About the Trip

The whole adventure began when Nick suggested that he wanted to cycle to the alps for the Warwick Mountains trip. He had attempted the trip before with his sister but she had to pull out before they got all the way so this was a chance to try again. Before long Matt and Arran decided it would be a great challenge so provisionally agreed to join Nick. It wasn't until after Matt had done a few practice rides and realised how 'easy' it would be that things started to get organised. Over about a week we went from rough plan to having ferry and train tickets booked.

Who are we?

• Nick: A postgrad student at the University of Warwick, doing a PhD in Computer Science. Loves the outdoors and often goes on long distance walks/cycles and camps or bivies in wild places. Doesn't like to follow others so trys to be independent and different as well as protecting the environment. Not hugely outgoing but enjoys the company of a few friends on something like this trip.
• Matt: Doing a Maths and Physics degree at the University of Warwick. Is a keen cyclist, especially mountain biking but also on the road. Enthusiastic about anything adventurous or crazy, may as well make the most of life. Keen to have stories to tell and plans for future epic trips. Very confident and seeks to experience new things all the time.
• Arran: Studying Maths at the university. Not much of a cyclist but is up for doing epic trips such as walking stupid distances through snow covered bog in the Cairngorms. A bit of a machine in comparison to the rest of us, he can keep going seemingly forever at a pace we can but hope to achieve. Often likes to go off on his own to explore the area and perhaps do a little painting. Great company and makes everything seem less serious.

The Plan

We didn't have time to cycle all the way to the alps as well due to exams and Nick had a mountaineering course to attend. This gave us a bit under a week to get there. For this reason we took a train from Paris to Geneve to save time. From Geneve we would cycle to the campsite in Arolla. At this point the plan was vague since we didn't know how long we would stay in Arolla, but we did have a return ferry booked so 2 weeks was the maximum. There was no route plan but before we left Arolla we had looked at the maps to determine which places to pass through. More detailed routes were discussed the night before in a tent or even on the day sometimes.

Experience

Only Nick had any touring experience before we decided on this trip. He had cycled part way to the alps previously and often cycled the 250+ miles from university to his home in Devon carrying all his stuff. Matt went on several multi-day practice rides over easter and during the summer term. All three of us went on a two day trip to Oxford and back a few weeks before we left just to check our kit and get fit. This helped confirm Arrans desparate need for a better bike.

It might amaze you but you don't have to be super fit to do this kind of trip. The only training I (Nick) had was cycling to and from university every weekday. This is enough. Actually a long distance trip is easier because after 30 minutes of cycling you warm up and can go all day. Anyone who cycles four or more miles a few times a week with some small hills is probably fit enough.