Hirzel · Einsiedeln · Sihlsee Sunset Run

An 81 km loop from Hirzel sweepers

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Why this ride

Short enough after work, good enough to remember. 81 km round from Horgen - plan on about 1 h 33 of riding. It goes by way of Einsiedeln monastery stop, Sihlsee water stop and Zug lakeside. Ratenpass is the high point. It tops out at about 1,450 m. It is a high-mountain day.

Roadbook

1. Hirzel sweepers start

   Hirzel is the village that sits on a shelf above Lake Zurich, between the lakeside town of Horgen and the high country toward Einsiedeln, and the road that climbs there from the water is one of the most popular afternoon rides in the canton. It is a quick succession of wide, open bends through orchards and meadows, with the lake spread out behind you and the Alps on the horizon. The ride starts and ends at these corners, which riders have named the sweepers for their smooth, generous radius. Horgen, a lakeside town of about six thousand people in its centre, lies four kilometres away, and has fuel and cafes.

   The surface is excellent and the gradients are modest. This is a road for finding your rhythm, rolling on the throttle out of each bend and sweeping across the hillside, with the odd tractor to remind you that the land is working. It is also popular, so you will share it with cyclists, sports cars and other bikes, especially on sunny weekends. The road continues over the ridge to Biberbrugg and then to the Sihlsee, a long artificial lake created in the 1930s by damming the Sihl river, and one of the largest reservoirs in Switzerland. Speed limits are low and enforcement is regular, so ride with courtesy.

   The destination is Einsiedeln, a small town built around its great Benedictine abbey, founded in the tenth century on the site where a hermit named Meinrad had lived. The baroque church, with its twin towers and black Madonna, has drawn pilgrims for a thousand years, and the long square in front is a place to sit and watch the world go by. The town also lies on the Way of St James, the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. Nearby, the moor country around the Sihlsee shelters rare plants and birds, and the dam is a good spot to watch the sunset.

   The landscape is a pretty mix of orchard, farm and forest. Cows with bells graze on steep fields, and in spring the cherry blossom makes the hillside white, while in autumn the beech turns copper. The air smells of grass, hay and, sometimes, woodsmoke from farmhouses. On a clear day you can see the Glarus Alps and the Rigi, and the lake below glints like a mirror.

   Bring a light jacket for the evening, since the shaded slopes can be cool, and expect a busy road on summer weekends.

2. Einsiedeln monastery stop sight

   The monastery at Einsiedeln has seen a great many people pass through, and a few of them became famous. Paracelsus, the Renaissance physician and alchemist, was born in 1493 in a hamlet nearby, the son of a doctor, and spent his early years in the shadow of the abbey. Huldrych Zwingli, who would become the leader of the Reformation in Zurich, served as a priest here for two years from 1516, and it was in Einsiedeln that he began to preach against the sale of indulgences to pilgrims. The abbey he criticised is still working, with Benedictine monks living by the old rule of prayer and work.

   Inside the abbey, one of the highlights is the library, a Baroque hall with tall shelves and a ceiling decorated with painted scenes, holding many thousands of volumes and manuscripts, among them medieval texts of great value. The monks also run a school, a publishing house and a farm. The church can be visited freely, with its dazzling interior, but the library and some other areas have limited hours, so check before you set out. A short walk away, the town's main street runs gently uphill from the square, lined with shops and cafes.

   The ride from Hirzel to Einsiedeln is a delight on a calm evening. The road crosses the high ground south of Lake Zurich, passing farmland and woods, then runs beside the Sihlsee, a large reservoir built in the 1930s, whose blue water and wooded shores reflect the late sun. Corners are easy and flowing, the surface is good, and there are views of the Mythen peaks to the south. At sunset, the water turns copper and the hills go purple, and the cowbells and church bells drift across the valley.

   The Sihlsee has several places to stop, with small beaches and cafes, and sailing boats on the water, and the shoreline road is popular with cyclists and walkers. In Einsiedeln itself, there is fuel, food and parking, and the pace is leisurely, with pilgrims, tourists and locals sitting in the sun. A coffee on the monastery square before the final stretch home is the perfect way to end the day. Wrap up warm if the evening is cool, because the air near the lake can be sharp.

3. Sihlsee water stop swim

   Evening is the right hour for the Sihlsee. When the sun drops toward the Zürich side, the light slides along the reservoir and picks out the farmhouses on the far shore, and the hills turn a layered blue. A sunset run from Hirzel or Einsiedeln would end naturally here, with a quiet stop by the water and a long look at a view that fades from gold to grey.

