Haute Route Swiss Alps - 3 Day Cycling Event
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2023
- Today we condense 3 days into 20mins to showcase the Haute Route Crans Montana. The Haute Route organisation was immaculate, with some truly spectacular routes. As you will see, the climbs to Vercorin and Glacier de Moiry are jaw dropping !
I went with decent expectations as to my fitness - all was good, but as is often the case, when out on the road, there are small details that make big differences, and during the video I set out my 3 key lessons learned in this beautiful country.
Massive thanks to Scott from @KOMHuntTV and @TheZwifter plus Instagram and TikTok Fame - I hugely appreciate your beautiful films. And deep gratitude to you, Nat, Pierre-Alain and Angela for the support - is there a more spectacular venue than the Glacier de Moiry for a cafe stop come pic-nic? As ever thanks also to Paul Hamblett for the tips, filming and encouragement.
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Thanks ever so much for all of your support! And whoever you are, what ever your do, please remember to LIVE THRIVE AND STAY HEALTHY !
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Phil, to see you here after your injury not long ago is nothing less than an inspiration. Thank you for keeping the videos coming and good luck and good health to you sir!
Thanks ever so much - too too kind 🙏 Was indeed was my 12month anniversary from the crash 😅. And for sure - I’ll keep making the vids - still trying to squeeze them in-between a big work schedule 👍
Cycling Tourism Without Mercy! Loved that!
Cheers Gerben 🙏 - I need to rename the channel ! Racing is still a distant memory 😅
Great to see you back posting the Haute route rides Phil!
Thanks ever so much Larry 🙏 - hoping to be fitter for the next one ! Hope all is good 👍
Ah man lightbulb moment, the pre-cut............... 00:54 fantastic my man, its little nuggets like those that make your channel essential!
My pleasure Rothai 💯. Really please to provide a few useful tips - and ends off makes a BIG difference !!
Thank you very much my dear friend Phillip. The video was great from start to finish. I was very happy to see that you are much stronger than before. Great. Congratulations my friend. Many greetings to my sister Jane. Ride on. See you at Zwift :))) Greetings from London. you are a great friend. #bikeracingwithoutmercy
Hi Atakan - it’s lovely to hear from you ! It was a beautiful trip with a little bit of progress on the fitness for sure 👌 hope all is well for you and your family - stay fit and healthy Sir !
Hah, a wry smile came across my face when I popped up! It was really great to chat over the course of the weekend! I cannot agree more about Haute Route as an event - a fantastic weekend. Also a harrowing insight into how much work is required for the 5- and 7- day events!
I did have a personal reflection, for those (like most of us), who find themselves having to pick and choose about what cycling they can squeeze into otherwise busy lives. I found this event very different to La Marmotte, which uses climbs steeped in cycling history and were so instantaneously recognisable from watching the Tour. For me, that added an indescribable extra something while riding them, and definitely added to the sense of achievement. That contrasted with this event, which before riding it, the climbs were completely unknown to me. While I would definitely do a Haute Route event again, I would perhaps place greater value on an iconic location (e.g. Ventoux). This doesn't detract from Crans-Montana, it has both beautiful scenery and some super tough climbs, which we can now both rejoice in having conquered!
Speaking of 5-day events, I hope you do make it to the Dolomites and bulldoze your way up the Stelvio where there will be no shortage of cycling history nor vertical metres!
P.S. Paul mentioned at one point about the golden rules of descending, but I didn't have the presence of mind to ask what they were while in a haze of lactate. I would be super keen to hear more about this, especially for someone who does the vast majority of his descending on Zwift!
Cheers Michael 🙏 - it was really good to see you again . And I very much agree - the iconic climbs do add an addition dimension and attraction . That said - the Barrage de Moiry and also the climbs for the HR Davos were in the main more beautiful than the French Alps (save the top 1/3 of Galibier on the Marmotte and the top of Glandon - which are on a par ). So my conclusion is that Switzerland is more one for the exploring new territory (and endless steep segments …..🥵) . And agreed - was a real shock for me the impact of 3 year days riding in the mountains at altitude. I’m nowhere near fit enough for the HR Dolomites and have a lot to do over the next 6 weeks. I also got run down after just the 3 days and picked up the chest infection again - so need to figure out how to improve recovery . I hope Nice with the family was good - and see you soon - no doubt on another mountain !
I’ll need to film the descending video with Paul when next in the mountains. Simple - but effective tips !
Nice to see you looking fit and well 😊
Thanks ever so much 🙏 - was really good to take in the pure alpine air ! Hoping to continue to build - including enough fitness to once again ride the Lakes 🤞
Fantastic Phill, thank you.
