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.
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.
Normally I would not consider riding this many times in a week. My rule was to ride twice per week, not more. If I ride more than twice per week, especially alone, I find car driver behaviour to be toxic.
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.
A person boarded before me so he was able to put his bike down and go and sit. I was after him so I was stuck standing with my bike. I held the rear brake and used the bike as a seat. I was careful not to fall over, and to keep the passage free for people boarding and getting off.
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.
The ride I went on yesterday was 89 kilometres with over 700m of climbing. Around three weeks ago I went on a ride with 1600m of climbing. For every ride that I do with Tête de Course we go at least part of the way up the Jura, as is the case with LeCercle.
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.
When going for solo rides I was often happy to carry a backpack and use a bag under the top tube. They’re simple, convenient and comfortable. They allow me to have a rain coat, spare inner tubes, a pump and more. It also allowed me to have the passport safe from rain when crossing between France and Switzerland.
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.
The route from Morges up and out of Morges goes along a short voie verte where there are parts that are not tarmacced so be ready for that. On a road bike these bits are rough and potentially dangerous. I think these sections are better on gravel bikes.
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.
The short ride I speak of became a longer ride. At first it was a small loop, and then I headed downhill before heading towards the road where I had seen two women walking with donkeys a week or so ago. I turned left, and then I road along the contours towards a Moulin before eventually heading upwards. I headed towards L’Isle before changing my mind about heading up towards the Col. II turned left, and then followed a cycling route towards Montricher before heading back down.
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.
A video flyover is a 3d video of the ride, hike or other sport that you have just completed in the same style as you see ahead of Tour De France Stages and others. It allows you to see the speed, altitude and landscape as a rider or hiker may see the view. Here is an example of a LeCercle Ride I participated in.
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.
After riding in two groups in a single day I expected yesterday evening to be relaxed. I had set my heart on riding with group three, as it’s a relaxed group, before seeing someone I knew who wanted to join group 2. As I had the course I offered to help with guidance.
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.
Yesterday I wrote about how groups that are large enough can cater to fast, and slow people. LeCercle feels like a smaller group of highly engaged cyclists who ride regularly.
Until Genolier I was able to stay with the group comfortably. It’s when we hit the climbs that I lost a lot of time. I’m riding with a bike that is heavier, and I have a casesette that is more suited to London than mountains. Having said this, with other groups I climb faster than others so I am not using equipment as an excuse.