From Nyon to Vesancy
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From Nyon to Vesancy

Byrichard

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.


The first time I attempted it this year, it was exploration. I used Komoot to set the destination point, and then I started cycling up. This ride is a challenge because it starts steep, and it stays steep almost the whole way up. I read a comment that once you get to 1200 meters it gets easier. That’s almost at the top of the climb.





It is easier to do this type of climb if you look at distance remaining, rather than altitude. It is the type of ride that you do one kilometre at a time. Every kilometre is earned. One nice aspect of this ride is that you have more wildlife. You hear rustling in the leaves, and you hear things scuttling around. I saw at least one Chamois, one snake and quite a few hikers. Hikers do not count as wildlife. You see some people walking upwards, and others walking downwards.


I like to find routes that either have very few cars, or no cars. Cars often drive too close and too far. The further we are from cars, the safer we are. It gives us the time to focus our attention on the effort and the challenge, rather than on safety. I wear normal shoes, rather than cycling shoes, for this climb. In a previous attempt I found that I wanted to stop but couldn’t, so I was stuck with continuing to climb until the gradient was gentler. That was not fun.


View of the Alps through the trees
View of the Alps through the trees


On this ride you have a good few of the Lac Léman as well as of the Alps and the Mont Blanc on the right day. When you get to what I consider the top there is nothing to do. I could go further and explore on the french side, but during a pandemic I prefer not to cross borders, especially on foot, with a bike on my back. I could go up on foot, and explore from the other side, and eventually link the two. In theory I can go up from La Rippe, over the top, across to the West of La Dole, rejoin La Cure, cycle to St Cergue and come down the fun road. We’ll see next summer.

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Another Pandemic Weekend Without Plans

Byrichard

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.


Walking feels like the safer option on such days. It’s usually on Sundays that I like to go for a bike ride, to range a little further than when I am on foot, and to enjoy different sensations. During this pandemic my favourite route is not possible because it crosses the Franco Swiss Border in two places and I prefer to avoid crossing the border unless it is essential.


At the moment the prospect of everyone being vaccinated, and of everyone being able to meet in groups of ten to fifteen to do via ferrata, hike or climb seems unlikely. It would seem that this is another year of relatively solitary sports. Hiking and cycling are good solitary sports because we often go at our own speeds anyway. These are also sports with almost no carbon footprint. You just walk out of your house and enjoy.


Scuba Diving, Climbing, Via Ferrata and other sports sometimes require a two or more hour drive to go to and come back from the activity location. With cycling and local hiking you burn no petrol, except for the rubber soles of your shoes but those wear out quite slowly. We’re speaking grams, rather than litres.


During my walks I often visit the old phone boxes that have been converted into libraries. I browse through the books. Some villages have a good selection of free access books. No one has thought to block access to them during the pandemic.


If I wrote a blog post for every walk or bike ride at the moment it would either be a clockwise or an anti-clockwise loop that always begins and ends in the same place. The main change are the crops, the animals and people I see, and the weather.


Yesterday I did meet someone in the physical world, for a walk, and I came to the conclusion that I much prefer to meet people for bike rides. The problem with walking with people during a pandemic is that you don’t have the freedom to walk into a field or patch of grass as you’re walking “with a person” rather than alone. You’re also working on set paths.


I like to walk along roads and other paths, and I like to change route as soon as I see people come the other way, or to climb up an embankment, or to choose a path between two fields. When I walked in Geneva yestreday I decided to take off my mask because I thought that there would be an opportunity to always be two or more metres from people but this wasn’t the case. If I was alone I would have put the mask on. In this context I didn’t feel as free to do so.


Cycling, during a pandemic, in contrast is excellent. The first reason for this is simple. You’re going at 20 to 30 kilometres per hour so whatever you breathe in or out is going to be diluted into the turbulence that is behind you. The second reason is that you’re on a road or path and the pedestrians you encounter are close for just a second or two, not even two breaths.


The other advantage is that you’re on some type of agricultural or normal road and there are usually not that many people on the same path so it provides us with greater freedom. People are cautious of bikes, but not of other pedestrians. Being on a bike makes us safe.


During my walks I often see people on bikes. Today I was surprised to see three women riding alone. Usually it’s two or three guys at a time, riding together and talking. It makes a nice change. Having said this the conditions today were unpleasant for cycling, a cold strong wind. These are the right conditions to make cycling cold and tiring.


I hope that Sunday will be good for cycling.


How far will we cycle in pandemic solitude? We will have to see.


