Riding the Strada Bianca
Not the Strada Bianca from this year’s Giro, but the one in my neck of the woods. After getting home from work, I felt like heading out on the road bike to explore a mountain road connecting Péry with the Grenchenberg. I knew from the time before I lived in the U.S., that most of it was gravel. I didn’t know in what condition it was nor if it had been paved in the ten years I had been away. Only way to find out was to head out there. And that’s just what I did this evening. Holy cow, did I find a jewel of a ride. The first few kilometers out of Péry were paved and climbed gently. Soon enough though, the road turned into gravel, the typical limestone gravel. The surface was hard-packed and a pleasure to ride. If it’d rain, you’d quickly look like the pros in this year’s Giro, though. The climb on gravel got a bit steeper, but not all that much. I rode it all in the saddle. At the Unterer Bürenberg, I had to stop to get through two cattle gates at a farm and enjoyed a short stretch on pavement again. The narrow road climbs towards the forest, where gravel begins once more. A warning sign indicates that the mountain road is open at your own risk. A couple of switchbacks and I reached the top of today’s ride, the Wäsmeli at 1102 meters. Wow, that was easy! A long, fast and fun descent to Grenchen followed. Down in the city of Grenchen I turned onto the main road heading through Lengnau and Pieterlen into Biel. Having a slight tailwind, I pushed a hard gear and flew over these flat miles. At a total length of 40 kilometers, I have a new after work training loop away from civilization. In fact, between Péry and the Grenchenberg one can be lucky to catch a cell phone signal. I’ll be back on my Strada Bianca.
| Distance: | 39km (25 miles) |
| Total Climb: | 880m (2900 feet) |
| GPS Track: | GPSies • BikeMap |
