Richard's Blog

Posts tagged “cycling”

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  A Ride to Morges and Back to See Tulips — Apr 28, 2026

  Yesterday morning someone suggested cycling to meet a friend in Morges so I agreed, despite having been for a 7.5km run with another group from 07:00 to 08:00 the same morning. I had enough time to have lunch, and then to sprint to Gland from Nyon. I sprinted because I didn’t know how long the trip would take....
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  On the Bike Making Geneva Local Despite Living Near Nyon — Apr 24, 2026

  Years ago I could drive to Geneva every day, up to two times per day or more. Over a period of time they made driving more and more inconvenient. They changed road circulation patterns to create one way systems, that made direct drivers more complicated. They designed traffic lights to create, rather than reduce traffic. I once drove from Place des Nations to the end of the Pont Du Mont Blanc in an hour. That’s 2 kilometres per hour. That’s slower than a sloth....
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  The Lure of Affordable Cycling — Apr 18, 2026

  A few days ago I noticed that the car said I had 1300km before the next service. Within a few days it said 0km until next service. Now the “service” light is on permanently. I went to the garage to book a service and I was told that the service would be from 1700-2000 CHF because it is the 10 year service....
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  The Curious Case of the Tired Elliptical Wheel — Apr 16, 2026

  At the end of last summer I noticed that my bike felt more sluggish, especially when I was tired, but also when I was riding alone, against my own desire for speed. I linked it to changing from Continental GP 5000 to Continental GP 4 Seasons, as well as cooler winter riding, conditions, long leg, and long sleeve layers and riding with an easy group too many times....
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  The Morning Run to Breakfast With Cyclists — Apr 15, 2026

  Yesterday I dropped off my bike for a service. I noticed that the rear wheel no longer seemed to be true so I took it to a bike shop. They confirmed that some of the bike spokes were about to fail. Due to this technical issue I left my bike with them for maintenance. Now I find myself without a bike....
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  The Diminished Need for a Car — Apr 14, 2026

  Last Sunday I cycled betwen Nyon and Geneva, not once but twice. I cycled from Nyon to Geneva, passing close to my old school, before getting into Geneva. Once in Geneva I joined a group ride and we cycled from Geneva towards Divonne along a similar route to the one I had taken. We then stopped for coffee, and a pain au chocolat in my case, before riding back to Geneva, via the top, this time. Once this was done I cycled back towards Nyon along the lake until Mies, before climbing towards Coppet, and then heading back to the lake and Nyon. I then chased cars and managed to keep up, despite 100kms in my legs....
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  The First Metric Century of the Season — Apr 12, 2026

  Yesterday I set off from home at around 08:00 for what I planned would be a one hundred kilometre ride. The rational was that I would cycle to and from Geneva, around 50 kilometres, and participate in a group ride with Bike Club Switzerland, another fifty kilometre ride. It’s because it was easy to add a few kilometres that I decided to bring this first one hundred kilometre ride to fruition....
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  On High Winds, Cold Temperatures and the Need for Relaxed Group Rides — Apr 10, 2026

  More than two weeks ago I could hear the slats dancing. The wind was strong, so it made the slats for the shutters dance. I could also see tree branches dance with the wind. I could also hear the wind load the roof and make it creak. These sights and sounds made me question the rationality of going for a group ride that Sunday, and whether I would be able to do the group run on Monday....
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  On a Slow Puncture and the Cyclplus AS2 Pro — Apr 3, 2026

  This is an experience review, rather than a product review. During yesterday’s group ride I noticed that my rear tyre was feeling flat. I stopped to re-inflate it because the problem seemed minor but I made the mistake of not closing the valve properly before setting off again so the inner tube problem, that might have started as a slow leak became a more serious problem due to the damaged valve....
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  Zwift events, a social ride and a race — Nov 18, 2018

  Today I participated in two Zwift events, a social ride and a race. The social ride was one hour of pedalling at a comfortable pace trying to keep to the same speed as the group. Rather than trying to be as fast as the group I was trying to pace myself to be within the peloton rather than riding off....
• Wordpress and Strava - Using WP Strava on this blog — Jun 8, 2017

  I installed WP Strava on this blog to share my Strava cycling and running activity. At the time of this blog post you can see my most recent bike rides in the left column as well as the most recent map. With a minimum of code you can also include your bike rides within a post like you see below. You write activity id=number of activity and the ride will be integrated within your blog posts without the need for embed codes and an iframe. [activity id=1026494012] This is useful for activity bloggers such as myself. The code is simple and easy to remember, as soon as I find the right keyboard keys to avoid the need to copy and paste. Shortcodes are to add information to blog posts and the widgets are for the side bar. SHORTCODES activity id=NUMBER – add to any page or post. Also takes the following optional parameters:...
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  Half Way Through To This Year's Cycling Goal. — Jun 1, 2016

  So far this year I have been cycling for 680 km in 33hrs with a height gain of 6800 meters. In this time I have used my narrative clip 2 device to document the ride with a picture every 10-30 seconds as I want to focus on riding rather than other things. I like to have as high a moving time as possible so I usually stop once I get back to my starting point. By cycling I see the landscape at a slower, more interesting speed. I see the roads, I smell the vegetation, I feel the heat and I feel the cold. I also discover small paths that I would not take in a car or on a scooter. In practicing this sport I get to know the landscape. I also get to see seasonal changes. This year I have cycled in the rain, in the snow, in the wind and on days like today. Today it was sunny and there was no wind to fight against. It made the ride more pleasant. The technology I took on today’s ride was my narrative clip 2 to take pictures of the bike ride, my Crosscall Odyssey+ phone, the Cateye Evo+ and finally the Suunto Ambit 3. I also took the Ricoh Theta S but never stopped to take pictures. For future rides I should fix it to the handle bars. I could bring you with me on my next bike ride. Of course I would keep just the interesting bits of the ride. I can throw away the rest....
• Vittorio Brumotti in Livigno — May 29, 2016

  For years I have enjoyed watching the Tour De France and often call it the French Landscape program. In this case we start with Vittorio Brumotti cycling with his team before becoming distracted and going to enjoy some mountain bike trails, some balancing on barriers, floating in a swimming pool, enjoying a running carpet and more. It shows the area of Livigno and what it has to offer in summer. You might remember him for a video from earlier this year or last year. I like that road cycling teams have athletes who can show their balancing and other skills. It makes the sport more entertaining to watch. Remember when he cycled in the plane graveyard and on that barrier?...
• Trying a single speed bike with belt drive. — Oct 8, 2018

  Assembly...
• Training with Zwift — Oct 7, 2018

  Two days ago I started playing/training with Zwift. I tested it on my phone, the ipad and the laptop and it worked with each. Pairing both the apple watch with the iOS app on mobile phone and ipad worked well. Pairing between the bluetooth cadence and speed sensor as well as the suunto movesense heartrate monitor worked well with the laptop....
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  Tour de Zwift 2019 complete — Jan 30, 2019

  This morning I completed Stage 9 of the Tour de Zwift. I have now finished the challenge. In the process I went from riding on the shorter events during the first stages to taking the long options for at least the last two stages....
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  To the Rhone and Back — May 12, 2023

  Today I cycled for three hours. I cycled to the Rhone and back along cycling lanes. Initially I had planned on a little 20km loop but because of dog walkers walking with their dogs, off of leash, I decided to ride along the road for a bit, before joining the voie verde again at the lac De Divonne....
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  Thirty Kilometres Per Day — Apr 7, 2023

  The Swiss travel an average of 30 kilometres per day in their cars, according to a new survey shared by the Radio Television Suisse....
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  Thinking about Bike locks — Oct 30, 2018

  Recently I have been thinking about bike locks. I have been looking at the variety of options that there are and for a while I was worried about bike theft. It is for that reason that I never left my bikes unattended for more than half a minute to a minute during bike rides....
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  The Zwift Everest Challenge — Nov 14, 2018

  This summer I climbed over 8848 metres in a single month and now I have just completed the Zwift Everest challenge as well. This challenge, on Zwift, is much easier than in the real world because you are not carrying water, the weight of your bike, dealing with keeping yourself balanced on your bike or traffic....
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  The WeWatt Bike wait — Sep 3, 2019

  Today I experienced the WeWatt bike wait again. The first time I experienced it was when flying from Alicante to Geneva and the second time is when I was waiting to meet someone for lunch today. The principle is very simple. If you see that a wewatt bike is free for you to use you simply sit on the seat and start pedalling. The first two or three strokes are difficult but after that the resistance is minimal....
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  The Unthreatening Clouds — Jul 31, 2021

  The unthreatening clouds did not bother me during my bike ride but it was cooler than sometimes at this time of year. I occasionally felt that an extra layer or two would be welcome. That’s unusual in July at this time of year....
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  The Tour De Romandie Bike Ride — May 1, 2023

  Yesterday I went for a bike ride and I was head towards Gland via Genolier but changed the route due to a dog walker when I wanted to turn East. I turned West instead and noticed some people and flags by Crassier. I thought “Was there an accident” as I also saw a police car. Eventually, as I saw more and more people standing by the side of the road I understood that it was for the Tour De Romandie. At the 25km from Geneva marker I took a picture of the sign....
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  The Storm Missed Me by Five Minutes — Jun 20, 2021

  Today I saw that they were expecting a storm and I was really looking forward to a sudden downpour, lightning and more. I also thought that it would trap me at home and that I’d have a day without walking or cycling. In the end I saw that the doppler radar no longer expected any rain etc so I got ready for a bike ride and went out. I could see that the clouds over the Jura were nice and dark, threatening to become an active storm. I still continued my bike ride. I went from near Nyon to Mies, up from there towards Commugny, then towards the Versoix, up a road and had not explored yet....
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  The Storm Missed Me by Five Minutes — Jun 20, 2021

  Leslie - Jun 1, 2021...
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  The Futility of Blogging — Apr 9, 2023

  I have been writing blog posts every single day for one hundred and fourty five days and rather than feel more inspired, and get a big audience, I am writing for an audience of one. Some days I am filled with inspiration and I write the blog post in twenty minutes or less. Other days it takes me an hour or two. It’s hard to write every day because some days are interesting, so there is something to talk about, and other days are dull....
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  The French Landscape Program - The Tour de France — Jul 3, 2021

  I like to speak of the Tour de France as the French landscape program. I watch the cycling, not because I care about the cycling but because I like to see the landscapes, the castles, the panoramas, and more. It’s a way of getting travel ideas. Of course I do sometimes like watching the cycling. I liked watching Alaphilipe two years ago as he went towards winning, but not quite the tour de France. I like to watch the echapées that can last for 100 or more kilometres. I like to watch as they go through beautiful landscapes, as they climb on steep gradients as if they were nothing. I also like to be inspired for my own bike rides and progression....
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  The French Landscape Program - The Tour de France — Jul 3, 2021

  Leslie - Jul 3, 2021...
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  The Extended Bike Ride — Apr 17, 2023

  My usual loop is around 30 kilometres but for the last two bike rides I have extended them, to reach 50-60 kilometres respectively.  I cover this distance in about two, to two and a half, hours. Cycling is good at the moment because plenty of people are on holidays so the roads feel safer as there are fewer commuters on the roads....
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  The Energetic Bike Ride — May 22, 2023

  Yesterday my intention was to cycle along the Voie Verte from Crassier to Grilly and then back down towards, the lake, along the lake and end up back in Nyon. I didn’t follow this plan through. I was thinking “I don’t want to do the steep Mies climb so I’ll go to Nyon, but on the way to Nyon I thought of going to Prangins. In Prangins I then decided to head to Aubonne. In the end I did ride to Aubonne....
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  The Bulle Slowup — Jul 16, 2015

  Bulle is a city by a lake in the Canton De Gruyère in Switzerland. Last weekend they held their annual slowup event. A slowup is an event where roads are closed to motorised transport in favour of cyclists, roller bladers, skate boarders and other self propelling sports. The loop is around 26km long and there are ares to stop and enjoy food every few kilometres. At this event you can also get your bike maintained for free except for parts that need replacing. It’s a great opportunity to take an old worn out bike and have it reconditioned. As I spent several days getting mine back in to condition I did not abuse of this opportunity. [caption id=“attachment_2432” align=“aligncenter”] The first climb The landscape around Bulle is nice. As you cycle you can see the Moléson mountains in the distance, and without clouds for a change. You can also enjoy a few climbs and descents. The gradients are not steep and the climbs are not long. A friend of mine was on rollerblade and it impresses me that she did around 30km. [caption id=“attachment_2433” align=“aligncenter”] Father and child The best feature of slowups is the ability to enjoy a wide road and cycle anywhere you like without the usual cars overtaking too close and too fast. As a result parents and their children can enjoy this beautiful landscape. [caption id=“attachment_2434” align=“aligncenter”] BYOB, not bring your own bike or beer. Bring your own barbecue It’s amusing to see someone take a cool box and barbecue for such an event. I didn’t see them stop and start preparing food though....
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  The SUUNTO SPARTAN SPORT WRIST HR BLUE — Mar 18, 2017

