Today was a day for mountain biking. Steve and Andy got some expensive downhill bikes while Duncan and I were on more modest beasts. The weather was warm and very humid and the bike up the valley turned into quite a slog. Half way up we threw in towel and jumped on the cable car at a mid-station - convenience winning out over the depressing feeling that the cost was virtually the same from the valley floor and we had wasted our efforts pedaling. This was soon forgotten with great views from the top and then some good fun riding down. Andy and Steve were definitely setting the pace leaving Duncan and I to try and keep up. We had a few punctures and found out that the spare inner tubes they had given us were in fact the wrong size but we had some patches to keep us going. We stopped for lunch in a hut where we had rosti, eggs and bacon - a winning combination for lunch we were finding. The rest of the afternoon literally passed in a blur as we dropped back down into Zermatt with big smiles and slightly less cartilage in our elbows than we had started the day. In the evening we headed out for beer, pool and table football and I'm pleased to report that the Steve and Colin team felt they won all three competitions by the close of play.
Day twelve - Haute route |
12Aug 2008