Sophie decides to look away from the CHALLENGE ALPINE COAST TO COAST mountain challenge that lies ahead. We’d do the same! SEVEN SUMMIT SPECIALIn a world first, Sophie Radcliffe cycled through Europe’s seven Alpine countries, pausing to climb each of their highest peaks on the way. In just 32 days her total ascent was equivalent to almost nine times the height of Everest. Here’s Sophie’s exclusive account of her Alpine Coast to Coast 60 OUTDOOR FITNESS JANUARY 2014 JANUARY 2014 OUTDOOR FITNESS 61 All wrapped up CHALLENGE ALPINE COAST TO COAST Soul-destroying against -18 switchbacks made degree summit for exhausting temperatures Sophie gets that ascents ‘on top of the world’ feeling Sophie takes time out to reflect on life The gleeful exhilaration of a high speed descent T’S DAy 31 of my Alpine Coast The Alpine Coast to Coast was a self- Italian or German. I’d think about food, In Austria, when our two-hour gentle hike to the bed by 7pm for a 1:30am start. We ate breakfast to Coast expedition, and I’m devised expedition to climb the highest which snacks I had with me and when I could mountain hut turned into a five-hour epic in the by the light of our headtorches, talking quietly ALPINE COAST cycling downhill from a little mountains in the eight Alpine countries and eat my next one. I’d think about the campsite rain; in Slovenia, when I left our food in the car about what lay ahead. Our first challenge was TO COAST IN village called Grivola to the cycle between them. Starting on the Italian we woke up in that morning, how my legs felt and we had nothing to eat on our climb; or when crossing the Grand Coulouir, notoriously NUMBERS Aosta valley in the Italian Alps. Coast, I cycled through Slovenia, Austria, and whether I felt stronger than the day we were so cold on the summit of Duforspitze in sketchy with dangerous rock fall. It was still dark Despite barely needing to turn the Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, France, before. I saved listening to music for the days Switzerland that my lips turned blue. These by the time we arrived at the Goûter Hut at 4am. pedals, I know it won’t take long Italy and Monaco, taking 32 days. I when I really needed the motivation, the days challenges would rear up in front of us yet I From there it was a snow slog, a full on 32 to cycle the 30km descent from completed the cycling sections on my own, when I felt utterly broken, exhausted and would catch myself smiling. Deep down I loved endurance challenge of digging deep at altitude. days taken (including four Gran Paradiso, the final mountain on this covering an average of 150km per day over devoid of drive. it all. I loved the inescapable fact that it was As we passed by the Vallot Hut, more like an rest days) challenge. Hunched over my handlebars, I many of the most iconic and challenging high One day stands out as being particularly going to hurt and that the only way to the beer at emergency bivvy hut, the sun came up and Ilean into the curve of the road as it twists and mountain passes in the Alps. My husband, challenging. I woke up in Germany feeling the end was to get on with it. I learnt that illuminated the world around us. A moment to carves it’s way down the valley. Every minute Charley, supported me throughout and was like I’d left my joie de vivre on the summit of everything passes with time and that we are all keep forever. We could see the summit from 1,669 of struggle I’d felt on the way up this climb my climbing partner for the mountains. I capable of more than we believe. there, but it would be another two hours and Kilometres cycled from three days ago was worth it for the covered 1,669km by bike, 141km on foot and “It was 18 degrees below The Alpine Coast to Coast was the first time 500 metres of ascent before we arrived there. On Trieste, Italy to Monaco phenomenal feeling of freedom, happiness climbed 45,530 metres of ascent, almost nine that Charley and I lived entirely in the present. the summit at 4,810m, I could feel the raw and power that’s taking over my body right times the height of Mount Everest. freezing with fast winds Those 32 days were bursting at the seams with emotion in everyone around me. A mix of the now. I’m struggling to take in all the emotions Adventure used to be something I did once and weather closing