  I have logged 799 activities with my Suunto devices. This includes hikes, via ferrata, climbing, swimming and scuba diving. I like Suunto devices because their battery life is good enough to last through entire days of hiking and the battery lasts for weeks between charges when used as a simple watch. I like to track my heart rate but I often feel self conscious about putting the heart rate monitor belt on. With the latest Spartan watch I no longer need to worry about the belt. At the same time as I start the activity I will be able to keep track of the heart rate. This is especially good for group activities when you do not want to keep people waiting and in winter when you’re wearing layers of clothing. I like that devices like the Fitbit Charge 2 can be worn at almost all times and track heart rate effortlessly when at the climbing gym and during other activities. I look forward to the same simplicity with a Suunto device. I especially like that Suunto devices survive swims and showers. I like that the Suunto Ambit 3 tracks how many steps I take during the day. It’s a shame that the step count is not logged and visible on Movescount. I like to see how energetic or lazy I have been on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. It’s not unusual for me to go from a 21,000 step day to a 6000 step day. It depends on weather, work and other factors. If you go for a bike ride your step count will not be high. I will wait to see whether they apply this technology to the Suunto Ambit watch collection. If they come out with the Suunto Ambit 4 Wrist HR then I will be tempted to upgrade. With 799 tracked activities I believe Suunto devices have demonstrated that they are reliable....
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  Summer without a car has taught me to live locally — Sep 28, 2018

  This summer I was thinking of buying a car until I found out that my contract break was for six months rather than three. As a result of this my ability to buy my own car vanished. I used the scooter, my feet and eventually the bike to travel thousands of kilometres....
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  StravistiX for Strava — Feb 1, 2016

  StravistiX for Strava...
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  Strava Now Has Rock Climbing, Hiking And More — Aug 31, 2016

  Strava now has rock climbing, hiking and many more sports. Sports tracker, movescount and other applications already allowed you to do this but it is nice to see one more network provide us with this option. [caption id=“attachment_3340” align=“aligncenter”] Strava expanded the number of sports you can track Up until now I had to make sure to go for a bike ride or three per week to keep people updated on what I did. During week days I am likely to go for bike rides. On two to three evenings per week I may go climbing and on the weekend I may go hiking or for a walk. As a result I can track the diversity of my activities. [caption id=“attachment_3341” align=“aligncenter”] Strava has updated the list of sports With rock climbing I would like them to add two or three more fields. I would like them to add an option to add the grade of the climb we did. This would need to use the European and the American systems. It would help us track our progress and even track how hard we worked if we’re wearing a heart monitor as we climb. In effect it could provide us with a way of seeing who else is climbing and whether we match their skill level. In the long run this could contribute to new groups. I have created a group for Swiss Via Ferrata in anticipation of via ferrata practitioners joining the network and sharing their climbs. Until recently I would only track cycling and running. Now that walking, hiking and climbing have been added I can track a number of new sports. It should result in people using the app more frequently.  It could be fun to see climbing and hiking heat maps. We will see how they adapt the input section to match the sports....
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  Strava Now Has Rock Climbing, Hiking And More — Aug 31, 2016

  David - First of May 2018...
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  Sprinting Towards A Maillot Vert — Jan 23, 2019

  The Seventh stage of the Tour De Zwift was Innsbruck, a course that some people can do in about 388 minutes. It takes me around 54 minutes. As I have not ridden this course frequently enough I decided to try to keep up with others and that meant a 20 minute best of 197 watts....
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  Spring Cycling — Mar 10, 2022

  The weather is relatively cold but the sun is out so the time for spring cycling has come. Spring cycling is like other forms of cycling, but you want to dress warm enough to be comfortable, but not so warm as to overheat. You also want to find routes that are short enough so that if it is cold you can get home without being cold for too long....
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  Spring And Self Isolation — Jan 28, 2022

  Today I went for a walk and it felt warm enough for me to skip on wearing a layer. It was warm, around six degrees, and sunny. It felt like Spring, and it feels as though cycling could almost be considered. The cycling season is nice. I speak about cycling because I think that this year, like the last two, will be spent in self-isolation until we have zero new cases for two weeks in a row....
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  Solitary Bike Rides — Jul 11, 2021

  Two weeks ago, it looked as though next summer we could be out of the pandemic. This weekend, it looks as though the pandemic will never end. Every single time Europe looks as if it has a chance of ending the pandemic, it breaks for either Christmas or the Summer holiday. Every single time Switzerland stands an excellent chance of stopping community transmission, it reopens things....
• Second thoughts on E-bikes — Oct 10, 2018

  Yesterday I rode an e-bike over 5km and played with the eco, touring, sport and turbo modes. I experimented with the gears and I experimented with a variety of gradients and surfaces. Through this trial I got to understand how e-bikes work....
• Riding Zwift(ly) Through New York — Oct 22, 2018

  When I heard that Zwift would allow us to ride our bikes through a virtual New York I joked that I would use my singlespeed and I hoped that I could ride through the streets. Unfortunately you get to ride through the New York countryside, otherwise known as Central Park. Imagine riding through the Autumnal Hamptons at this time of year....
• Replacing the scooter with an electric bike — Oct 1, 2018

  I have been thinking of replacing the scooter with an electric bike for a while now. I am discouraged by the cost of electric bikes. Electric bikes range in price from one thousand to four thousand francs or more and their range is from fourty to one hundred and eighty kilometres. They are also limited to 25 kilometres per hour if you want to preserve the right to use cycling paths in Switzerland....
• One Hundred and Fifty Six Days of Walking 10,000 Steps Or More and Two Bike Rides — Apr 10, 2023

  For one hundred and fifty six days I walked 10 thousand steps or more, before I broke my streak by going for two bike rides. The first one was a twenty five kilometre loop. The second was a more ambitious 51km loop. I ended up in Geneva, by the Palais Des Nations. This had not been my goal. I just felt good so I kept going....
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  Linear Bike Rides — Jun 18, 2023

  Almost all of my bike rides are loops. The reason for this is that I am a single person, so I usually need to end where I start, either to get home, or to get to the car. This means that if I do a 30km loop it has to return to where it started eventually....
• Ingress Walks - A 12km path to Level 13 — Feb 19, 2020

  I stopped playing Ingress a few years ago because of how much time it requires. I have started going on Ingress walks again - a 12km path to level 13 in yesterday’s case, because I’m combining the daily walk that I would do anyway, with listening to podcasts and audiobooks, anyway....
• Ingress By Bike — Oct 13, 2019

  Ingress by bike is good when you’re in the countryside because it allows you to travel between villages faster than if you were walking and without the carbon footprint of taking the car or a scooter with an internal combustion engine. It also allows you to stop anywhere....
• Indoor Training With The Elite Qubo Fluid — Sep 1, 2018

  The Elite Qubo fluid is a home trainer using a viscous fluid to provide resistance when you’re cycling with your road bike indoors. It is easy to assemble and within minutes you can start using it....
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  How to use an Activity Tracker when Cycling — Jan 26, 2019

  Activity trackers are designed for walking, running, canoeing and activities where you move your arms. Cycling is not one of those sports. Unless you’re cycling on a specialist bike that has handles you’ll be using your legs and your upper body will move very little. I have a workaround....
• The High Tech World is not making us weak and weird. — Apr 25, 2016

  The High Tech world is not making us weak and weird. I believe that the opposite is true. According to Patrick Mustain in his article “Welcome to the Devolution: The High-Tech World Is Making Us Weak and Weird” for The Daily Beast he worries that modern technology and conveniences have taken the physical aspects out of our daily routine. We don’t need to clean clothes by beating them against a rock and we no longer need to clean dishes manually. We take the car from point A to point B and we take a lift to go up a floor or two....
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  Good Cycling Weather — Sep 11, 2021

  View of the Alps...
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  Going Around in Circles — Aug 26, 2021

  There is a hill that is steep. You often see people struggle up it, trying to beat their own records and in so doing get knackered by the top. Yesterday I went up such a hill and I felt low on energy so I didn’t bother to sprint. I just focued on getting up to the top. As I went I saw a group of runners running down towards me and I wanted to take a picture but I was too slow so I took a picture of my shadow as I cycled instead....
• Geneva to Hermance on a bike — Jun 27, 2015

  Hermance is a place where I have dived frequently and so it is only natural that I hard to ride from Geneva to Hermance on a bike. The ride is an easy and pleasant ride. It takes you out of Geneva and through the fields to the East of Geneva before taking you down to Hermance where you have a good view of the lake. The ride back takes you through a few villages before getting back to Geneva. The landscape undulates with only one climb as you leave the lake and take the back roads towards Pallanterie. From that point you follow the road until you get to the French border and cross to the left and head straight for the lake. It’s at this point that you start to see signs for Hermance and follow them down a steep road to the lake side. Hermance is a nice small town where you see divers and at this time of year animations. There is the beach which is free for divers and paying for normal people. You also have changing rooms and showers. There is a café/restaurant where you can have a drink or snack before heading back. I would like to do this circuit again with a group. Stopping in Hermance would be more pleasant. I love for the GPS track of my rides to be a loop so to ensure that this was the case I cycled back via the lake road. There are bits where you are with cars but for the majority of the route you have a dedicated cycle path....
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  From Nyon to Vesancy — Jun 18, 2021

  In 2015, I was exploring on a mountain bike when I found a road above La Rippe that was closed to traffic, so I decided to explore it. I managed to cycle a certain distance before I met a rockfall blocking the road, so I had to turn back. I then tried again in 2018 and I got quite close to the top but decided to give up and turn around. Within the last three weeks or so I have attempted the ride again, and this time I have made it up not once, but twice....
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  From Arnex to the Signal De Bougy and Back — Jun 19, 2021

  Cycling from Arnex to the Signal de Bougy and back is a nice ride that takes you along the lake through the lower part of Nyon, Gland towards Rolle, and from Rolle up towards Perroy, Aubonne, Pizy, The Signal de bougy and back down on the other side....
• Fribourg was liberated by Fribourg, Lausanne and Geneva Ingress resistance fighters — Jul 20, 2015

  This weekend teams of Resistance Ingress agents from Fribourg, Lausanne and Geneva met in Fribourg to neutralise and capture all Enlightened portals. Some teams were on foot to liberate portals from the centre of the city. I was with the bike team and we took care of liberating all of the portals on the outskirts. It involved cycling up and down hills, a thunderstorm and being rained on. I really enjoyed being part of the cycling team. It’s a fantastic way to get around and it’s a good way of seeing a big portion of unfamiliar cities with a minimum of effort. My team members were on electric bikes and I was on a mountain bike. This was great for me. I had to work hard to keep up with them. This was a good workout. There were moments where I generated up to an estimated 1300 watts of power for very short bursts and got the fifth best time on a segment. I enjoyed this experience so much that I would love to do this again in other cities around here. Cycling gave me a workout and playing Ingress gave me time to recover. It seems that if you’re creating fields having a bike is ideal. You can get almost anywhere from anywhere within a city within minutes with a minimum of effort. By car this would be dangerous and impractical and on foot it would be slow and impractical....
• France Télévision Coverage of the Tour De France — Jul 15, 2015

  The Tour De France is a 3600 kilometre race over 3 weeks with one independent race each day. They start in an international city and then make their way to France within two or three days. The programmes are built around three specific shows. There is the pre-show Village programme followed by the first part of the race before the depart until well after it. The last segment is moved to France 2 for peak viewing and audience. During the first of these programmes you learn about the city the tour de France is leaving. You get artist interviews, food preparation and other small animations. During the second programme, the first part of the race you see the cyclists and the landmarks and places worthy of note. You get landscape shots of the countryside, aerial shots of castles and learn about where they are cycling for future tourist visits should you be in one part of France or the other. You also get to see the cycling. Today they’re cycling through the Pyrenées so you will see the cyclists face the challenge of climbs at the same time as working on making their endurance last long enough. There are a lot of sports on television but very few of them have the intensity and landscape of cycling. Tennis is in a court, Football is in a stadium, golf is in a park. Only Cycling provides television audiences with a journey, a voyage. I love this voyage and love the “French Landscape programme” as I like to call it, for this very reason....
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  Exploring Geneva at 30 kilometres per hour — Jun 26, 2015

