Our tour through Canton Bern on the Goroc4
My name is Timon Bachmann, I am 20 years old, and I live in Nyon. I have been an enthusiastic cyclist since I was a child and was fortunate enough to be able to ride across the whole of Switzerland from east to west in several legs with my parents. I have also cycled over the Grimsel, Furka and Gotthard passes with a friend. These experiences allowed me to discover Swiss landscapes I didn't know and to develop my photographic creativity.
Given the current situation, a friend and I decided to spend five days riding through the Bernese region – over the Napf mountain, through Grindelwald, and to the Swiss capital – on the Goroc4.
Our five-day excursion started on Friday, 22 May 2020. This time of year is particularly suitable as the warm weather provides the ideal conditions for a trip of this kind and for our sport.
From Huttwil we headed off towards Lüderenalp. These were our first kilometres on an e-bike and we were instantly impressed. However, our lack of e-bike experience played an unkind trick on us. Our daily leg to the Napf mountain actually took longer than planned.
As it was starting to get dark and we still hadn't found anywhere to sleep, our only option was to sleep by a river that we had already used as a replacement shower on the first day.
Luckily, we met helpful people the next morning who said we could charge our batteries in their shop. We encountered friendliness of this kind throughout our tour, with numerous people allowing us to “fill up” our e-bikes in their homes.
Our plan for the second day was to ride down the Napf, through the Emmental valley and to the youth hostel in Leissigen. The landscape was incredible, with the Bernese Alps rising up before us with their impressive peaks, including the Eiger and Jungfrau.
The journey went smoothly until we got to Thun, but then a storm started and we found ourselves facing a dilemma. Should we ride the last 20 kilometres in the rain or wait until the storm had passed? We went for the first option, but halfway there, we were faced with another problem when our battery ran out. So we had to ride half of the distance without a battery in the pouring rain. We were, however, able to see the funny side as we both believe that mishaps like that make a tour of this kind unforgettable.
The third and most exciting day took us to the Grosse Scheidegg pass. The view of the gigantic rock face of the Wetterhorn mountain literally swept us off our feet. During the ascent, I stopped several times to enjoy the breathtaking view and take photos. The great thing about the Grosse Scheidegg pass is that it is closed to traffic. Riding down to Meiringen is pure joy and, thanks to the excellent road position of the Goroc4, I was consistently able to ride as fast as required without worrying about slipping. The day's leg ended with a delicious risotto in the youth hostel in Brienz and a dip in the lake.
The last two days were a little calmer as we rode along Lake Brienz and Lake Thun to the end of our tour in Bern. These two days also allowed us to discover the fun factor of ‘high’ mode, which provides great riding enjoyment but also uses a lot of battery power.