in” life. All the rivers we bathed in, roads cycled, immense feeling of achievement with anxiety 141 and realise tears are streaming down my face. a year, grew to something I did once every mountains climbed, Alpine sunsets and sunrises about the descent. It was 18 degrees below Kilometres on foot It could be the rush of the wind making my few months and is now something I aim for in Zugspitze, the country’s highest peak. Faced that stopped us dead in our tracks, campsites, freezing, with fast winds and we could see the eyes water, or perhaps it’s the fact that my everyday life. Driven by the desire to explore with a 230km cycle from Garmisch, across dinners cooked in the open air, beers drunk in weather closing in thick and fast. From the dream of completing the Alpine Coast to who I am and what I’m capable of, I set upon the border into Austria, back into Germany the tent, chocolate bars eaten and new countries summit back to the train which could take us to 45,530 Coast is within reach. Very close reach. this challenge to ask myself, ‘Can I do this?’ and then back into Austria before cycling the travelled through. The times when Charley the valley bottom, it was 7 hours of descent. I Metres of ascent during All that surrounds me - the river that runs and to prove that the answer is always ‘Yes’. length of Lichtenstein and finishing 14 hours made decisions I didn’t want to make, such as often think the descent is the hardest part, you the entire expedition from the glaciers, the trees, villages and “What do you think about when you later, in a place called Bad Ragaz in turning around half-way up our first attempt on are tired, stepping down is tough on your joints, people tending to their gardens - fly past me. cycle?” Charley would often ask me when we Switzerland, there were tears and a lot of Mont Blanc. The way I drew strength from his and it feels utterly relentless. On the ascent, I’d had the time to get to know met at the end of each day. “Everything, self-analysis. I got there in the end, but having strength when I felt less than the person I The most technically challenging of our climbs 21 them all, to use them as distractions as I anything and a lot about why I’m doing this,” woken up on the wrong side of our soggy tent, wanted to be. These are the reasons why I can’t was Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Number of rainy days inched my way up, to think about each I’d answer. I’d think about the countries I I had decided it was not going to be my day, stop adventuring. Austria at 3,798m. We opted for a classic alpine person going about their day as I passed. cycled through, loving how I could really get and thereby increased the size of the Of the summits we scaled, Mont Blanc was the ridge, the Stüdlgrat. It was one of our favourite There’s no time for that now, I have just a feel for them whilst on a bike. I’d try to mountain I had to climb. toughest physically to climb. On the first of two climbs due to the challenge of the route but also 87 370km to cycle before I arrive at the coast of make sense of the road signs and envisage On the other hand, there were days when no days we walked up from the valley bottom to the because the Stüdlhütte was absolutely amazing, Beers drunk! Monaco and complete my mission. how they would be pronounced in Slovak, matter what the challenge, it didn’t phase me. Tête Rousse hut at 3,167m, in six hours. We the best alpine hut we’ve ever stayed in, mainly stayed the night in the mountain hut and were in due to the quality and volume of the food! >> 62 OUTDOOR FITNESS JANUARY 2014 JANUARY 2014 OUTDOOR FITNESS 63 CHALLENGE ALPINE COAST TO COAST Sophie’S ROUTE Starting in Italy, Sophie passed through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Italy and Monaco 3 4 2 1 5 6 7 S ITALY 8 STAGES Distance (km)/Ascent (m) CycLE Trieste, Italy to 1 Triglav, Slovenia 145km/1,590m CLimb Triglav 24.7km/2,186m CycLE Triglav to 2 Grossglockner, Austria 192km/2,295m Coast reached and the Climb Grossglockner final ‘mountain’ summit climbed in Monaco 27km/2,382m CycLE Grossglockner 3 to Zugspitze, Germany Standing on the summit of Triglav at Alpine road, switchback after switchback, I 255km/3,285m 2,864m the highest mountain in Slovenia, had to get off my bike and lie down in the CLimb Zugspitz was incredible.