  Exploring Geneva at 30 kilometres per hour makes a nice change from driving in the city. Yesterday I met with the Geneva Bike and beer group. It’s an activity from within the broader Geneva based Glocals activities. [caption id=“attachment_2408” align=“alignleft”] Exploring the Geneva landscape by bike The pace is reasonable and the loop is about 20km for this second group ride. There are a lot of opportunities to cycle away from traffic and on quiet roads. It was fun for me to see the landscape differently. For over a year I used to drive in that landscape to get to dive sites and back. This time I was far lighter. As with everything in Geneva the group is international with people from a number of countries and continents. I will participate again....
• Experimenting with a single speed bike in a mountaineous landscape — Oct 7, 2018

  My average time riding a bike over the last four weeks was seven and a half hours per week. When I’m not riding the bike I’m usually using the scooter but that’s mainly because I don’t want to leave the bike unattended. It is for this reason that I’ve been looking for cheap alternatives. I’ve looked at folding bikes but they cost as much as a scooter and I’ve been looking at electric bikes but they also cost as much as a scooter....
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  European Walks and Bike Rides — Aug 24, 2021

  Today during my walk I noticed a sticker on a sign for EuroVélo.com. I don’t know how new the project is but I had not paid attention to the URL before. I like the idea of a European Network of Cycling Routes. I don’t need to capitalise these words. I just did, for some reason....
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  Environmentalism and Traffic Lights — Jun 9, 2017

  When you’re driving from Nyon to the airport without traffic the journey takes about twenty minutes. If you decide to drive into the city of Geneva that journey time is doubled thanks in main part to traffic lights. It once took me over one hour when scuba diving in Hermance to drive from Place des Nations to the other side of the Mont Blanc Bridge. That’s over one hour for less than two kilometres. That idea cooled down my motivation to dive in Hermance. At the time I was driving a petrol rather than a diesel car. Yesterday I was driving from the foot of the Jura to Cornavin and the drive from the foot of the Jura to Geneva was fast. It’s when you drive from the motorway to the centre that you lose time. 23 minutes to drive 3.8km. I don’t have a start/stop car so when I’m spending 23 minutes at traffic lights the engine is running and polluting the air for nothing. There is no gain from blocking traffic lights. It was even worse when I was on Rue Montbrillant. The GPS indicated 15 minutes to travel about 750 metres. Can you imagine the carbon footprint of traffic lights? That’s 15 minutes of nitrous oxide that had no need to be sent into the air. Imagine the health impact of keeping vehicles trapped at traffic lights. Within 30 seconds I went right and parked at Place des Nations and walked the last 750 metres. I wasn’t going to waste 15 minutes because “environmentalists” decided that the best way to discourage people from driving was for them to sit in traffic and pollute the air. When I was working on Rue Montbrillant I was taking the train to and from Geneva every day and I used an abonnement de route to reduce cost. It works well until you’re reliant on bus schedules. Some routes have one bus an hour. This means that a 30-40 minute drive becomes a one and a half hour public transport route. If you finish your day at 1800 you’d arrive home by around 1930-2000. This means that although you’re taking the environmentally friendly option you’re spending two and a half hours a day to commute. During warmer months and drier days, the scooter was a good alternative. Within minutes you’re on the train to Geneva. That’s the paradox of environmentalism. You want people to be environmentally conscious and you want them to minimise car use but rather than provide them with time efficient solutions to encourage them to take public transport you trap them at traffic lights. Waze, Tomtom and other GPS manufacturers should take the heat maps we generate with our mobile devices every time we drive and design public transport infrastructures to replace the need for cars. This data is already available. Below are two heat maps of cycling around London and Switzerland. If you used the same type of data from cars you could design a system that replaces the need for cars. When you live in a city you see two kilometres as a big distance to drive but when you’re in the countryside 2km is nothing. London on a bike feels tiny after walking and taking public transport. In Geneva it’s not that you have much traffic. It’s that the traffic lights give the illusion of traffic. Most of the side streets are empty of traffic most of the time. [caption id=“attachment_3570” align=“aligncenter”] Distances in London are shrunk by bike. I think it’s the best form of transport, when the weather is favourable. This week I wanted to cycle in to Geneva for my lunch time meetings but chose not to because the bike ride is energetic enough without the weight of a 15inch laptop on your back. I did buy a bluetooth keyboard for the mobile phone as a mac book air replacement. That should make cycling more pleasant. I also have spare tires in case I get a puncture. [caption id=“attachment_3571” align=“aligncenter”] Cycling in Switzerland and France Geneva’s traffic light policy did work on me. Several years ago I became so tired of waiting at traffic lights when driving into and out of Geneva that I stopped going. Instead of meeting people in Geneva I drove to various lakes to scuba dive and to the mountains to climb, hike, cycle and do other more environmentally friendly activities. This is especially true when we drive other participants. When I climb Fort L’écluse I meet people at CERN and when I meet people to go to Swiss VF I meet them at the Nyon train station, Fourmi metro stations or even the Lavaux motorway stop....
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  Easy track creation with Komoot — Oct 14, 2018

  Komoot is an app based on socialising through sports. The sports are cycling, mountain biking, bike touring, hiking and running. It integrates well with Garmin and allows you to track activities from your mobile phone or import GPX, Fit and other files from other brands. It also allows you to create your own tracks ahead of an activity as well as plan it for a specific day and time....
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  E-bikes, autumn and the changing seasons. — Sep 15, 2015

  One evening this week I was walking in the countryside at the foot of the Jura enjoying the evening when I walked by a couple. They were sitting on a bench looking across some fields towards the Mont Blanc, the Alps and of course the Lac Léman. Leaning against the bench were two e-bikes with good suspension. It made me think about retirement and free time. It encouraged me to think about the freedom and pleasure of exploring the landscape on a bike without having to make the same effort as if you were on a conventional bike. I thought of the range it would offer and the gradients you could climb. It would in essence give you the freedom of a car with the practicality of a bike. Of course there is a barrier to enjoying this pass time and that is the price of these bikes. In Switzerland they cost as much as a scooter. They lack the range and flexibility though. Electric bikes, in relation to road bikes are in fact cheap. [caption id=“attachment_2551” align=“aligncenter”] Enjoy some freedom, swap your car for a bike for two weeks I already alternate between a car, a scooter and a bike and with the change in weather I prefer the comfort of the car or the speed of a scooter. If it’s raining then I would much prefer to use the car. It is a shame that they have this promotion at the end of the pleasant season. If they had this promotion at the beginning of summer then I would have taken advantage of it. I will take this option if they offer it next year....
• Day 62 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Bee In My Helmet — May 16, 2020

  Today I was going to go for a walk but when I saw how beautiful the conditions were and how empty the roads seemed it felt like it would be a shame not to take advantage so eventually I got a bee in my helmet. Usually, you’d think of them as being in bonnets, but not today....
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  Day 56 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland - A Ride Towards Storm Clouds — May 10, 2020

  Today I had a ride towards storm clouds. I was cycling in the sun but as I looked towards Geneva I could see that it was dark and grey. I questioned whether to turn around or whether to keep going. It started to rain but I was reaching the half way point....
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  Day 55 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Long Horned Cows — May 9, 2020

  Long-Horned cows are a rare treat. We usually see short-horned or even de-horned cows in Switzerland. To see longhorn cow is a treat. I took a tiny detour from my walk to get some pictures. I have walked by the field a few times before seeing them close enough to the fence to consider taking pictures again....
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  Day 53 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Rebooting Switzerland in Safe Mode — May 7, 2020

  We’re just days away from Switzerland rebooting in Safe Mode. Rebooting in Safe mode means that children will go back to School on alternating days. Hairdressers and creches are already open. So are flower shops....
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  Day 50 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Floating Border Bike Ride — May 4, 2020

  Today could be described as a Floating Border bike ride. During the bike ride I saw at least three or four patrols. One of these patrols had stopped a biker and were checking his papers, a second patrol was checking that the barriers were still in place. In a third case it was the Police Municipale driving towards me near Vevey....
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  Day 34 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Daily Bike Ride — Apr 18, 2020

  When the Pandemic was just starting I thought that this would be perfect for a daily bike ride and I was tempted to go to the mountains and to do other things. I didn’t though, because emergency services said "Don’t monopolise our resources getting injured because we may be required to help with the COVID-19 situation. Within three or four weeks they changed their statement to "if you need help we’re still here, our emergency services are still working as normal....
• Cycling with the London Beer Bike group and with a group in Geneva — Jun 25, 2015

  The London Beer Bike group could tempt me to move back to London when and if I can find work there. When I left London it was the city of social media, where for the months after I graduated from University I would go to tweetups, seesmeetups and more. The last time I went to London I met with the London Beer Bike Group (LBBG) and enjoyed cycling across London with a group of others. The pace was relaxed and it allowed me to see the city in a way that I am not used to. When I lived in London I would move around by tube and by foot. As a result of this I learned the layout of the city but only within reasonable walking distance. Cycling in London as a group is fun because you are safer. Cars can’t overtake you as easily and when you move off from traffic lights you can move as a group. It’s also an opportunity to see new parts of the city. London on a bike feels smaller. You don’t have to take the busy roads. You can take side streets and cross parks to avoid traffic. As I dislike sitting and listening to small talk this is ideal. I mention this because later today I should be meeting a group to do something similar in Geneva. As cycling to Geneva and back is a 60km round trip and as I will return later in the evening I will use the car to get the bike down to the lake side and then cycle from there to Geneva with a possible destination of going towards Cologny. I know the roads around there from scuba diving....
• Cycling with the Cateye Stealth Evo+ — Jul 2, 2015

  I bought the Cateye Stealth Evo+ a few weeks ago because this summer I am rediscovering my passion for cycling. I made this decision because the Suunto Ambit 3 is not optimised for cycling. I wanted to have a way of checking my cadence whilst at the same time having a GPS track and easy data transfer with a service such as Strava....
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  Cycling up to La Barillette — Jun 25, 2015

  Cycling over short distances can be a challenge especially when that short distance takes you from the foot of the Jura to the top over 12 kilometres at a 6-10% grade. Cycling up to La Barillette is an endurance test. Perseverance is key. [gallery ids=“2394,2395,2396,2397,2398,2399,2401”] You can start the climb either from Cheserex or Gingins. The climb starts sharply and takes you up in to the forest. As you climb you follow the winding road by a stone block where old road rules are written. The stone dates from the 19th century and speaks of the regulations which were in effect. The path takes you up some one way and two way roads. At every kilometre as you climb some plaques tell you the gradient for the next kilometre as well as the gradient. As you progress these are welcome. They let you know how much further you have to go. I have attempted this climb four times in the preceding months and made it up twice. One of the aspects to be enjoyed with this route is the lack of cars. If you went up via the Route de St Cergue you would encounter cars every few seconds. On this route cars seldom pass and when they do they are sometimes curteous enough to slow down and give you space as you overtake. You can also enjoy some great views of the Mt Blanc and the Lac Léman. As you go up so the view gets better and better. It also gets cooler. The first 9 kilometres are the hardest. For 9 kilometres you will be struggling to keep your forward momentum and there is a chance that on the first two or three attempts you will give up, especially if you use as heavy a bike as I use. Once you have reached the 9 kilometre mark the path flattens out at around 1000 metres and it is just a matter of cycling for a further 3.7km. When you get to the top you have a beautiful vista of the Lac Leman. You can see from Villeneuve all the way to Geneva. You can see the Alps in their full glory and you can see the Canton de Vaud. You can see Lausanne, Morges, Nyon, Cheserex and many of the villages below. It’s a great opportunity to spot peaks and get to know them. There is a map showing you the name of the peak and it’s shape. If you train over the coming month and see that you have a good time on Strava then you could join the VTT race and see how you compare with others. In summer months from Wednesday to Sunday the restaurant de la Barillette is open. It has a great view of the landscape which you can enjoy while eating an entrecôte or fondue....
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  Cycling to the Vallée de Joux — Sep 27, 2018

  Yesterday I tried cycling to the Vallée de Joux and succeeded. A few weeks ago I cycled up to St George and I saw a sign that said that the Col De Marchairuz was less than 6km away so I decided to try it. When I succeeded that I saw that getting to the Vallée de Joux would be possible....
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  Cycling Trip to Lausanne and Back — Jul 17, 2016