Thanks ever so much Lee - as always super super generous Sir ! 🙏
Another great video Phil. Top work. (…..and thanks for the Zwift ride on - that just came through whilst watching this!!)
Cheers Rob ! Massively appreciated 🙏 - and my pleasure !
Great video Phill, thoroughly enjoyed that - your overall recovery has really been remarkable. Well done Sir, you were flying out there again 😄 👏👏👏👌👍
Cheers Tommy 🙏 - it’s been a hard slog back over the last 12months - hugely appreciate your motivation💯
Awesome stuff Phil - great film.
Thanks ever so much Fraser 🙏 - that’s hugely appreciated, Sir !
What a great adventure, I’m super jealous. Great performance, great content and great inspiration. Missed you at the Marmotte though. 😉
Thanks ever so much 🙏 - and for sure a beautiful part of the world to cycle. I also loved the Davos region of Switzerland last year. Really hope you enjoyed La Marmotte - the weather looked ideal. I’d love to get back there - once I’m ready for a day of 5000m climbing …… can’t believe there is an extended route now also!!
Great effort Phil amazing footage and content as usual.
That’s very much appreciated, Jeff 🙏- was a long long edit, and really pleased you enjoyed it 💯
Nice one, Phill, chapeau! Our 15 mile bike ride in the mountains definitely put this event into perspective for me!!
Was great to meet up with you all again, we enjoyed being able to cheer you on during the stage too 👏👏👏
Cheers Nat! It was really lovely to see you and Scott again after so long since the last time. And massively appreciated the support on the climb! Looking forward to getting down to the HillClimbs and catching up properly !
Beautiful images, storytelling and edit !
It’s been a pleasure breaking the internet walls to meet Jayne and you in real life, with Paul, Scott & Nat. And more important : congrats for your 50/50 power balance 😉 It looks like your preparation was quite good, with adequate pacing, a good sign at the beginning of the racing season 👍🏻 Bigger cassette next time ?
It was so so lovely to meet you and Angela for the first time Pierre-Alain 💯. And what a place to chat for the first time. And even better location to relax on the Sunday 🤩. A true privilege - and look forward to our next get together . Switzerland does long and unrelenting steep ever so we’ll ! And I definitely needed a 32 on the back - because my fitness is still a bit too low to achieve a nice 85-90rpm at low tempo on the steeper gradients with a 30 on the back . Hoping to build a bit more to the Dolomites ! Hope your new turbo is good 👍
Love your content and commentary as always Phil and it chokes me up to see how far you’ve come since your accident and you appear to get stronger and more confident with each and every video💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾👏🏾👏🏾. I sincerely hope your chest issues resolve quickly 🙏🏾.
Keep up the great work Phil and I look forward to you repeatedly dropping me mercilessly on the climbs one day 😂😂
He has got chest infection?
Cheers Paul - and sorry for the late reply and only just seeing this ! It was a good 3 days for sure - but was my absolute max, so loads to do to get ready for the 5 Day Davos HR. Probably a little too much to have taken on 😅
I was ok for the 3 Day Haute Route, but came down with the chest infection after the iTT, and then couldn’t ride the UCI Gran Fondo in Switzerland. Health has been a little fragile the last 12-14 months . Need to add a little more weight
That was a very enjoyable, 22 minutes of watching Phill. As well as when you had one of your sorry sorry moments and then when Paul said, don’t keep saying sorry you said it again 😂 not been keeping up with your Vids, too late as had a lot going on, but glad I’m back in the fold again. All the best. 👍
Thanks ever so much Nick 🙏 - it’s lovely to hear from you and I hope life is treating you well! Yep - saying sorry too much is one of my little idiosyncrasies - and I thought folk would find it amusing 😅 Really pleased you enjoyed the video - plenty more to come (albeit at a slower pace the last 12months - too much going on aswell )
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy so nice to see that you getting out and about at last. It’s been awhile, but nice to see you are getting on with it again Phill. i’ve been off my bike for six weeks due to an operation and got to start all over again now. Legs just do not seem to want to work but I have been told that would be the case so got to try and get back to where I was, which at the moment it’s bloody hard work but nonetheless we will try. 👍
5:32 what a wall!
It sure was Mick - incredible engineering 🇨🇭. And I can report that whilst their roads are steep they are not as sheer as their dams 🦫 Hope you are good Sir !
Awesome Phill
Thanks ever so much Zaahier 🙏 - making my way back. Wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped post all the training inside pre event. Hope you are well 👍
Proper effort Phil and a great job. Kudos to you !