   The lake is man-made, finished in the 1930s to store water for the railways, but it has the soft ease of a natural one. To the south the twin peaks of the Mythen rise above Schwyz, and to the north the hill of the Etzel stands over the shore, with an old pilgrim chapel on its flank. The Etzel is part of the Way of St James, and walkers heading for Einsiedeln pass this way carrying shells on their packs. In the evening you may see herons standing at the water's edge and swallows skimming the surface for insects.

   Swimming is possible in warm months, and in summer the shore has a few spots where you can wade in from grass or pebbles. After sunset the water holds its warmth for a while, and the surface can be glassy, with reflections of the sky. Fishermen sit patiently at the edge, and the occasional paddleboarder glides by. In late autumn the lake can be steely and cold, with mist rising from the surface at dawn.

   The roads around the lake are good riding, with gentle bends and a smooth surface, and at dusk the traffic is light. Keep an eye out for deer, which sometimes cross near the wood edges, and for cyclists without lights on the lakeside track. Shortly after the sun goes down the temperature drops, so a spare layer is worth carrying.

   Einsiedeln, about three kilometres away, has the nearest fuel and a good choice of restaurants and bakeries. Feusisberg and Schindellegi on the north side have further services. If you are planning a late meal, check ahead, because Swiss kitchens close early outside the larger towns.

   When the last colour leaves the sky, the lake becomes a dark mirror and the lights of villages appear along the shore. That is the moment to pull on your gloves and head home.

4. Ratenpass return pass

   The return over the Ratenpass in the evening is one of the small pleasures of riding near Zürich. From the Sihlsee side or from Hirzel, the road climbs gradually to 1,077 metres, and the day's heat begins to leave the air as you rise. The forest gives way to open pasture near the top, where cows graze in the late light and the Mythen and the Alps stand in the south as a dark, jagged line. It is a place to feel the day wind down.

   The pass sits in the border country between Zug and Schwyz, and the ridge has a quiet, workaday feel. Farms with deep roofs dot the slope, and cheese is made in the old way in some of the huts. Down in the valleys, moors hold wet ground that has been protected for decades, and the lingering smell of cut hay mixes with the cool air from the woods. In summer the evening sky can glow red over the lake of Zurich, and on the descent toward Unterägeri the lake of Ägeri appears below, calm and dark.

   On the road, the climb from the Hirzel side is smooth and flowing, with moderate gradients and open bends. The surface is usually good, and speeds are comfortable. As you head down toward Ägeri, the road tightens a little and passes through forest, where shadows can hide damp patches even in summer. Take care at dusk, because deer and foxes cross the road, and cyclists returning from the hills may not have lights.

   Fuel is available in Unterägeri, about six kilometres from the pass, and in Schindellegi or Biberbrugg on the other side. A mountain inn sits near the top in the season, but opening hours vary, so do not count on a late meal. A flask of coffee or a bar of chocolate in the pannier is a better plan.

   Temperatures drop quickly after sunset, even in summer. At 1,077 metres, the air is a few degrees cooler than at the lake, and a light layer under your jacket makes the descent far more comfortable. On clear nights, you may see stars appear above the ridge before you reach the valley, and that is the best moment of the day.

5. Zug lakeside food stop

   Zug's real charm is on the water, where the old town ends and a long promenade runs along the Zugersee. In the evening, people stroll, children throw bread to swans, and cafes spread their tables toward the lake, which is the colour of slate and silver and ringed by the green hills of Rigi and Zugerberg. On a clear evening, you can see Pilatus rising beyond the opposite shore. It is a town where life seems to happen outdoors from May to September, and the pace slows accordingly.

   There is a darker story under the promenade. In 1887, part of the medieval town, built on soft lake sediment, suddenly collapsed and slid into the water, taking with it several houses and eleven people. The event was one of Switzerland's worst natural disasters of the nineteenth century, and the shoreline you see today was rebuilt afterward with firmer foundations. A small memorial recalls the victims, and it is a reminder that even the prettiest lake can be treacherous.

   Coming here on a motorcycle at the end of the Sihlsee ride, you arrive from the east or north along roads that are calm and straightforward. The final approach is flat and easy, mostly through suburbs and fields, with light traffic in the evening. Be aware of trams and bicycles, as well as pedestrians in the town centre, and of the speed cameras on the main roads. The lakeside roads are slow, with limits strictly enforced, but at the right moment the water and the lights are worth the delay.

   For food, the lakeside terraces offer fish dishes, salads, pizza and, of course, the Zuger Kirschtorte, a local cake with cherry spirit, which makes a good partner to a late coffee. Fuel is available at several stations in the town and in nearby Baar, with supermarkets and bakeries open until early evening. Motorcycle parking is generally available near the lake and the railway station. Sit by the water, watch the sunset colours spread over the hills, and let the last of the ride settle.

6. Back to Hirzel sweepers finish

   The route ends here after 81 km.

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