  When I set off on my cycling trip to Lausanne and back I thought that the strong wind would force me to turn around and that I would abort the attempt by the time I got to Rolle or Morges. As I continued cycling I fought the wind and I made slow progress. When I was in the dips or along certain walls I had a break from the wind. I continued on with the effort. A nice portion of this route is on cycle paths so you are protected from traffic. Sometimes the cycle path is on the side of the road and at other points it is on a pavement at the side of the road. Near St Prex the route bifurcates from the road and goes through a 30km zone. You rejoin the road a few minutes later. Around Ouchy the roads were relatively quiet. [caption id=“attachment_3136” align=“aligncenter”] I stopped in Ouchy to recover before cycling back. The air temperature when I set off was about 20°c with wind. As I cycled I never felt too warm. It was a great temperature in which to cycle over a long distance. For the first hour I was drinking Jura water before switching to electrolytes for the route back. I usually carry enough water or snacks for part of the journey and when I feel the need for a rest I stop and pick up more supplies. It keeps the weight down. I was lucky when I cycled back towards Gland because the wind continued blowing in the same direction. The wind that I had spent the outward journey fighting was now in my back. As a result despite muscle fatigue the cycle back was comfortable enough and I still managed to get a good time. The challenge when cycling from the foot of the Jura is that you eventually need to spend energy to get from the lake uphill. It might be psychological but the place from which I like to climb from the lakeside is through Gland. There are a number of routes with reduced traffic or you can take the main road. In this case I took the main road and when I was passing the train station I felt the rear wheel wobble so I stopped to check the wheel but it seemed fine. I then cycled a little further and then heard the rear tire flopping. A thorn had made its way in to the tire and punctured it. I had noticed that there was a cycle shop on the lake road so instead of going to the two sports shop near the bouldering gym I went to this one. The owner was just about to leave when he saw me pushing my bike. He was very helpful. He helped me replace the tire and pump it up again so that I could continue my journey. I had always worried about getting a puncture and I was lucky that it happened in such a convenient place. I had to walk back about two kilometres but in the end the inconvenience of the puncture was quickly resolved and I could head home. It provided me with time to recover before heading up the hill once again. I am amused that it was a thorn. I cycle around rocks, glass and other hazards on the road and nature got me with a simple thorn. To be fair I had cycled about nine hundred kilometres before getting a puncture. [caption id=“attachment_3137” align=“aligncenter”] Some of the landscape you see   In the back of my mind I was always ready to cycle to Lausanne and then catch the train back but my endurance lasted both ways so I skipped the train. My next challenge will be to cycle around the Lac de Neuchâtel which is meant to be about 96 kilometres depending on the route you choose....
• Cycling stings — Oct 11, 2018

  Yesterday I was stung by a wasp while cycling and when I tried to remove the stinger I couldn’t. I was in pain and almost stopped cycling. I was in distress as a bus passed on a main road. I was on an agricultural path by some apple orchards. I stopped where the agricultural road reached the main road....
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  Cycling into the wind — Sep 24, 2018

  Yesterday I cycled my first 100km ride. It started as a simple ride towards Geneva and back but by the time I got back to Nyon I felt that I had enough energy to go further so I set the goal of getting to Rolle and after Rolle I set the goal to get to Morges before getting distracted and heading up towards Bière....
• Cycling in Winter — Jan 21, 2016

  After cycling over 1100 kilometres in 2015, I aim to cycle 1200 kilometres in 2016. This goal is an easy one to achieve. It’s the 21st of January and I already have 100 kilometres logged. The weather over the last three weeks has been cold and wet. We have had rain almost every day and it recently turned to snow. As there is a lack of good weather there is no choice but to go out in the bad weather. Cycling in these conditions is messy. Your clothes get soaked from the rain and as I cycle in the countryside I come home covered in mud. When I get home I change into dry clothes and I recover quickly. Rain is easy to deal with once you’re ready to feel wet and dress for the cold. What is more challenging is cycling on slick tires on snow. Some of the roads I cycle on are salted and cleared but as I also use agricultural roads they are covered in snow. Safety takes focus and concentration. The rear wheel skids if you apply too much force to the pedal and the bike can skew if you are not careful. Cycling in such conditions is not ideal. It demands resistance to the cold, stamina to continue making the effort and determination to set an achievable goal. I will continue towards 200 kilometres by the end of February. Cycling consistently now will make summer all the more pleasant and rewarding....
• Cycling in the Vallée de Joux — Jul 1, 2015

  Cycling in the Vallée de Joux is an enjoyable way of taking advantage of the summer heat we are currently lucky enough to experience. The Lac de Joux is a small lake and the ride distance is around 22 kilometres. In winter this lake freezes and I have walked over it whilst others have taken the opportunity to ice skate. It is located in the Jura after the Col De Marchairuz if you are coming from the Léman region of Switzerland. The cycle around the lake is relatively flat for most of the journey. I cycled clockwise starting from the western side of the lake. There is a 13% grade climb to contend with so be ready for it. It is not long but it is steep and you’re almost to the top when you get to the train tracks. Traffic is sparse so you can meet the challenge without stress from cars. There are two sets of sign posts that you can follow. One is for cross country bikes and the second is for road bikes. I had some fun doing a little of both as my bike allows for this. Cycling around this lake is pleasant. As you travel to the North of the lake you climb through the mountains with the occasional glimpse of the lake with it’s wind surfers, pedalo and other related sports. You can smell the pine trees and have a number of places to stop for a drink and rehydrate yourself. When you get to Le Lieu you can follow the road to a second lake along a nice easy road or you can choose the VTT (mountain bike trail. You have a short climb up until you get to dirt roads. These take you over the hill and back down the other side with a very nice view on a secondary lake. [caption id=“attachment_2421” align=“aligncenter”] You have a nice descent from Le Lieu to Le Pont. From here you go around and arrive on the Eastern side of the lake where you find two or three restaurants and an epicierie. That’s where I stopped to get a refreshing drink. It felt so good to ingest cool liquid and I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively low price. [caption id=“attachment_2422” align=“aligncenter”] Lac de Joux From the Eastern Edge of the road you can cycle along the foot path or you can cycle on the road. Out of respect for walkers/hikers I chose to go along the road. On the Southern side of the lake the road is rising slightly so you won’t get too tired. It’s from this side that you have some really beautiful landscapes to appreciate. Now that I have cycled around this lake I hope to make my way up to larger and larger lakes. Switzerland does have healthy opportunities. Eventually I want to cycle around the Léman once I feel my physical condition is right....
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  Cycling In The Rain — May 8, 2023

  By some fluke I have now gone for two bike rides in the rain. The first time I rode in the rain my hands got cold and I had to warm myself up again. Yestrday I went for. a bike ride again, expecting the weather to stay good. It drizzled almost non-stop. As a result my socks got soaked and I was once again covered in splatters of muddy water. I didn’t even ride through mud. I was covered in mud despite riding on tarmac....
• Cycling in the Rain and Snow — Feb 6, 2016

  [caption id=— align=“aligncenter”] Winter cycling Cycling is a sport that I forgot about for more than a decade. My passion for the sport came back when I had fun with a friend cycling around London. That experience showed me that London is even smaller than I thought. As an enthusiastic walker I already learned how to get around central London. To do so on a bike provided me with a new perspective of the town. In the summer of 2015 I cycled around one thousand kilometers. In the process I got to enjoy the summer heat and seeing the landscape at a different speed. It gave me the opportunity to see more of Geneva and the Vaud countryside. I even went to a slow-up in Bulles. In the process of cycling so much I wore down the rear tire which is meant for cross country rather than road cycling. In January, I replaced the old tires with slick tires and started the year running and then cycling. As we had three weeks of rain on a daily basis I eventually decided to stop using the weather as an excuse and went for runs and bike rides in the rain. When running, I came back soaked. When cycling I came back soaked, covered in mud and cold. [caption id=— align=“aligncenter”] Snowbike After cycling in the snow, I came back and some gears were unusable due certain cogs on the rear cassette freezing. As a consequence of these bad weather bike rides, I had to clean the bike to remove all dirt and re-lubricate the chain to avoid rust and to get the bike to run properly once again. Cycling in these conditions is fun because it requires concentration and focus but I can’t wait for the conditions to improve and to start enjoying sports comfortably once more. Summer is such a nice time of year for cyclists....
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  Cycling in Spain — Jan 10, 2019

  When people think of cycling in Spain they think of the seaside and they think of the coast. They think of long flat roads and short climbs. I made the mistake of thinking that so when I arrived in Spain I went cycling but every direction I tried involved climbing steep gradients. The first ride I did took me to the top of the Cumbre Del Sol and I felt that it was hard but I didn’t mind as I expected it to feel like a climb. It’s when I tried to ride in other directions that I came up to the steep gradients and started to understand the challenge of riding in such a landscape. In Switzerland you can have 12km climbs but they’re at shallow gradients most of the way with the occasional steep gradient. Roads with steep gradients are usually closed in Switzerland. In Spain they don’t have such an issue with ice and snow so they can build steep hills. The hills are so steep that I considered using normal shoes so that I could dismount easily if I ran out of steam. I continued with clipped pedals. I was using the Komoot app for one route and it asked me to go up consecutive steep gradients. I dismounted and walked up a short bit before getting to another flat bit of road. As I walked up that steep gradient I saw a scooter descending my way and as he applied the brakes to slow down a bit he hit a wet patch of road and the scooter slid for a distance downhill. I believe I made the right decision to dismount at this point. I eventually reached my destination after studying the map on the app and ignoring directions. Aside from the painful uphills there are some very nice downhills. This one is going down to the sea through Fanadix, not an Asterix character. This was an excellent and pleasant descent. I only went down this road twice and as I saw that there were some wet patches I didn’t go at full speed. It’s the type of descent you see idealised in road and cycling programs. I love when you have roads that are wide enough for traffic to go uphill and downhill because it feels safer than two-way roads that are only a car width wide. When I cycle I try to take secondary roads as much as possible for two reasons. The first of these is that there is less traffic so you can enjoy the landscape and see places that people following main roads cannot see and the second reason is that when you’re going up a steep gradient it’s nice to be able to take up the entire road. This is something that I tried in Switzerland and adopt on most of my rides. It’s safer. Before this spot I was going up a steep gradient and sticking to the right of the road when I saw a car coming down the other way. The driver could have continued down safely but she was courteous and stopped, letting me progress up the hill. This landscape reminds me of Mont Sur Rolle. Spanish terraced vineyards looking towards the sea. In Switzerland vines are given cables to grow on but in Spain at this time of year vines are cut so you see the vineyards unblemished by metal cables. It’s nice to cycle in Spain but I noticed that I could easily do three to five hundred metres of climbing on every bike ride up steep gradients. You need strong legs for the gradients. In Switzerland it’s rare for me to stand up as I pedal but in Spain it’s almost a requirement. It is a good place to perfect your climbing technique. I will explore more routes next time I go....
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  Cycling From Nyon To the Signal De Bougy and Back — May 30, 2022

  Yesterday I looked at the wind, and when I saw that it was coming from the east I decided to cycle into it, for the outward journey, and back, with it, on the journey back. Originally my plan was to cycle to Rolle and to turn around but the plan changed. I was cycling and I overtook a woman. I like to challenge myself to overtake everyone. I especially like to overtake everyone, as a personal challenge, until I am too tired....
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  Cycling from Nyon To Geneva and Back — May 26, 2023

  Catching the train to Geneva and back to Nyon costs about 14CHF per day, depending on whether you have paid 180 CHF for the half fare or not. In contrast two Continent GP 5000 tires cost about 110CHF and you can go to Geneva and back a few hundred times....
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  Cycling From Haute-Morges To Nyon Along the Top — Jun 16, 2023

  Yesterday I cycled from Haute-Morges to Nyon along the top. I did this because I was curious to see what route the GPS would recommend. The natural thing to do would be to cycle downhill towards Rolle and the lake....
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  Cycling to the City that Never Wakes Up — Jun 14, 2017