Cheers Peat 🙏 - that’s super kind of you 👍
Fantastic content as always Phill. Beautiful views, looks like a great event!
Cheers Nick 🙏 - the Glacier du Moiry and climb to Vercorin were sublime 🤩. Managed to get Ill after this and unable to cycle much in the picture perfect Villars Sur Ollon . Hope you continue to recover 💯
As always, some inspiring content. Super motivating to see your recovery and how well you perform whilst juggling the busy work schedule. As a future video it would be great to also hear how your friend Paul approaches his training. Keep up the great work 👍
Thanks ever so much Jasper - that’s really generous of you 🙏. I produced a video in March - 5 Tips to Climb Faster - where Paul provides some incredible and simple tips. His training is quite focussed on Zwift and Zwift racing in the Winter and Spring - with a lot of volume outside as the weather gets good. He is as focussed on the eating (carbohydrate consumption pre during and post ride) as the training - and only really does structured efforts like 4x6mins VO2 Max but low cadence 👍
Hey Phil, I've been binge-watching your cyclotourism videos, and I love their narrative structure and your signature commentary style. Would you consider putting out videos on travel logistics for these trips? How do you pack your bike? When do you decide to rent instead? What do you bring with you regardless? Also, how do you plan to deal with problems during the ride such as flats? Do you carry spare tubes? Rely on organizer support?
Sorry for the delay in my reply Jett. And thanks ever so much for your very kind support. I’ve got a backlog of videos to edit - but your idea is a really good one. If it’s a road event / race I’ll take my own bike in a Bike Box Allen, plus a mid sized portable travel pump, spare tyres x2, lights, and will also put plastic inserts into the disc brakes (stop them jamming) and a little metal tool to realign them if the brakes rub when I build the bike back up. Plus I’ll take a multi tool and chargers for the pedals and group-set plus oil and x3 gas canisters & dispenser in the bike box or a small hand pump (I’ll also put a tracker chip in the bike box) Irrespective of taking my own or hiring I’ll take my Faverro Assioma pedals (plus charger), bike computer (plus charger) helmet, glasses, shoes and the small hand pump. The Assiomas are the best bit of kit I have - enables me to rent or take my own with confidence and consistency. If a specialist event like the gravel Gran Fondo Strade Bianche I’ll hire a specialist bike and tyres. Organiser support can seem expensive but for multi stage events or if specialist bike hire and support on route is needed they are worth it - so yes I’ll pay the extra. Hope this helps
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to describe your travel and contingency plans in detail! This is really helpful.
Your channel introduced me to Gran Fondo events. I had no idea such epic events existed. I've added a bunch of them to my bucket list and they greatly motivate my training.
Great video phill as per, very inspirational! You suffer with such dignity.....what a star! Thank you that was a fantastic watch....chapeau chap!
That’s beyond generous of you y to say so Wayne ! And hugely appreciated and motivating 🙏. I have indeed learned “to suffer to serve! “ 😅
Well done Phil great effort again.
Thanks ever so much Paul 🙏- a beautiful learning experience for sure 💯
I so want to do this Swiss HR edition after doing ventoux and stelvio versions. Brilliant video thank you. And well done on breaking top 50. Looks like you finished with the voranje crew (Matt, Andrew, Paul - Strong riders in my area)
I absolutely adore riding in Switzerland Kione - and also really loved the Haute Route Davos in Sept last year. Really beautiful, lovely people and amazing roads through jaw dropping scenery ! And love you recognised your friends ! I’m sure they would have finished ahead of me over the 3 days 👍
Fantastic riding. You have really come a long way. I’m looking forwards to being able to ride some of these routes as my retirement days are soon to come. Keep up the good work!
Thanks ever so much Chuckey 🙏 - and congratulations on your soon new freedom - I’m sure it will be a life affirming decision 💯 I’d very much recommend Switzerland as a destination - really lovely people, scenery and roads. I also love Italy - Gran Fondo Strade Bianche was my favourite ever cycling event 💯. Enjoy the run in to your new life
Great to see another quality video Phill, and what a place to ride, simply stunning. And fantastic to see the injury seems to be a thing of the past. And Columbian brick 😂😂 Pablo feeding your rides now 😂😂😂. Hope Jayne is well also, take care Phill.
