R4 Tour de Gastlosen: Saanen - Jaun - Zweisimmen - Saanen

Starting from picturesque Saanen, the route follows the main road towards Schönried. Turn left towards Restaurant Sonnenhof and follow Bike Route 59. The low-traffic road soon gently follows the Grischbach. But from kilometer 12 it gets challenging. With 5 hairpin bends and partly steep gradients, the road climbs 2.5 km to Mittelbergpass. Then follows a long descent to Jaun. In the first half, watch out for cows and water gullies; at the bottom by the river there are some surface damages, but overall a great descent. From Jaun-Kappelboden it becomes tough again. The rather short Jaunpass requires strong calves. Additionally, the sun beats down on the road from midday. With an average gradient of 8.6%, with the steepest sections well over 15%, it climbs up to the pass. Be sure to avoid the tunnel and enjoy the beautiful view back towards Mittelbergpass. The descent from Jaunpass is the highlight of the route. 8.5 km on good pavement with hairpin bends, straight sections and beautiful views. In Reidenbach, turn briefly left and immediately right to reach National Bike Route No. 9. Follow it to Grubenwald and then continue on the secondary road towards Mannried and Zweisimmen. From Zweisimmen, follow No. 9 again and master the last “Pièces de résistance.” Shortly after Oeschseite and before Saanenmöser, there are two absolutely worthy “walls” that demand the last effort. The descent to Gstaad and the following stretch along the river to Saanen can then be used for cooling down.

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