  Yesterday I wanted to go for a bike ride. I hesitated between driving to the Vallée De Joux and cycling around the lake, cycling up to Les Rousses and facing a long and sustained uphill or cycling to a meeting in Geneva. In the end, I cycled to the meeting in Geneva. As you see this is a 67 km bike ride with a vertical change 0f 714 metres. On a road bike that’s fine, because the bike is light. On a mountain bike with slick tires and no one to pace me it can be quite tiring. According to the watch, it will take 120 hours to recover from the journey. The segment along Chemin des Pins and Chemin De St Oyend are closed to all traffic except agricultural. This means that you can use the entire road. Rue De La Brunette is a funny name for a street coming off of St Oyend. I enjoy cycling in cities because I see it as a series of sprints, to try to keep up with cars. As they go at just 30 km/h this is easy for a few minutes. I noticed people on e-bikes and I had the intention of drafting behind him but he changed direction so it was short lived. As you can see from the graph above I was making most of the effort on this bike ride as I cycled to Geneva. The gap is where I stopped at Impact Hub to meet one or two people, refill my water bottle and then cycle around Geneva before heading back towards Crans and Nyon. When you live at the foot of the Jura you have two choices for every bike ride. You can head down towards the lake, enjoy your bike ride but then be left with a 200-metre climb or you can cycle up to the mountains and then have a nice downhill on the way home. With training and a lighter bike these graphs could be less extreme. When that becomes the case then commuting to work by bike is feasible....
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  Cycling and Running — Mar 3, 2023

  I like cycling, hiking and climbing rather than running but I read an article that makes me think that cycling and running are incompatible. In one sport the leg becomes a spring and as you run it becomes fine tuned to reflect the energy back into forward motion whereas in cycling torque is key....
• Critical Mass in Geneva — Jul 26, 2016

  For those who like to cycle in a group of people there is a critical mass event organised for the 29th of August from 1830 onwards in Geneva. The meeting point is the île Rousseau. From there they will cycle around the city of Geneva. At the moment of writing this post the weather is meant to be good with sun and 29°c. When I cycled with a group of people in London I had fun. I found that the city of London was much smaller than I had thought. If you don’t know a city it is an opportunity to discover new cycling routes and if you do know the city it is an opportunity to meet new people. The group cycles at a speed that is comfortable for everyone. Those who are confident have time to stop and take pictures or place ingress and Pokemon Go and those who are not as fast are not abandoned. Although not a critical mass bike ride when I met with a group to cycle in Geneva we travelled about 40km. The advantage that I have when I cycle in and around Geneva is that the landscape is flat compared to where I cycle in the countryside. Geneva has bike and bus lanes in the centre and when you get out of the centre you have cycle paths that are separate from road traffic and pedestrian traffic. When youn get to the Geneva countryside the roads are relatively quiet so you do not have to worry about cycling in traffic. There is a critical mass cycling app to make finding the group easier if you meet the group after it has started cycling....
• Coming to the limitations of a simple home trainer — Oct 19, 2018

  The challenge is being gradual enough to react to the lag in power reading. A few training sessions ago I tried pedalling hard, overshooting the watts required but found that it was hard to catch the momentum just right. I then tried the opposite. I tried pedalling faster, to get to the desired wattage and then changing gear and keeping the wheel going at that momentum. This worked for a period....
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  Climbing to La Barillette — May 27, 2019

  The first time I climbed up to La Barillette on a bike it took me two and a half hours. This time it took one hour and sixteen minutes. I was going so slowly that I had to work to keep the bike upright. Since then I have gone from a mountain bike with tyres that weren’t pumped enough and soft suspension to the same bike with slick tires, hardened suspension and higher pressure in the tyres. I then swapped that bike two or three years later and tried the same climb. I struggled with the road bike as well. I had to stop at least two or three times. I also found that clipped in pedals on such steep gradients are a hindrance because you can’t stop until the flatter bits....
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  Climbing to La Barillette — May 27, 2019

  Rich Kleinbauer - Jun 6, 2019...
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  Barefoot Shoes and Cycling — May 13, 2023

  Recently I swapped the clip-less pedals for flat pedals and yesterday I decided to try the pedals on a bike ride. I went for a 74.91km ride with pedals I had never used and shoes I had never worn for cycling. I cycled for almost 75 kilometres with Merrel Vapor Glove 6. These are soft, flimsy shoes that you can roll up and put into a pocket. They’re more like socks, or gloves, than shoes. The fact that this was a 75km bike ride shoes that the shoes and the pedals work fine together although I did find that I felt more fatigue....
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  Back to Cycling — Sep 14, 2019

  Yesterday I went back to cycling after breaking my arm and letting it recover. My lower body is fine despite not cycling for a long time but the left arm still feels vulnerable. I could feel it when changing gears and when going over bumps....
• Another Pandemic Weekend Without Plans — Mar 5, 2021

  Normally at this time of year, as the snow melts and the temperatures increase the opportunity for spring and summer sports returns. These sports are via ferrata, outdoor climbing, hiking and more. This year is different because although today is Friday no plans have been made for the next two days. There is a excellent chance that I will either hike or cycle alone. Usually I avoid cycling on Saturdays because that is the day when people are anxiously driving between their homes and their shops....
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  An Ingress Bike ride that passed by bisons — Feb 24, 2020

  Yesterday I went on an Ingress bike tide that passed by bison. I went from Nyon to Mies and from Mies up towards Gex, and before getting to Gex, I turned towards Divonne where I met an Ingress player before heading home, as the sun was setting....
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  An 80km bike ride to Echandens and back — Feb 18, 2019

  During a recent walk I noticed that I could hear birds chirping, that the sun was shining and that spring seemed to be booting up. The weather held until Saturday so the conditions were ideal for a nice bike ride. The ride started at around 0840, with frost on the ground and an Outdoor Air Temperature (OAT) of around 1°c....
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  An 80-kilometre ride — Jun 3, 2019

  Yesterday I set off for a bike ride planning to go from Nyon to Gland, and then up and around before heading back to Geneva and then from around Versoix riding back to Nyon....
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  Alpe De Zwift in 57 Minutes And 10 Seconds. — Jan 22, 2019

  I have ascended the Alpe de Zwift 5 times since i started using Zwift. My first climb took about one and a half hours, and then about one hour and sixteen minutes and finally just 57 minutes. I managed to get down to 57 minutes because I participated in Stage 6 of the Tour De Zwift event....
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  A Worn Through Tyre — May 19, 2023

  There was a time when I would change the rear tyre regularly. I was changing from an indoor trainer tyre to a road tyre and back regularly. I developed my skill at this art and then the pandemic occured and I stopped changing tyres as regularly. Recently I went for a 74km bike ride and when I checked the tyre a day or two later I noticed that the rubber was gone and the fibres were showing. I went for one last bike ride, and then I swapped the old tyre for a new one....
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  A Weekend Walk During a Pandemic — May 14, 2022

  Today I went for my daily walk and I saw a shape. I thought, “That looks like a fox” and as I approached i had a doubt about it being a dog and I felt fear but I continued forward anyway. Eventually the fox noticed me, looked at me and then fled the other way. This is good news. This means that the fox was healthy, rather than rabied. It also means that I can keep being relaxed about seeing foxes....
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  A two Jersey cycling event and then too tired to climb. — Jan 10, 2019

  Yesterday I had a morning ride because I wanted to participate in the Tour de Zwift event. Yesterday the track was London and I was riding slowly for the first half, conserving energy. Eventually, when I got warmed up I started to ride harder and harder until I was overtaking quite a few other cyclists. I took advantage to play on the sprint and got the Green jersey. I took some time to recover and then I pushed myself. I was overtaking group after group. I gained at least 50 places in the standing. When I got to Keith Hill I was pedalling hard. I was overtaking people constantly and I was pushing from one group to the next, catching up with them just to encourage myself to make that much more effort. Eventually, I got to the top of the hill and I saw that I had both the green jersey and the polka dotted one. “Meilleur Grimpeur” as you hear on French television during the Tour De France. It feels good to push that much, to exceed your previous rides and for it to be quantifiable. This ride resulted in quite a few personal records on Zwift. I also improved my FTP score.   Making such an effort on an ordinary day would be great. I’d have had a good workout and reached my daily exercise goal. In this case, it was a mistake. I went climbing without having a proper dinner in the evening and all the energy I had burned to cycle was now missing for climbing. This was my worst day of climbing in a while. I completed one or two routes rather than the usual five or six. Usually, before I go climbing in the evening I rest. When I get to the wall I’m impatient to climb and I do well....
• A Third of Green Travel — Jan 15, 2022

  I am surprised by thirty two cities. Did I drive through them or walk through them? A quarter of my travel was green....
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  A Return to Cycling — May 28, 2022

  For three years I did not cycle. For one year it was because I broke my arm while cycling, The second year it was because we were in the first wave of this never-ending pandemic so I preferred not to stray too far from home. The third year it was because the pandemic was still not over, but it felt as if we had a chance. This year is different. This year we know that the Swiss government doesn’t care either way. For the Swiss the pandemic is over, whether that is true, or false....
• A nice day for a ride — Jul 21, 2021

  A road between green trees....
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  A July September Day — Sep 8, 2021

  I saw a deer...
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  A Camera Bike — Jan 6, 2023

  In Spain I keep seeing the BKL Prolimp bikes and I like them. They’re tricycles rather than bikes but I think they could be useful. Instead of transporting a broadcast camera and tripod in a car or smart you could transport them on the back of this bike. Instead of a bin bag though I would have the tripod bag and find a way to fix the camera as well....
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  A Call for More Cycling and Walking Paths — Nov 29, 2022

  I walk or cycle almost every day across five or six villages per walk, and more on bikes. During these walks and bike rides I see that there is a chronic lack of safe walking and cycling routes, if you want to go for any distance. Almost every village has five, six or more roads in and out of it, but there are no safe walking or cycling routes...
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  A Bike Ride In The Rain — Apr 13, 2023

  My fingers went numb with cold during today’s bike ride. I saw that there was a chance of rain but I went anyway. I went for a simple reason. Some people in an apartment next door were banging on walls, and the noise is unpleasant. The noise is so unpleasant that the idea of cycling in the cold rain was more appealing than listening to that noise....
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  The Sunrise Run and Croissant Loop — Mar 19, 2026

  Naturally we think of doing group activities in the evenings, after work, or over the weekend, when we’re free for the entire day. Some people take the opposite approach. They wake up early to go for a morning sunrise run or a croissant loop bike ride....
• A Sunrise Ride Into the Wind — Mar 18, 2026

  I set the alarm for 05:30 this morning and when it went off I was tempted to ignore it and sleep more. I had the self-discipline to get up anyway, shower, and then dress for a bike ride. When I was ready to go the watch told me “sunrise in 10 minutes” and I set off then....
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  On group Activities that Challenge Me Physically — Mar 17, 2026

  Two days in a row I participated in activities that pushed me physically. On sunday it was a 60km ride with 900m of climbing and a 25km/h wind and the next day it was a 9.4km walk which is pushing my endurance further than usual. I found myself thinking that I should participate in hikes because hikes are easy. I’m used to walking. Walking and hiking were my specialities....
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  On Cycling into La Bise — Mar 16, 2026

  Yesterday before the ride I could hear the wind playing with the shutter slats. I could also hear it against the combes, or roof, if you prefer that word. I looked outside and I could see that the wind was moving branches around. I also looked at the temperature and thought “Do I really want to go for a bike ride in these conditions?” Of course, as this was a group ride I did....
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  On the Convenience of Buses Making Self-Driving Cars Obsolete — Mar 7, 2026

  In the last two days I ran 8.7 and 7.6km. I also walked 7km and 6 or more kilometres. I’m also recovering from a cold. That’s why yesterday I broke a fundamental rule, by catching a bus....
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  On the CycPlus AS2 — Feb 22, 2026

  The Cycplus AS2 is a pocket sized inflator that can easily be taken while cycling with a group or alone. It doesn’t have a display and it doesn’t tell you how much battery but it does inflate a tyre within seconds with minimal effort....
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  The Over-Inflated Tyre — Feb 21, 2026

  Today, for the first time during a bike ride, I had a tyre puncture. I suspect that it wasn’t a tyre puncture but rather that I over-inflated the tyre, and that due to the wet, gravelly conditions of the roads, the inner tube eventually failed....
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  On Noise Pollution and a Skipped Bike Ride — Jan 31, 2026

  I know, without a doubt that if I ride with one group, especially if there are only 25 people, that it will be hard. It’s because of how hard I know the ride will be that I am not keen to join that group. despite this I still considered going for a bike ride this morning, until noisy neighbours made it impossible for me to have an early night....
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  Rivers of Cars and Soft Mobility — Dec 13, 2025

  The biggest improvement you can make to walking and cycling mobility is to avoid having cyclists, and pedestrians blocked by car traffic. This can include traffic lights but also busy roads where it is impossible to cross. If you’re on a walk, or a bike ride, and you get blocked by cars, then the temptation is not to walk that route, or walk a shorter distance....
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  A Walk To the Post Office and a Skipped Bike Ride — Dec 6, 2025

