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This humble little card symbolizes great things: one man's ascent to new heights - one
large ride for Ernkind, a very small step for man. This boring looking pass, about 4500 ft.
high, is the highest I've ever been on a bicycle, exceeding my previous high (yesterday) by
1500 ft. It wasn't too difficult, but I wouldn't have wanted it to go on much further (the
delayed effects of sun exposure, heat exhaustion and dehydration are as bad as the climb itself.
I paced it perfectly, riding about 20 miles before lunch, climbing about 1000 ft. Took a nice
lunch, not too long, where I drank a liter of OJ. Climbed the hill, rising about 2000 ft in
4 miles, in about an hour and a half, drinking about a liter of water in the process. Then
sprinted up a little hill to a restaurant (not the one on the postcard) where I downed rapidly,
a mineral water, a beer, and a coffee, making a total of 3 liters in 2 hours. On the way up I got
progressively better views of the valley where I'd eaten lunch, recorded dutifully on film except
for a final shot which I passed up because every time I stopped it became harder to start again.
It was little trouble to just keep pedalling, but when I stopped, the legs would lose their
momentum and start to stiffen up. So I banged off the last third without stopping and was rewarded
by the view of the jagged ridges poking up between two hills as I rounded the last turn.
A curious thing: there was a lot of military activity at the pass. I saw a lot full of trucks
that were parked by a tunnel that just disappeared into a normal looking hill; fighter planes
were frequently heard overhead; there were lots of explosions on the other side - many like gunfire,
some really big; and as I descended I saw a very high face that was covered with strange horizontal
structures, evenly spaced.
The final 20 miles into Bulle were extremely scenic: scattered peaks and beautiful fields.
I took several pictures; everything looks nice after a hard climb.
Ended up in a hotel in Bulle. Finally everyone speaks French and I can make myself understood.
Had great Vasherin Fondue.
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