have been in a wide spot ahead of her, and a couple squeezed in front of her. We entered a gallery (a tunnel with one side open to the valley) at a pretty good clip. I had just rounded a blind corner when BOOM!! My front tube exploded and blew my tire completely off the rim. That is possibly one of the nastiest things that can happen to a person on a bike. Front flats, especially blow outs like the one I had, don’t allow for any control of the bike. My rim, void of a tire now, hit the asphalt and squirted out to my left. That threw me down on my right side where I impacted with my right knee and right hand. From there the bike skidded on its right side wearing holes in panniers, wearing metal off the front rim, and somehow putting a dent in the top tube on the left side (I can’t figure that one out). I, meanwhile, bounced off of my right hand and knee and slid on my left hip and elbow before rolling to my back and sliding a bit more. When I stopped sliding I was quite a ways from the bike. The traffic we were riding in all came to an immediate stop and before I made it to the curb trying to get out of the way there were bystanders stopping traffic, helping me, getting my bike out of the way and talking with Leslie about what to do. Needless to say I was a little shaken up and after a couple of minutes in some pretty good pain. I figure I was doing 40-45 kmh (25-30 mph). An ex-pro cyclist named Jonathan Vaughters equates crashing on a bicycle to ‘stripping down to your underwear and jumping out of a car doing 50 mph’. That about sums it up. I was lucky because it was pretty cold on the descent so I had put on an extra fleece shirt, my rain gear, and some long finger gloves. My only injuries are strawberry burns on my left hip, left elbow, and right knee; as well as bruised right palm, torn up thumb, bruised left arm and bruised ego. My helmet survived intact and there were no scrapes on it so I am pretty sure that I didn’t hit my head, although Leslie would argue that one.
The town of Zernez is pretty small and when the helpful bystanders got us down they took us to the train station. There more people appeared and our bikes were taken to a nearby hotel and put in the garage and Leslie and I were taken to the doctor. Just to show you how small of a town it is; the guy who drove us down and took us to the doctor is the math teacher for the doctor’s children at the local school. The doctor gave me the skeletal once over, cleaned and dressed my wounds and gave me some pain medication. I asked her where the pharmacy was, and she smiled and said that she was the pharmacy and made us a little package of extra bandages. She said she would just mail us a bill and not to worry about getting it to her until we got home in November. She showed us out of her office/home and we walked a couple of blocks to the hotel where our bikes were. Our cup runeth over with the good luck we had with the relatively minor damage from the crash and all the help and guidance we received following it. We now are staying here for a couple of days, resting and recuperating. Even though the town doesn’t have a pharmacy they do have a bike shop ran by an Irishman. I took my wheel over to have it rebuilt with a new rim and it should be ready by Wednesday. The bike shop owner is a whole other story in itself. I now have to patch my rain gear and panniers, as well find some new gloves before heading off. I think we will be taking a train to the flatter parts of Switzerland (flatter being relative) where I can get back into the groove a bit. Meanwhile, Leslie gets to play nurse and help me with my dressings and we get to hang out on our deck taking in the breathtaking scenery.
Licking my wounds in one of the most beautiful valleys around.
CK

It Happened in the Gallery

Day 362
Mustair to Zernez
Time: 4:29:00
Distance: 47.3 km
Avg Speed: 10.5 kph
Terrain: Alpine
Location: N 46° 42', E 10° 5' 60

If you ride a bicycle long enough you will crash. If you are Chris Kehmeier you will crash at least once a year.

It’s been almost two years since his last big crash. It involved a teeter-totter and some have you have probably seen the video. At the time it was a little bit scary and very funny. Unfortunately, today was not one bit funny. Fortunately, Chris is just fine. He has a bruised kneecap and some minor road rash.
And here’s the rest of the story…
After a very clear night we found frost on the grass this morning. The temperature read 34 degrees (farenheight) and we took our time getting out of our sleeping bags. After two mugs of warm liquids we were finally on the road around 10am. The route for the day would take us over two passes, one big and one not so big. The views all around us kept our minds off the slow speed we were traveling. I think Switzerland equals granny gear. The map we procured is detailed enough that it shows the percent grade of the passes in either direction. Today we started with a 10%, hoping to graduate to a 12% tomorrow. Our cadence was steady but slow and we made the pass right around 1pm. We decided to celebrate with hot dogs, french fries, and coffee. The views were spectacular and the hot food warmed us up.
For the descent we donned most of our warm clothes and glided down the other side of the Ofenpass. Ten kilometers flew by and we were soon pedaling up the second climb. At the summit we stopped to put on more layers again. We chatted about our plan for the day and then headed down. The next town was about seven kilometers away and a potential stopping point for the day. A few minutes down the road we had to navigate some construction zones with a small group of cars. Drivers are very courteous to cyclists here so everyone gave us a good amount of space.
As we passed through the last work zone Chris got ahead of me a bit. After the BOB Trailer incident I’ve always gone slower on descents. I rounded a corner to find a tunnel in front of me and thought “Chris probably won’t like this”. In the next second, I saw a group of cars stop suddenly and my first thought was that Chris went down. Sure enough, his bike was laying in the road. I didn’t see him at first, but as I continued I saw him run out to get his bike and drag it towards the shoulder. As I quickly got my bike out of the way, three people rushed up to us. I looked over at Chris trying to pull his bike and saw that the front wheel looked mangled. As people were asking him if we was ok, he was trying to explain to me that his front tire blew and it caused him to wreck. Luckily, some really nice people were there to help. The group in the second car behind Chris saw the entire scene unfold before them. They stopped and routed traffic around us while we figured out what to do. They then whisked our bikes into a van and shuttled us down to Zernez. They got us a room, took care of our bikes, and drove us to the doctor on call. We are so very thankful for their concern, kindness and generosity.
So, we’ll be in Zernez for a few nights. We’re pretty sure the bruises and swelling will be uncomfortable tomorrow – maybe even for a couple of days. We’ll take it slow from here and not worry about getting up that 12% grade tomorrow.
And the bike? The top tube has a dent and the front wheel is trashed. The dent is probably not an issue but I think we’ll be in the market for another new rim.

Thankful that Chris is ok,
LK

PS – we learned that it wasn’t a tunnel, it was a gallery. It was open on one side.