  Yesterday I went for two walks. The first walk was after lunch because I had something to drop off at the post office. Usually I would have printed the label at home, rather than doing this walk. I desired to go for a bike ride but the chore was more important. In the process I learned something....
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  The Knackering Bicycle Ride — Nov 30, 2025

  Yesterday for the first time in a week and a half I went for a bike ride. I was thinking that I would ride with the lazy group. That is to say “group 3” as it is commonly called. Due to the lower turnout for this weekend there was no differentiation between groups. I felt fine, for the first part. It’s when we start to climb, and descend, and climb again, and descend that I began to feel exhausted....
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  Awake at five thirty — Nov 26, 2025

  This morning I set the alarm for five thirty, and I recharged my bike lights, head unit and more. I decided that if I felt good, and full of energy I would go for the group ride. I slept through the night and woke up feeling fresh, but I skipped the ride....
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  The Skipped Morning Ride — Nov 19, 2025

  Some people would have skipped this morning’s ride because it was cold. The temperature was forecast to be minus two degrees celsius and with the wind chill factor, and regional differences it could have felt like minus 5°c or cooler....
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  Garmin Connect, Explore 2 and Instinct 2 Experimentation — Nov 16, 2025

  Garmin connect isn’t as smart as I thought. I thought that if I used the Explore 2 with a heart rate belt, that I would get training status and training readiness. For a week I was tracking with the Explore 2 as my primary tracker. Data is missing....
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  Thoughts on Cycling and Walking in the Age of the Car — Nov 14, 2025

  I often walk between towns and villages and in so doing I notice how overwhelming cars have become. If you walk from a village to a town, you have to contend with busy roads. These busy roads are often like deep rivers. Sometimes you need to wait for several minutes before you can cross. At other times you notice that cars see you at a crossing but they don’t slow down in anticipation of your wanting to cross....
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  First Frost of the Season — Nov 13, 2025

  During yesterday’s bike ride, at dawn, I noticed that grass near Grens was coated in a thin layer of frost. I also noticed that when we cycled in some places it felt much cooler than in others. I also felt the paradox of thicker gloves, and colder fingers. It seems that the thin gloves are more effective....
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  On Raclette, White Wine, and Group Rides — Nov 10, 2025

  Sunday bike rides are not as common as Saturday bike rides so when I committed to the Eysins Raclette event I thought it wouldn’t matter. I didn’t count on having a Sunday bike ride....
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  A Spontaneous Ride to Mont Tendre Following the Wrong Route — Nov 6, 2025

  Yesterday I hesitated to wake up to go for the Coffee and Croissant loop. I decided to go anyway. This ride was at a relaxed pace. It’s amusing. When I left home I could see a beautiful sunrise, with nice light, and clear skies. By the time we started the ride mist had come up and we were riding through humid clouds. It was so wet I saw drops of water falling from my glasses as they condensed during the ride....
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  The Up and Down Flat Ride — Nov 2, 2025

  Yesterday I went for a bike ride. When I looked at the route I thought "this looks like a nice calm, relaxed ride. It wasn’t. I rode with group 2, which is a fast group, going uphill at 20-40 km/h on certain segments....
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  A Cold Morning Bike Ride — Oct 30, 2025

  Yesterday morning I felt a little under the weather so I considered skipping the 07:00 ride. I didn’t because I thought that I would regret not going, if I did not go. In the process I got to ride with the autumn/winter tyres and this time they felt less laggy than before....
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  A Bike Ride and Noise Pollution — Oct 29, 2025

  Yesterday afternoon I heard some very loud banging. I thought that it was due to an idiot driving a farming machine into something solid and they were trying to fix the damage. As it continued it made me furious. It’s for this reason that I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on my bike....
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  Cycling to the Airport and Ice Skating — Oct 27, 2025

  A week ago I proposed a bicycle ride to Mies, before stopping at the Port de Crans for coffee. Quite a few people joined the chat but no one committed to turning up. I woke up in the morning and said "I’m thinking of setting off early, since no one had confirmed. When no one said “wait, wait, wait” I set off on my bicycle ride....
• On Rain and Using it as an Excuse Not To Walk or Cycle — Oct 24, 2025

  Bike rides have been cancelled because of rain, rather than wind or other factors. When it rains cyclists don’t want to ride because it gets their bike dirty and they have to clean it, lubricate it and more. With hikers rain is also an excuse to be lazy, within some groups. With other groups rain is just rain and the walks and hikes go ahead....
• of Cycling and Walking Infrastructure — Oct 23, 2025

  When I hear that new cycling lanes will be created on a new segment of road I feel excitement, at the prospect of cycling being a pleasant, streamlined experience. Often though, in Switzerland, especially in the French speaking part they will spend months digging up a road, and then putting the road back down, and painting lines and saying "There, we have cycling infrastructure....
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  The Strava IPO and My Desire To Quit the App — Oct 15, 2025

  This morning I woke at 0530 and thought “I can’t be bothered to go for a ride so early.” Within a few minutes I was up getting ready. I put on my Autumnal cyclist stuff and pumped the tyres to 80 bar. I then road to the meeting point. I arrived 15 minutes early and was surprised not to see anyone appear until 5 minutes before. I had considered going for a solo ride as a result....
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  Autumn Cycling — Oct 14, 2025

  The first bicycle ride, when it got cooler, felt unpleasant. My hands felt cold, the areas around zips felt cold, my legs felt cold, and then, over a few rides I got used to the temperature....
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  Tired Heading Up to La Faucille — Oct 5, 2025

  Yesterday I felt strong cycling with the group, up from Nyon to Saint Cergue and on to the Col De La Givrine before heading towards La Cure. Part of the reason for feeling strong is that I have climbed the Jura multiple times this summer, so climbing up has become less strenuous. I am now habituated to heading up the Jura for the first climb of the day....
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  The Unattended Group Ride - Hypothetical — Oct 1, 2025

  For several days I was the only person signed up for a bike ride. Last night it went up to seven people, and then this morning it was down to three people, including me. I arrived half an hour to fifteen minutes early. During that time I had the opportunity to think “What if no one turns up, would I still ride”. My reaction was “of course”. I was already at the meeting point, ready to cycle....
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  On Trips to Geneva by Car, Train and Bicycle — Sep 30, 2025

  Yesterday I cycled along the lake to get to Geneva. When I got to Geneva I cycled by World Meteorological Organisation before heading up from there towards the Graduate Institute, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Palace of Nations (Palais des Nations) before heading by the International committee of the Red cross, by the International Labour Organisation and World Health Organisation before passing by the European Broadcasting Union, before finally heading back out of Geneva....
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  A Cycling Network Operating Centre or NOC — Sep 29, 2025

  Today I looked at the Sports Tracker app and I noticed that all of my activities started from home, whether cycling, hiking, or walking. That’s because I spent this month cycling and walking from home. I didn’t use the car, or trains to get around....
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  Autumn Fatigue — Sep 28, 2025

  When I was scuba diving every weekend I would often feel tired in the afternoon, after I got home. It’s due to the huge change in pressure, from 40m down in the lake to 300+m above sea level around the Léman. Yesterday I went for a ride, and today I went for a ride again. I feel fatigue. I feel tired and in need of time to recover....
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  On Hot Climbs and Cold Valley — Sep 27, 2025

  When I left home this morning the sun had not risen yet so my legs, and other parts were cold. I could feel that more layers might have been welcome. That’s because cycling in Autumn is about moving from a hot apartment to a cold dawn air temperature, before meeting with a group and cycling up a mountain, getting hot, and then heading back down into valleys hidden from the sun....
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  Hitting the Wall After a Long and Steep Climb — Sep 21, 2025

  Yesterday I expected to be quite comfortable on a ride but I wasn’t. The climb was steep, with bits that were at 17 percent according to others. You pedal, and pedal. You feel the muscles in your legs fatigue. You think, “if only I could stop for a few minutes”, but you don’t. You keep going. You keep pushing. You get to the top....
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  Cycling Uphill Faster — Sep 19, 2025

  I have been up the Molard climb four times this year, and each time I sped up by a little. Twice my time improved by two minutes, and when I tried yesterday it improved by only a few seconds. With an average of 2000 meters of climbing per week I can feel the effects....
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  The Cold Morning Ride — Sep 17, 2025

  This morning I toyed with the idea of wearing a proper winter cycling top. Instead I settled for a thermal layer, the usual top, sleeves, and a wind blocker. These weren’t enough for me to feel warm....
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  The Desire to Chat Longer on Hikes and Bike Rides — Sep 12, 2025

  I was perfectly happy hiking in solitude for years in a row, but eventually, as normal life returned, after the pandemic I felt a sense of isolation, especially on weekends. I would see groups walking together and I longed to revert to that habit. Eventually I did and now for more than a year I have been on regular group hikes and bike rides....
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  Four Thousand Meters of Cycle Climbing in the Franco-Swiss Jura — Sep 8, 2025

  Mt Tendre via Rolle...
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  A Pleasant Ride to Montricher — Sep 1, 2025

  On Sunday I rode with the Le Cercle No Pressure Club group ride from Nyon to Montricher via Vich to Begnins, and From there to Gimel and then onto Bière and eventually Montricher....
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  A Birthday Party Nearby and Good Sleep Before Cycling — Aug 29, 2025

  On Sunday I want to do a bike ride that I have been thinking of doing for months, at this point. It’s an 81km loop that begins in Nyon and ends in Nyon, going via Montricher. The challenge with this ride is that it has 1100m of climbing....
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  Autumn Rain and Cancelled Bike Rides — Aug 28, 2025

  Last night I could have gone for a group ride, and it wouldn’t have rained on, despite what the weather said. As I went for a ride that morning, and felt tired, it felt rational not to ride in the evening....
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  Waiting for Cyclone Erin and Rain — Aug 27, 2025

  On RTS Info they warn about Erin, the ex-cyclone probably hitting Switzerland, dumping a lot of rain. The alert for some areas is level 5....
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  The Energetic Cycling Rest Day — Aug 26, 2025

  On Sunday evening I saw that a ride was planned for Monday evening. Usually I would hae skipped this ride because I felt that I should rest. According to Garmin I should have taken a rest day....
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  A Weekend of Hiking and Cycling in the Jura — Aug 25, 2025

  This weekend I cycled and I hiked. The bike ride was up to the Combe Blanche, and the hike was from Vallorbe to Croy-Romainmôtier....
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  Of Cycling and Via Ferrata — Aug 20, 2025

  Last night a bike ride was cancelled for this morning due to the risk of rain. As a result I got to sleep in rather than get up to ride at dawn. In the process I got to rest. It also confirms that the seasons are changing....
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  The Inclusivity of Empathy in Group Activities — Aug 18, 2025

  I love to hike fast. I also love to walk fast. When I am hiking I love to hike my own hike, and then wait for people at regular intervals, so that they may catch up, rest a little, and then continue....
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  The Advantage of a Sweeper/Coach — Aug 16, 2025

  When I ride with some groups I have to ride hard. I have to keep the wheel and stay with the group because if I get dropped then I need to work hard to get back onto their wheels. In contrast when I ride with other groups, as a result of having to ride hard sometimes, I end up faster....
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  A Reminder to Unclip and Anticipate Danger While Cycling — Aug 15, 2025

  In the last two days I have had dangerous situations in Geneva and Nyon when pedestrians, or cars, have failed to pay attention to the fact that they were crossing a cycling lane where cyclists have priority. The result is that in two cases I had to take emergency evasive action to avoid a collision....
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  One Weekend - Two Pinnacle Rides — Aug 13, 2025

  This weekend I know of two challenging rides that I could do. The first is a 140km ride with 2000m of climbing, eventually getting to the top of the Salève. The second is a 153km walk with 2500m of climbing to the Col Du Grand St Bernard....
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  Playing with the Beeline App — Aug 11, 2025

  I like the idea of a device as convenient as the Beeline Velo 2. I like the idea of a simple, easy to attach navigation device that can last for several hours and provide navigation. I currently use the Garmin Edge Explore but in my experience it can be unreliable....
• The Desire to Cycle the Triathlon Circuit — Aug 10, 2025

  I would like swimming if I could go to a quiet pool on a day with a comfortable temperature. I like being in the water but I don’t like being in cold water, despite diving in Swiss lakes every weekend for around two years. I used a dry suit so once out of the water I was comfortable within minutes....
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  A Peak Ride to Baudichonne — Aug 9, 2025

  This morning I woke naturally at 05:30 before getting up and ready. By 07:00 I was on the road cycling towards Geneva and I arrived 20 minutes early. By my standards that is quite close to the expected time....
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  On Riding a Freshly Serviced Bike — Aug 8, 2025

