Davos Wolfgang

“Share the road” takes on a different tone here. We figured it was best to yield to farm equipment,

though we passed a carriage drawn by four horses (with care).

With a long day ahead, I could have used an earlier start. We would leave Austria, biking some 53 miles from Feldkirch, Austria to Davos, Switzerland. Our hotel awaited at the top of a climb at Davos Wolfgang.

How much of a climb? Mapping websites tend to be generous when estimating elevation gain, but two of them suggested 5,500 feet. (You get the picture: not flat.)

Except that the route was mostly flat for the first 19 miles, and I was counting on making good time there to compensate for my pathetic uphill pace. But the best laid plans ...

Our slow group left a bit later than the rest (not an auspicious start). Our co-host was leading us today on her electric bike, but she was not planning to ride the entire distance. This made for an uncomfortable mismatch in goals. Instead of zipping along the flats, the group was riding at the leisurely conversational pace of 10 mph. Another rider and I took turns at the front in an effort to pick up the pace, but we were repeatedly thwarted by the electric bike, which kept throwing off its chain.

Our route essentially traversed the length of Liechtenstein, from north to south. We crossed the border twice: first on the Alte Rheinbrücke, which spans the Rhein at Vaduz. We had a rest break at a gas station near a winery set on a hillside, with a building that looked like a castle.

Around mile 19, as expected, the road kicked up for two miles at an average grade of more than 7%. When I saw Sagan painted on the pavement, it confirmed what my legs were telling me: some sections were steeper.

We passed through the region of Maienfeld—Heidi country. Having just re-read the story, I couldn't help but picture her running through the rolling fields of wildflowers, surrounded by goats. Instead of flying down the other side of the hill, I shadowed our leader into a local park to refill my water bottles at the “Heidi Fountain.”

At 1:30 p.m., we were a little more than halfway to Davos. It had taken us 5.5 hours to travel the first 32 miles (with 1,860 feet of climbing), including two hours' worth of stopping.

Time for a reality check: I looked at the route profile. I did the math. The rest of the route would be uphill for close to 24 miles, climbing 3500 feet or more—supposedly with some steep sections. Even if I averaged 6 mph, I would need 4 hours. More likely, my average pace would be slower.

I would have to abandon the first real climb of our tour.

Rather than taking the train, our host fit three of us into the car (with our bikes in the trailer) for the trip to the top; the others would continue by bike. With much sadness, I watched the scenery pass by the car windows.

When they finally arrived, we learned that the guys had a bit of an adventure. They did their best to follow the route, but lacking a GPS and an appreciation for the difference between the icons for mountain bike and road bike routes, they ended up on a steep dirt path—and ultimately watched the scenery pass by the windows of a train car.