Day 56 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Ride Towards Storm Clouds

Day 56 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Ride Towards Storm Clouds

Byrichard

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.


I didn’t turn around. I continued going and I passed families or groups on their bikes going slower than me. I flew by them and then I headed down towards the lake before turning right and going through a forest road. On this forest road, I saw children and parents on the road so I had to slow down as I passed them.


During this ride, I avoided passing through Versoix because it’s unpleasant. I prefer being in the countryside. I think that I spotted two people on bikes playing Pokemon Go. I assume this because they went to where I know there is an Ingress portal but it did not change.


I saw what I think was a young child and two parents start to head up a steep hill that I have found difficult to go up after some rides and thought “If that child makes it up that hill I will be impressed.” I didn’t slow down to see whether this was the case or not.


I haven’t cycled through Nyon or any big cities yet, because I don’t feel comfortable doing that for the moment. The countryside still feels like the safer place to be.

Day 53 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Rebooting Switzerland in Safe Mode
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Day 53 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Rebooting Switzerland in Safe Mode

Byrichard

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.


When I went to the local shopping the music festival maze to get into the shops was simplified and made more efficient. You don’t need to walk around so much. The doors to the shopping centers are also opening in the normal configuration again. Life is already to return towards safe-mode normal.


French people in Switzerland have fallen in love with the sentence «Il faut agir aussi vite que possible, mais aussi lentement que nécessaire». Translated it means “We must act as quickly as possible, but be as meticulous as possible” or something to that effect. It’s important to be responsive, and to take the time it takes, to get life back to normal, safely.


T-shirts with this phrase are selling very well. We know what to wear on the 1st of August.


Part of this experiment should include a smartphone app to track who we’re close to and when. It’s developed by the EPFL and we’ll see how it behaves and if it provides us with any interesting or useful information. I’m a fan of apps that provide me with information about the information I’m providing. I like Google Maps for this reason. I’ll have an opinion on Monday.


Rather than go for my daily walk I went for a daily bike ride. I went as far as Versoix and back in a respectable loop. The borders are still shut so the paths I like to take are not accessible yet.


@richardazia

Completely surrounded by ##cows in ##switzerland. Time for them to go up to the ##mountains.

? Originalton – leonii.lyy

Day 50 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Floating Border Bike Ride
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Day 50 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Floating Border Bike Ride

Byrichard

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.


It’s the fiftieth day of solitary confinement for me and I have moments when I feel fine and normal, and others where I don’t. I would love to say that I found an excellent way to celebrate the fiftieth day of self-isolation but I didn’t.


Fifty days in self-isolation would have been very different if the weather had been bad. If the weather had been bad I would have spent more time gaming and doing other passive things like watching television series or reading books. In theory life will be back to the new normal in a week.


I suppose that going on the bike ride that took me furthest from home in fifty days should count for something. The weather is nice enough to be in cycling clothes.


A glimpse of the flyby action.


When I was scrolling through Tik Tok videos I found one video that was ideally suited for a duet. It’s a pan showing the Swiss countryside with some music. I could attempt a dance duet but this is much easier. This is the landscape I cycle in.


@richardazia

##duet with @tinamariadurdov ##switzerland I’m on a bike ride.

? In The End – Mellen Gi Remix – Tommee Profitt

Day 44 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Zwift session
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Day 44 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Zwift session

Byrichard

Today the weather was rainy so I had a Zwift session. I decided to cycle the Yorkshire circuit. Cycling indoors is not as exciting as you don’t see as much. I listened to a hiking podcast but I didn’t pay much attention to the Zwift interface for at least the first fifteen minutes or so.


For the first time in 44 days or more I started the car’s engine and went for a drive. I heard the engine making a slightly different noise than usual so I let it warm up a bit and then I drove to the shops taking the long route. By long route I simply mean the walk that I’ve done dozens of times. It’s around 10 kilometres of driving in total. As it’s a diesel car it makes sense to drive far enough to get the engine warmed up and ready for when life returns to “normal”.


Strava have an article about mental health today. They called it Looking After Your Mind.


1. Focus on your sensory perception.

To switch off during sport, try to designate ten minutes of your run or ride to consciously focus on the world around you. What do I smell, hear, see and feel during exercise? Focusing on the here and now gives a feeling of security and makes conscious enjoyment possible.

Eva-Maria Sperger


With all of the pictures, descriptions of smells and even river walking I think I’ve definitely lived up to point 1. I have been running, cycling, walking, river walking and exploring variants on the routes I walk often. I can now walk without crossing people for ninety eight percent of my walks. People in cars don’t count.