  On Wednesday morning I rode my bike into Geneva to drop it off for a service. In the evening I went for a group ride that was heading in the direction I wanted, before leaving the group and riding for home. I didn’t ride much on Wednesday, but I was tired. I believe that walking in cycling clothes, to catch a train, twice, does tire us more than walking in normal clothes....
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  Quick Thoughts on Drafting while Cycling — Aug 6, 2025

  When you ride alone you face the headwinds, and have to fight them. When you want to speed up you get to a certain speed, and if you want to ride faster you need to fight the wind. On a windy day you might feel sluggish and slow. You might then see a group ride overtake you with ease and think “I wish I was as fast as they are”, or even “I wish I was in that group”....
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  The Cost of Cycling and Driving — Aug 5, 2025

  Have you ever considered the difference in cost between cycling and driving a petrol car? Of course you have, and so have I. Yesterday I was reminded of how expensive cars are. I think that the last time I used the petrol car was to change to summer tyres. It has been dormant since then. Yesterday I refulled for about 50 CHF I think. I also used the self-checkout in the shop, rather than going to the human being. Everyone else went to the human being....
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  Five Days Cycling Out of Seven — Aug 4, 2025

  If I drove four hundred and thirty kilometres I would either be going on holidays or wasteful with petrol. To do the same thing on a bike is much better for the health of the planet and my own. The reason for this is simple. Good cardiovascular health....
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  The Inconvenience of a Late Train With a Bike — Jul 31, 2025

  Yesterday I went for an evening bike ride in Geneva and I chose to take the train home, rather than cycle. In the process I saw that trains are not that convenient later at night. The reason for this is that they’re smaller, so the space for bikes is restricted....
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  Strava July Cycling Elevation Challenge Success — Jul 30, 2025

  For seasons, or even years I saw the Strava Elevation Challenge and I thought “I won’t even try this challenge, because I will fail”. This month I tried it, and I succeeded. Not only did I succeed to climb the 7000m suggested by the challenge but I got to 10,415m. I overshot by 4000m so far and I have a ride planned for this afternoon....
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  The bike Handlebar bag – ACTV 100 — Jul 27, 2025

  Cyclists like to be lean and clean when they ride. They don’t like to ride with bags. They prefer to keep spares in the rear pockets of jerseys rather than carry a bag. As a hiker I don’t mind carrying a bag but I decided to try minimalism....
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  From the Foot of the Jura to the Léman — Jul 26, 2025

  Today I tried route 473 which goes from the Morges Train Station towards Montricher and across, before heading back down to the lake side. This is a 57 or so kilometre loop along roads that were quite quiet. I don’t know whether that was because of the rain forecast or because people are on holiday....
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  The Tuesday Solo Ride — Jul 23, 2025

  Yesterday I didn’t dress for cycling. My plan was to see if I could get the power meter to work and then go for a short ride. In the end I found that as one device failed to detect them I would try a second. The second worked after a few seconds. I calibrated the pedal, and then I went for a short ride....
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  How to Share the Strava Flyover — Jul 21, 2025

  Yesterday I was playing with Strava Flyoveers and I tried to share the videos of flyovers but rather than sharing the video as I had wanted to do it shared a hyperlink to the activities that were already shared. I then tried to share via Instagram but the result was a pixelated mess with a line....
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  Cycling Uphill with a Combined Harvester Right Behind — Jul 18, 2025

  Yesterday we were cycling up towards Marchissy when a combine harvester began to follow us quite close. The experience of being followed, while cycling is quite something. These machines are large, with big tyres, and the driver is centred rather than to the left as with other vehicles. Luckily the gradient of the climb was not too steep....
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  The Nyon LeCercle Ride with Thirty Two Achievements — Jul 17, 2025

  Yesterday I went with a morning ride with TDC, which felt relaxed, before going for a ride with LeCercle in the evening. This group has a high level with many of the cyclists riding thousands of kilometres per year....
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  On Meetup and Strava Cycling Events — Jul 16, 2025

  Meetup and Strava are two sites filling specific niches. Meetup is a dinosaur of the web. It dates back to 2005 when the web was still looking for a way to be sustainable, and thus, more fun. Meetup was good for people in big US cities, London and other metropolitain cities. If you lived in Bumbleduck nowhere it was not. (Intentional spelling)...
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  On the Irony of Expensive Cars — Jul 14, 2025

  A few weeks ago two individuals in a car yelled abuse at a group of us who were cycling. They were mad that a cyclist did not pull in for them to pass easily. At this point I thought "Despair is not sat on a bench as in the proverb, he is sat in a car....
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  The Desire to Challenge Myself With a Different Group — Jul 13, 2025

  Yesterday I arrived to the cycling meeting place by 08:07 and the Peak group were still there, getting read to set off. It was understood that I had planned to ride with the group and I was tempted to try. The issue is that I already rode quite hard with the Wednesday group and the Thursday group....
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  That Pumped Feeling — Jul 9, 2025

  Today on two segments, specifically I rode fast. I rode fast because I know them well so it is easy for me to assess effort without feeling drained, or at least not too drained, and then I slowed down to the speed of the group....
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  Cycling and Suspected Heat Exhaustion — Jul 6, 2025

  Over the last week I have cycled, and climbed over 3000m. Yesterday I climbed 1664 meters over an 89 kilometre ride. It was divided into the first climb, from the Léman towards La Cure, then a flat bit, ridden fast, before getting to the climb to Marchairuz and that is when I ran out of power....
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  Cycling with the Varia RTL 515 — Jun 30, 2025

  A few days ago I went on a group ride. I noticed that a high percentage of bikes had bike radars so I checked to see the price of these devices once again. For a year or two I have considered getting a bike radar but didn’t because I found that the price was too high. I believe that recently either the price went down or the offer of cheaper alternatives improved....
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  The Relaxed Long Ride Around the Mole and Back Via Mole — Jun 29, 2025

  Yesterday I set off at about 07:20 feeling slightly tired and under the weather. While I rode into Geneva I felt that I couldn’t push too much and I questioned whether I should abort the ride....
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  A Groupe Ride from Nyon to Les Fruitières with Tête de Course — Jun 27, 2025

  Yesterday we left Nyon through the “secret” passage that takes you from near Place St Martin to the lakeside. We had to take this route because of the défilé des enfants. Roads were blocked so some drivers might have been trapped for an hour or two. On a bike I was blocked from going one way so I went another way, and then I walked to the meeting point....
• Emergency Contact Information and Incident Detection — Jun 25, 2025

  Recently I joined a cycling group and they require us to provide In Case of Emergency Information so that if we have an accident our phone provides people with names and numbers to call. At first I thought “Why would I want this, I have no In Case of Emergency person” due to being single and living alone....
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  Waking Early to Cycle — Jun 24, 2025

  I think that tomorrow I will wake between 05:00-05:30 to be ready at the meeting point to go for a bike ride that starts at 06:30. The start is early because it is meant to be a “ride before work” for this group....
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  Of Relaxed Rides and Hikes the Next Day — Jun 23, 2025

  Two days ago I was cycling with a group and someone commented that the relaxed rides are no longer relaxed and that got me to thinking about organising a real relaxed ride, where the aim is to cycle at 20 on the flat. If I had had this option then I could have tried group rides much sooner. In fact the group rides that I tried last year would have been more comfortable. When a group is fast, and we are not, then the ride is exhausting, even if it has a coffee break....
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  Why do I Hike and Cycle in Groups — Jun 21, 2025

  The most beautiful sight I saw on today’s ride was a murder of crows sitting at a water fountain. They were there because it offered water. When I cycled by it forced them to take off and scatter. With them were a few birds of prey. If you have watched The Birds by Hitchcock then the experience would have been bad. For me it was the highlight of my solo ride....
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  A TDC Social Ride to La Baudichonne — Jun 20, 2025

  Yesterday evening I went for a group ride but rather than riding for an hour or so to get to Geneva I rode to the centre of Nyon. I rode to the old garage that was transformed into a café called Tête de Course. This is where the TDC group meet before starting their Thursday evening bike ride. Social Rides...
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  The Skipped Group Ride - As I am Leading a Hike Tomorrow — Jun 14, 2025

  This morning I woke at six with the intention of going for a group ride but I felt myself coughing and feeling low energy. When I checked Garmin Connect it said that I had a bad night of sleep and yet still recommended a 28 minute run or a half hour bike ride. I chose to go for a low intensity run and was done by eight in the morning....
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  A Project to Cycle Around the Léman — Jun 10, 2025

  Cycling around the Léman is a challenge that I could try with a group on Sunday. It would begin and end in Geneva. My maximum range so far is 180 kilometres, and a fast ride, for me, is twenty five kilometres per hour. The group set a goal of 27 kilometres per hour....
• The Logistics of a Thonon and Yvoire Bike Ride — Jun 5, 2025

  There are two bike rides that I would like to do. One is from Geneva to Yvoire and back, and the other is from Thonon for a fifty kilometre loop in the Alps. Both appeal to me, and if it was any other week I would happilly do the Yvoire ride, despite it being challenging tomorrow....
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  Two Interpretations of Mobilité Douce — Jun 4, 2025

  My definition of Mobilité Douce and the Swiss definition are quite different. For me Mobilité Douce is walking, hiking, cycling and other sports that require a certain dedication and desire to cover long distances. In contrast Switzerland seems to see Mobilité Douce as going from home to the shops, while leaving the car at home. The journeys seem to be short, and at a slower pace....
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  The Call of the New And Cycling — Jun 1, 2025

  This weekend I cycled 160 kilometres with the Bike Club Switzerland Group via Meetup.com. In the process I find that I appreciate the community more and more. I appreciate that the groups are small, but also that people are like-minded. By like-minded I mean that people are sporty....
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  The Desire to Cycle on Saturday — May 30, 2025

  I am in the process of forming a new habit and that habit is to cycle on Saturday mornings. In cycling on Saturday mornings I keep Saturday afternoon free for other things. I can take care of washing clothes and more. It also gives me time to rest and recover before Sunday....
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  A Metric Century and A Hike to Jaman from Montreux — May 26, 2025

  This weekend I went for two Meetup.com events. The first was a one hundred and twenty kilometre bike ride and the second was a one thousand four hundred metre climb from Montreux to the Dent De Jaman....
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  A Ride Towards Fort L'Ecluse — May 22, 2025

  It’s very easy to fall into a routine. Our routines can revolve around cycling, hiking, work, scuba diving and more. It can also revolve around local walks and more....
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  The Saturday Cycling Challenge to Begnins — May 19, 2025

  On Saturday I went for a ride with Bike Club Switzerland from Geneva. The ride itself was planned on an 80km loop that went from Geneva via Vich up to Begnings and then towards one or two more places before heading back towards la Rippe, across the top, and eventually down to Grilly and Geneva....
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  From Nyon to the Signal de Bougy Via the Vineyards — May 15, 2025

  Yesterday I went for a bike ride. The watch said to go for a one hour ride at 100 watts of power. I set off with the intention of following this recommendation and then got distracted. My original plan was to ride above the road that goes from Luins to avoid traffic, and then to go down and ride along the cycling route near the motorway....
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  A Relaxed Bike Club Switzerland Ride — May 4, 2025

  I considered going for yet another hike yesterday. I didn’t, for two reasons. The first reason is that I had to commit on Wednesday night and I wasn’t ready to commit on Wednesday for Saturday. The second reason is that the group has a black list for people that don’t turn up with a valid reason. I much prefer the “If you’re late we won’t wait” school of punctuality....
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  Looking for Conversations in the Age of Facebook Dominance — May 2, 2025

  A few days ago someone wrote something about chocolate croissants. I then wrote something about Chocolate easter bunnies. A third person then said “please don’t have conversations, there are hundreds of people reading this exchange”. This is on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is, or at least was, an IM client. For those of a certain age an IM client is a conversation app. It’s the type of app that includes AIM, ICQ, Messenger, Skype and many, many more apps. Its raison d’être is to encourage conversations....
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  A Change of Locomotion — May 1, 2025

  This weekend seems to be quiet, hiking wise. So far I see just one event, organised. Sunday would have been an option, except that it could be stormy in the afternoon. If light rain falls, then that’s fine, but if it is hail then it is better to avoid. I think that’s why we have gone from five hikes in a single weekend, to just one....
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  Strava, Komoot, and the Activities of Others — Apr 23, 2025