Pablo is indeed providing some Columbian gainzzz , Tony ! Only wish my lungs were as good at altitude as a Colombian ! Thanks as always - and agreed Switzerland is a truly sublime part of the world - and I’m glad the video did it justice 🤩. The injury is past - but the fitness keeps eluding me - I have a few moments when it returns and then it trails off ! All good here - and I hope you and the family are enjoying the sunshine together ! 👍
That was a smooth clip-in for the TT Phil. You've been practicing :)
Great video again. You gotta love Switzerland, the views and the roads are just epic. Too bad it's soo bloody expensive.
Cheers Marco 🙏- one of my better clip ins 🤣. And thanks - for sure a beautiful country to make a pretty video - and certainly more expensive than France, Spain or the U.K. 💯
Great to see you back at 100% Phil and out in such beautiful areas 🎉👏👏
Cheers Paul - that’s really lovely of you to say so ! And plenty more to come - hoping to don’t the Haute Route Dolomites justice 🤞
Ex Supreme Lord of London City Banking World...Phil The Ex Greatness !!!! presently surviving on dry and depressive croissant breakfasts,Ex challenger of all Italian Cycling Monuments and Ex Companion of Davide The Great !!! The Community is happy to see you back !!! did u do the training for the Haute Route on Zwift with the Atom or the Kickr bike ???
🤣Rui - but I must correct you! It is Phill ‘the never great and increasingly in decline ! ‘ And I can also report the pre-packed Swiss Croissants were terrible - almost un-eatable in comparison to the ones enjoyed in France on the way down ….. I shall reunite with Davide once work is calmer - and will be back in the land of style and panache this year for the Haute Route Dolomites ! I did a lot of riding on the Wahoo Kicker on Ventop using my Favero Assiomas as the power source - all with 100% difficulty to break up the rhythm and cadence as the gradient changed. It really helped build the tempo and endurance - but as always the big rides in the big mountains are harder . How’s life for you ?
That was you told off for saying "Sorry" 😉😉😉
Ha ha FTW 🤣!! I was given clear instruction !💯FTT Apology
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy We are never tonold to be told off or learn 😉😉😉 and you are doing fantastic, I'm proud of you 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
“cwasson”? which low fellow stole your r’s? did you find these harder on your legs (musculature) or cardio-vascular system (fitness)? wonderful scenery.
Butchered it didn’t I 🤣 The relentless 8-11% gradients combined with my fitness and power still being a little low, and a 30 Cassette on the back - all lead to a lot of 75-80rpm - and for sure I got more muscle fatigue as a result . The altitude also has an impact for me - living at 1600m and rising in the 500-2300m range does have an impact on perceived effort
Bonsoir Phil. When will you leave London and likely to live in Switzerland ? 😅. There is every year SwissAlpineBrevet one-day-event, 7000 height meters, starting in Andermatt. Enjoy !
🤣 Hubi !! Bonsoir aussi ! One day I’ll be able to live in your Swiss land of milk and honey 🍯 - but until then it’s events like this! And Alpine Brevet looks incredible - but I’d need a looooooot more fitness to do that !! I found 7000m over 3 days tough enough!
I would feel somewhat sorry for you, for the hard work you’ve done on those climbs, but with those views and scenery, no way! What an incredible ride! Thanks for the excellent video!
Thanks ever so much 🙏 - and agreed whether rain or sun Switzerland always provides the most sublime climbs and vistas 💯
Wow this is awesome video and climb 😀 how are the croissants in Switzerland?
I can report that the croissants in Switzerland are good …..but nothing beats one lovingly prepared in La belle France ! Or indeed a fresh baguette and jam ! And as ever I hugely appreciate your very kind support 🙏
@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy 👌 yes light weight French croissants are delicious 😋 in Italy they are big and stuffed with all kinds of creamy sweet fillings 🇮🇹
Don’t know how you can stomach those high5 energy bars got some and they taste like dog food!
Have to say always impresses me how well you climb out the saddle rather jealous haha! Usually seated and grinding for me find it zaps my energy to quickly put the saddle. Great video as always 😀 need to sack off the day job and bring us these videos full time 😅😉
Thanks ever so much Janek 🙏. I’m best out the saddle at a low to mid tempo - it’s a lovely way to practice . It’s certainly more efficient to stay seated - but I find this becomes a bit of a grind - especially when I needed an easier gear . Plenty more vids to come - squeezed in amongst the work schedule 👍
12:35 you are passing Possovivo 😊
Yes - was visually charming 🤩
Pierre Rolland has really let himself go.
90 psi... oldskool.... hope you're feeling better.
There’s no school like …. ! Cheers Richard - and for sure getting better - good weeks and less good - but trending up 🤞. Hope all is positive for you Sir !