Further lessons from the road
As some of you are aware I am one of a growing number of MAMILs (middle aged men in lycra).
The cycling bug got me in my early twenties and has not let go ever since. There was a time when wearing spandex and shaving your legs really set you apart as an Aussie bloke but now it seems to be all the rage. Cycling is the new golf as they say and from what I can see I think there’s some truth to that slogan.
Needless to say when an opportunity to spend two weeks in Europe riding some of the famous Tour de France routes came up I simply could not pass on the opportunity. So it is that I write this month from a variety of locations across Switzerland, Italy and France. Being a keen cyclist I have long wanted to ride those mythical climbs that we see each year when the tour comes around. Turns out they are mythical for a reason, they’re bloody steep!
The trip organised some months back by a mate of mine from Noosa has a group of 11 of us travelling by bus and trailer between various locations staying at a variety of B&B and hotel accommodation. Not only a great cycling adventure but also a chance to see how the other half operate from an accommodation industry perspective.
First stop Leysin in the Swiss Alps where we stayed in a ski lodge run pretty much as a very large B&B. Shared bathrooms and kitchen, communal breakfast area and a combination of single and multi-shared rooms and dorms. The furniture and fit-out are a mish mash of styles and designs and the building has seen better days. However, the welcome we receive from Helen and Michel is outstanding and we are made to feel like family. Michel hails from Lausanne while Helen is from Chicago. Talk about the odd couple but it seems to work. I suspect Michel has the patience of a saint as he never seems flustered.
For me very much a lesson in the personalities and attitudes of the accommodation operator serving to overcome what could be a very Faulty Towers business model. Great moteliers and resident managers already understand that regardless of the product the personalities have to work.
And so after a few days off to Zernez near the Swiss Italian border. We are here to ride the Stelvio Pass which at 2757m and 48 hairpin bends over a near 30km climb is the highest sealed road in Europe. Extremely hot at the bottom and snow at the top. We all make it and agree that this is one of the toughest days any of us have ever spent on a bike. In fact we end up so wrecked that we have to send our strongest rider back to the hotel to collect the bus and come back for us in a little village 30km from our lodgings. Thanks Duncan!
The accommodation in Zernez is more hotel than B&B although meals are all shared in a dining room and restaurant. The business is clearly family owned and the management and staff provide a genuinely helpful and friendly service. Given the language differences it is not always easy to communicate and it is here that we really see people making an effort to ensure that our needs are met. It is clear that accommodation providers in the region understand their clientele and have built businesses that make foreigners feel at home. Again, this will come as no surprise to effective accommodation managers in Oz.
We leave Zernez and travel 10 hours to Les Deux Alpes in France. The ski village is the second oldest in France and lies within the same region as Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. The town is 1650m above sea level with ski lifts to 3600m. The area is ski and bike heaven with a mix of snow boarders, skiers, mountain and road bikers and hikers in evidence.
Within 20km of the town lies the most famous climb in cycle racing, the Alpe d’Huez is 13.8km over 21 switchback bends and rising 1860m to the finish. Bike riders come from all over the world to ride this climb and on the day we make our assent there are thousands of fellow road warriors having a crack. The town at the base of the climb has got the whole show worked out and is basically an historical tourist trap for bike tragics. The whole experience is nothing short of sensational and you can watch it for yourselves when stage 18 of this year’s Tour de France follows the same route.
The accommodation at Les Deux Alpes is part B&B and part hotel. The property has been set up to cater for cyclists and skiers with secure, easy access storage and staff who understand their clients. Vincent, the manager, ensures we all have cycling maps at our first evening meal together and proves to be a great, if typical, French host. All questions are answered with “Of course!” and we are instructed to unpack our bags quietly. Vincent has learned the art of giving firm instructions and outlining the rules without offending anyone or coming over as aggressive. He presents as the consummate accommodation manager, confident in his product and understanding of his client base. I wonder how many resident managers and moteliers are as equally knowledgeable.
And so, back to Leysin for a few days with Michel and Helen before the flights home. It’s the most basic of the accommodation we have stayed in and yet I feel the most comfortable here. To no great surprise this feels the most homely and the owners are very relaxed and happy to see us.
I am a long way from home and yet my hosts have created an accommodation experience that works for me. To quote a famous line from an icon of Australian cinema… it’s the vibe!
A special thanks to Paul Fuge of Boutique Cycle Tours for arranging the trip and coming along as driver, logistics manager and group captain.
AccomNews is not affiliated with any government agency, body or political party. We are an independently owned, family-operated magazine.