  This year, as I walk and hike with others, and as their activities are shown along my own, in the list of participants, so I begin to follow people I know on Strava, Komoot and other social networks focused on sports. Notice how I didn’t call them social media. The reason for this is simple. We’re sharing GPS tracks that are categorised by sports....
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  Playing with Xiaomi Smart Band 9 and a Fairphone 4 — Nov 17, 2024

  Yesterday I went on a bike ride with a Xiaomi Smart Band 9 and a Fairphone 4. I wanted to see two things. The first was to see if the GPS track would be accurate for the entire ride, as well as how much battery power would be squandered in the process. I was happy with the result. After a two hour bike ride I had depleted about 20 percent of the battery since I unplugged that phone in the morning....
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  The Desire to Participate — Nov 16, 2024

  I saw that there is a hike taking place nearby. I would have really liked to join it but I would have been participant eleven with a limit of ten people. I wanted to participate because it would have required walking to Nyon, and taking the train de St Cergue to St Cergue and then walking for a few hours, before taking the train back down and walking home. Both my carbon footprint and my travel time would have been small and the environment would have benefited....
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  Self Driving Cars and Mobility — Oct 24, 2024

  Today I filled in a survey with the premise “Impact of automated vehicles on walking” and it gave me an opportunity to share my views on this topic. The short version is that I’d rather see more bike sharing opportunities, and more safe routes for pedestrians between villages and towns, than self driving cars....
• Reaching Lactic Threshold — Oct 13, 2024

  Yesterday I thought that I would get breakfast for free before the ride but I didn’t. As a result of this I went for a bike ride in a fasted state. I considered having pasta for dinner the night before, even as breakfast but didn’t....
• A Knackered Feeling — Oct 12, 2024

  For two days I rode twenty five kilometres, which, by my standards, are quite small rides. Today I rode with a group and for a while I was fine but then, when I climbed from Nyon towards Duillier I began to feel that I was fatigued. I slowed down and I couldn’t keep up with the group, or more accurately, the group had better acceleration and once you’re dropped you have to make more effort....
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  Publibike Considered — Oct 5, 2024

  I like to cycle but I don’t like the idea of having my bike stolen. I loved using a foot scooter but I find that e-scooters are frustrating because we can’t go above a certain speed. For months, or even years, I have been considering using Publibike bikes for shopping and getting to the train station but didn’t because a bike costs 3 CHF for half an hour, and ten centimes per minute to use after that. An e-bike is 5 CHF for the first half hour and then 20 centimes per minute after that. A muscle bike costs 24 CHF per 24 hours, and an electric bike is 48 CHF per hour....
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  Time Spent Cycling, Hiking and Walking — Sep 11, 2024

  This year I have spent 350 hours hiking and walking according to Strava. In contrast I have spent just 44 hours cycling. If I had spent as much time cycling as I did walking then my cycling fitness would be higher than it is at the moment....
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  Linear Bike Rides and Trains — Sep 9, 2024

  Yesterday I was watching the Tour De Romandie Morges to Morges stage and I was struck by how much of the route I am familar with. It’s not just that I’m familiar with the route that I road with the group, but that I’m familiar with parts of the full tour. Over the years I have ridden between Geneva and Aubonne so many times that I know many of the roads well. I demonstrated this yesterday by recognising most of the roads the women road along....
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  The Tour De Romandie Small Reconnaissance Loop — Sep 8, 2024

  Yesterday 60 people went to Morges to cycle the Tour De Romandie Morges stage ahead of the race today. There were two loops, a 90+ kilometre loop for an average speed of 29km/h on the flat and another loop for an average speed of 25 km/h on the flat and a distance of 57 kilometres....
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  A Mixed Ride along the Women's Tour De Romandie Track — Sep 6, 2024

  A few years ago I went for a ride and noticed that people were standing by the side of the roads and there was little traffic. I eventually realised that it was for the Tour De Romandie and that I was riding at least an hour ahead of the race. It was a strange and interesting sensation....
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  The Water Bottle Paradox — Sep 4, 2024

  This weekend when I hiked to Valangin I thought that I would found a water fountain along the way, so I took just 600ml of water. A few weeks ago when I went to Charmey I took the same amount of water because I didn’t want too much weight for the Via Ferrata. The result is that I have run out of water twice recently....
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  A Morning Ride — Sep 3, 2024

  This morning I went for a bike ride before taking my daily shower. I rode through Nyon and then turned up towards Duiller and from Duiller I headed for Genolier. When I was in Nyon though I cycled down towards the lake before cycling up one of the steep hills before heading to Duiller and onto Genolier. along the way I considered whether I would go all the way to Arzier and changed my mind, because it would have required a long descent on carbon wheels that I am not yet used to....
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  From Nyon to Yvoire by Bike and Back By Boat — Aug 31, 2024

  If you’re looking for a cycling project and you live near Nyon then I would suggest taking the bike along the lake road from Nyon through Crans, Coppet, and beyond towards Geneva, and when you get to Geneva following the 46 signalisation for the cycling route. There are moments when it is not as clearly indicated but for the most part it is....
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  A Metric Century - Nyon to Yvoire — Aug 30, 2024

  If things go to plan I will be cycling a metric century today. I will be cycling from Nyon to Yvoire via Geneva. It’s the first time in a while that I cycle this far but there are advantages to this route. For a large part of Nyon to Geneva I will be on cycling lanes and once I survive the crossing through Geneva I will be on the Via Rhona, the cycling route that goes to Marseilles, if you go in the opposite direction....
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  Plenty of Choice — Aug 29, 2024

  A few days ago someone was angry at me for posting too much in a whatsapp chat and I’ve been feeling down because I felt bullied out of the group. I miss sharing project ideas but at the same time it is essential for me to remind myself that just because I am trolled in a whatsapp group does not mean that there are not dozens of other things to do....
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  Lucky With the Weather — Aug 16, 2024

  Yesterday I went for a 50km bike ride that took two hours. During the first half the weather was good, and it felt warm. I cycled down to Nyon and towards Prangins, before cycling back towards Nyon before heading to Duiller and from there up towards Genolier, but not the direct route because of roadworks. I went up via a smaller town. When I got to Genolier I then went down the hill before heading back up to the road that takes you via the top of Trelex before cycling to Gingins and up via the golf of Bonmont before riding to La Rippe and up via the upper route that takes you to Divonne via the upper route....
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  The Morning Bike Ride — Aug 8, 2024

  As it is meant to be warmer over the next few days I went for a bike ride this morning, rather than in the afternoon. The rational is that by going for a morning bike ride traffic could have been less. The other reason is that it’s slightly cooler in the morning than in the afternoon....
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  Playing with an E-bike in St Moritz — Jul 29, 2024

  For a few days I played with an e-bike around St Moritz and in the process learned that riding an e-bike is intuitive. It’s on hills and when you’re riding into the wind that you feel the advantage of e-bikes....
• A Weekend of Hiking and Cycling — Jul 22, 2024

  This weekend has been physically demanding. On Saturday I rode with people who do nothing but ride, so they’re far fitter, on a bike than I am, so by the end of the ride I was struggling to keep up....
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  Impressions of the Škoda WLC — Jul 20, 2024

  Most of us will associate Škoda with the Tour De France and vice versa. When my brother got a Škoda that’s what I associated it with. Škoda France has a team of people that organise group cycling events to promote the Škoda brand....
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  By Train or By Car — May 30, 2024

  For many years I could go to work by car so I did, because I had a parking. When I worked for other employers I took the train for a simple reason. Parking near work would cost 36 CHF per day whereas taking the train would cost about 14.50 CHF per day. I stopped using the car to commute for a simple reason, the cost of parking...
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  The Lure of the Lavaux Slow Up — Apr 23, 2024

  Yesterday I noticed that there is a good event for people who like to walk, cycle, rollerblade, skateboard and more. The Lavaux Slowup is scheduled for the 9th of June 2024 this year....
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  Tired of Garmin and Apple, Playing With Casio — Feb 13, 2024

  For a while now I have been wearing a Casio and an apple watch or a Garmin and an Apple watch, or a Casio and a Garmin watch or a xiaomi smart band and a casio or a xiaomi smart band and… it goes on....
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  Cyclist Sightings — Feb 11, 2024

  Yesterday I went for a walk, during which I listened to two podcasts via AudioBookShelf, but that’s not the point of this post. The point of this post is that the seasons have changed. The snow has melted and there was a brief interlude in rain so plenty of people went out for bike rides. So many in fact that I seemed to be one of only two or three people on foot....
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  A Walking Decline in the US Since 2019 — Nov 17, 2023

  According to streetlight data walking in the US has declined over the past three or four years. The decline was by up to thirty six percent from 2019-2022. The clearest reason for this is that 2019 and 2020 were walking honeymoon periods. By this I mean that for the duration of lock down and “work from home” people had more time to walk since they spent less time commuting, but also because the natural habit of getting into a car to do something had declined., thanks to the pandemic....
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  Cycling from L'Isle to RomainMotier — Sep 11, 2023

  Although the ride from L’Isle to Romainmôtier feels easy because I’m cycling slower than my maximum it is still tiring, as is illustrated by two points. The first is that the trip burns 800 kilocalories according to the Apple Watch, which is significant, but also because by the end of the ride I feel tired....
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  Playing With the Switzerland Mobility App — Sep 9, 2023

  Yesterday I was planning to walk from Nyon to La Barillette but rather than take the usual route that takes me via a set of cabins where there is sometimes a dog I wanted to try an alternate route. In the end I used the Switzerland Mobility app and website because I can trust that the paths they suggest actually exist....
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  From L'Isle to La Sarraz on a Bike via Romainmôtier — Sep 3, 2023

  Yesterday I cycled around 41 kilometres from L’Isle to Romainmôtier and then down to La Sarraz, to see the castle, and then to cycle back towards L’Isle and Haute-Morges....
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  Recovery Day — Aug 25, 2023

  We are in a heatwave and despite this I have cycled for four and a half hours and walked for three hours and fourty minutes. For the bike rides I woke at 6am to avoid rush hour traffic, and to do things before the temperatures rose. Yesterday the temperature in Geneva reached 39°c. Just a few decimal places away from 40°c heat....
• A Ride in 35° Heat — Aug 21, 2023

  Yesterday I spent time in the sun in the morning, as a result of which I thought I would avoid going out in the heatwave. I changed my mind. Every Sunday a group of pétanque playing alcoholics play pétanque for several hours. They cheer, they laugh, they make noise, for hours in a row. I don’t want to hear that sound, especially since the pandemic is not over. People are still falling sick with Long COVID and they’re being disabled. It doesn’t take long to read posts on social media by people suffering from Long COVID....
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  In Favour of Electric Bikes — Aug 19, 2023

  I considered getting an electric bike a few years ago. I didn’t for a single reason. When I spoke to a bike seller I asked whether bikes get stolen and I was laughed at for asking the question. I didn’t get an electric bike the next day. If we’re going to spend thousands of francs on an electric bike, to replace a car, or scooter, we don’t want to live in fear of it being stolen....
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  The Pure Freedom of Meindl Shoes For Cycling — Aug 18, 2023

  Within the last month I considered updating my cycling shoes, until I saw the price of cycling shoes, even in Decathlon. I saw how expensive they are so I lost interest in them. Barefoot shoes are great because they’re light and easy to transport. The problem that I find with ‘barefoot’ shoes is that I stride, rather than walk. When you stride your heel always smashes into the ground, and with barefoot shoes this can result in heel pain, if, and when, we’re not careful. That’s why cycling with Barefoot shoes is an interesting idea....
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  Brompton On Hills — Aug 14, 2023

  Cycling in Switzerland requires the ability to go up and down hills. Some of the climbs are long and steep, others are short and steep, and yet more are shallow but long climbs. That’s where bike gears come into their own. The more gears you have the more precisely you can control the amount of effort you’re making. With a mountain bike the gears are designed to help with climbing. With road bikes they can be set to make hill climbs easier or harder....
• Quiet Roads on a Sunday Bike Ride — Jul 17, 2023

  Yesterday I went for a bike ride. By my norms it was a relatively cool day, just 27 or so degrees, compared to the 30-37°c I have ridden in, in the past. I was comfortable on the bike, with a cool breeze to cool me down....
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  Cycling With Different Levels of Fitness — Jul 15, 2023

  Originally I wanted to write about following route 50 from one village to Romainmôtier. I changed my mind as I createdd thetitle for this post....
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  Heatwave Cycling and Place Des Nations — Jul 11, 2023

  Cycling is one of the best sports to do during a heatwave because you have a 25 km/h breeze blowing over you, until you stop. If you flee the oven like cities, and head for the woods by a stream, you will feel the coolness provided by nature, rather than air conditioning....