@PatrickGrehan I for one am fine with lots of hills, like those found in Tuscany, Umbria and the Ardennes. However I once rode up the Col Du Tourmalet and it was absolutely awful. Dreadful beyond description and never to be repeated.

** This was back in 1984 and the lowest gearing possible with my Campagnolo setup was 42x26 which may (or may not) have played a role in how bad that day was.

Can we do one today?

I WANNA GO TO THE TOURMALET.

Mark Taylor said:

Can we do one today?

Anywhere in Europe is probably warmer than NYC today (I am sure someone can prove me wrong. I just know its too cold here)

It’s a high of 6 Celsius/42 Fahrenheit where I’m at. Also misty, so the cold goes deeper. 
Guys, also consider that in September the world road championships are close to where I live. Around an hour by train.maybe less. Worth a visit, plus the riding around there is real pretty. Jura mountains aren’t far away, and Patrick can attest to how nice they are. The Alps are close as well.  And if you simply want to leave the bike behind and go for mountain hike, you wouldn’t be disappointed.  

Want to ride in Europe this summer?

Want to see the tour de France?

I am going to be in Switzerland during the TdF stage that ends in Lausanne (the city where I was born) on July 9th. I would love to have some company to spectate and spend some time riding bikes on the gorgeous country roads. In the past I have done both with @Nathaniel Miller who lives in the area. (I'm emailing you Nathaniel). A few years ago, Jeff Condon, Anthony Ott and I headed to the French and Italian Alps for an awesome trip. Would love to do something similar again.

I can put people up while in Switzerland (I have family there). I may even have a bike bag to lend you. We can enjoy the rolling hills near Lake Geneva or head to some iconic climbs that are a day's drive away as I will have a car. Message me on Slack if you are interested

@PatrickGrehan what days are you going?

For those who are wondering, he's referring to Saturday, July 9, 2022,  Stage Eight, Dole to Lausanne, a mid-mountain stage finishing atop a category three climb.

https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-8

It's the "easier" stage sandwiched between two mountain stages.

Looks like flying into Geneva is much cheaper than flying into Lausanne.  The train ride from Geneva to Lausanne is less than an hour.  

Not that I looked.  

Sadly, I won't be at the TDF this year, because my family is leaving for our annual Croatian summer vacation on the 8th. However, I'll be around beforehand to hang out, and go for rides with my newfound injured middle aged physique. The riding in my Fribourg region is spectacular, and I'd enjoy sharing it without you guys. Depending on how many, I could possibly host a person or two here at my place.
For getting here, taking the flight to Geneva is the way to go. There are no flights to Lausanne that I'm aware of. The direct flight is to Geneva or Zurich. Then you take a short train ride from the airport to Lausanne. It's lovely riding around there as well. Vineyards and mountains and lake Geneva, with the Alps across the way. Patrick, I certainly look forward to seeing you, and I hope others can join! 

Cyclingtips did a tourist board sponsored series of videos, and here’s the one about my region. Most of the roads in the photos and videos are familiar to me, and I know of some even nicer ones. Twisty hilly farm roads between here and Bern are an absolute delight. Then one can tip into the Bernaise Alps for a longer loop. Just the other week I did the route around lake Morat/Murten spoken of in the video. All very nice. Who wants to join me? Do it soon! In a couple years we’re moving to Zagreb. 

I'll be in Switzerland with my family starting from about June 23rd. We haven't booked it yet, but the family is heading back to the US on the 9th or 10th of July. I plan on staying for at least a few days. Maybe more if I have people joining me. 

There are three stages that are reasonably close by: The Planche the Belle Fille climb on Friday July 8th is about 3 hours away. This has become a "new" iconic climb. 

Saturday's stage ends in Lausanne which will have a steep finish - ideal for the likes of Alaphilipe, but also worth green jersey points so maybe it will be a day for Wout: 




The next stage starts close by in Aigle where we an check put the start village before heading towards the finishing climb:



For those who haven't been to Switzerland it is not all Also so there are some gorgeous roads that don't require you to be a mountain goat. Also, the road conditions tend to be immaculate. Even the farm roads are often better than NY roads.

Doing a quick search on Swiss.com, I see that one can get roundtrip seats (with checked bag = bicycle) from 7/7 - 7/14 for $1300...

Sounds amazing Patrick. I would be down ... except I've already planned a trip later in the summer. If anyones going to be near Sancepolcro (Umbria) in Italy in late August HMU