In 2013 the Gruyère Cycling Tour date clashed with the Alpenbrevet so we ran a special Tour des Diablerets trip that featured many of the same climbs included in our Gruyère Cycling Tour holiday itinerary.
Our Tour Report looks back on a great week from the perspective of our Guides:
Stage 1 – Lac Hongrin
- Distance: 64km
- Elevation Gain: +1,051m
- Climbs: Côte des Voëttes and Col des Mosses (1,445m)
To kick start our week of riding in and around the Diablerets valley we embarked on a welcome ride to the closed road haven of the Lac Hongrin military zone.
But to enjoy that secret spot you have to first climb the Col des Mosses (1,445m) via the challenging Côte des Voëttes route.
With an appetising evening menu on the minds Brevet team rode with a real sense of purpose and we arrive back into Les Diablerets as the sun was setting on a perfect first day:
Check out more photos in our Stage 1 Facebook Album.
Stage 2 – Col du Pillon and Col des Mosses
- Distance: 70km
- Elevation Gain: 1,289m
- Climbs: Col du Pillon (1,546m) and Col des Mosses (1,445m)
Our guests woke to a stunning day in the Swiss Alps as vivid blue skies greeted us on the first Cat 1 climb of the day the Col du Pillon (1,546m):
The views just kept getting better as we climbed the Col des Mosses, a climb regularly used in the Tour de Romandie:
Members of the Brevet Team celebrating reaching the top of the Col des Mosses:
Check out more photos in our Stage 2 Facebook Album.
Stage 3 – Col de la Croix
- Distance: 62km
- Elevation Gain: +1,717m
- Climbs: Col de la Croix (1,776m)
The hors categorie Col de la Croix (1,776m) was the main objective of Stage 3. For the majority of our guests the 20km climb gaining +1,448m at an average gradient of 5.7% would be the toughest ever test on a bike.
The climb starts in stunning vineyards that cling to the side of the mountain:
With temperatures topping 30C and little wind this was a truly epic ride and for brother and sister Helen and Chris it was a moment to treasure as they bagged their first Alpine Hors Categorie col:
Check out more photos in our Stage 3 Facebook Album.
Stage 4 – Sannenland
- Distance: 65km
- Elevation Gain: +1,212m
- Climbs: Col des Mosses (1,445m) and Col du Pillon (1,546m)
The plan for stage 4 was to climb the Mittleberg – one of the hidden gems of the Swiss Alps and the first climb of the Gruyère Cycling Tour. But with a storm brewing we wore forced to change plans and cut the ride short to beat a late afternoon thunderstorm! The storm on the horizon concentrated the minds and made us focus on descending efficiently:
We made it make to our Diablerets base thanks to the Brevet Team Car pt stop just before the final climb of the day – perfect timing to dive into the wet bags!
Check out more photos in our Stage 4 Facebook Album.
Stage 5 – Lavaux Vineyards
- Distance: 50km
- Elevation Gain: +450m
- Climbs: Balcon de Lavaux (589m)
For our final ride we descended down to lake level to take the opportunity of riding in the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux Vineyards before transferring to the airport. The views from the Balcon de Lavaux were breathtaking:
Check out more photos in our Stage 5 Facebook Album.
Thank You!
A big thank you to all our guests on our Tour des Diabelerets Holiday! If you’d like to ride these roads then check out the Gruyère Cycling Tour itinerary
Brevet Guest Holiday Reviews
Our cycling holidays are awesome but don’t just take our word for it, check out these in depth reviews from our guests:
Sportive Holidays with Brevet
Join us for a sportive holiday in the Swiss Alps or Italian Dolomites:
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