I have spent a lot of time on TikTok which is both good and bad. It’s good because it cheers me up and now I’m familiar with another video sharing platform for when I’m applying for jobs but it’s bad because I could do more during the day.


Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

An Ingress Bike ride that passed by bisons

An Ingress Bike ride that passed by bisons

Byrichard

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.


I went out in the morning, dressed warmly. It was warm. Warm weather means less clothing on the bike ride. With such a great opportunity I decided to go for a bike ride.


I set off with no destination in mind so I skimmed Nyon and went by the lake road. Cycling along the lake road is good because there are cycle paths for almost the entire length. The drawback is that the bike lanes have obstacles. In some places the paths are not cleaned as often as roads, in others, you have road works and in yet more there are cycle lanes but the transition from one surface to the other is not smooth. In one case you would have to stop and lift the bike onto the cycle lane.


As I cycled I hacked certain Ingress portals along the way, linking, and liberating others. As I was hacking one portal after Mies, someone on a bike asked me if I had a pump, so I cycled back to where I had been and lent it to them. After a few minutes, the flat was resolved and I could continue on my way.


I could have continued cycling towards Geneva, but as I saw a snicket I chose to go up the path. It took me to an unusual place. I think it is a place for camping trailer homes and fair equipment that is stored when not in use. It’s right by the Centre Sportif De Versoix. It’s a road I have seen plenty of times but never explored.


On the Route de La Viellie-Bâtie I saw bison grazing. I didn’t expect to see them there. They are usually in another field close to the motorway and airport. As I continued along this path I followed the cycle route signs and ended up on a narrow metalled path that took me by walkers.


At the end of the path, there is a barrier and I saw three or four old people making their way towards the barrier. Rather than wait for me to pass they lethargically walked through and I had to slow down and wait for them to pass. If I was in a group of pedestrians, I’d like to think we would let the cyclist pass, rather than force him to slow down or stop. When you are flâneurs what rush is there to get from A to B?


There is a fun segment to ride on a bike. It requires a short climb on the lake side of Cessy before a nice descent towards Tutegny. As there was no traffic I enjoyed riding fast along this segment.


When I got to Grilly I went along the Cycle route 7. This is an old train or tram track that has been surfaced for walkers and cyclists to go along. In theory, it’s a cycle lane but on a Sunday this isn’t the case. Between dog walkers and walkers you’re on a bike ride rather than cycling as a cyclist. I don’t mind slowing down for children on their bikes, or parents with children. I mind adults taking the entire road. I cycled slower than usual along this segment.


One or two weekends ago I was in Divonne on foot to play Ingress and field. This time I was on a bike. Playing Ingress on a bike is great. You can get from one point to another very fast and you can go down roads and other paths that are closed to cars. Instead of a 10-minute walk, it’s a two-minute ride. It’s great for hacking some portals and destroying those controlled by the opposition.


I know of people who like to play Ingress in a car, rather than on foot when the space between portals is long. I prefer the bike. With a bike, you’re having a workout, whilst playing the game. You can get between villages in an instant and so cover greater distances. This is useful when portals are spaced widely apart.


Someone was active in Divonne at the same time as I was riding through and after a few minutes of talking, and sharing keys he asked: “Can you go and link these two portals?”. With a bike such favours are quick.


By cycling frequently I increase my endurance. By combining Ingress I take different routes than I would if I was on foot, by scooter or by car. I get to know the local area and I see changes. I headed home, not because I was tired, as I have been on other rides, but because I wanted to be home before the sunset. I need to find a way to fix the front light to my bike. I could simply wait for the long summer days instead.

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Ingress By Bike

Byrichard

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.


Distance Covered


In two hours I travelled about 30 km, which by ordinary cycling standards is slow. I like to cover that distance in about an hour and a half or less. I was able to cover at least six to eight villages and visit portals that I would not overwise visit.


New Portal Spotting


During the bike ride I noticed that there were some unmarked portal opportunities. I saw some “borne kilometrique” and border markers that were not listed. The border markers are old stone sculptures where you see VD on one side and FR on the other. In this context FR stands for France, not Fribourg. They’re spaced out regularly enough to be justified as portals.


Undulating Terrain


The landscape here isn’t flat so if you’re cycling to play Ingress you sometimes visit portals that are at the bottom of troughs or other hills. You also need to cycle upwards as much as you cycle downwards. As a result it does promote a healthy afternoon of physical exercise. When you sprint between portals you’re exerting yourself more than if you were looking down at your phone while walking.


Quadlock holder


if you’re playing ingress on a bike holding the phone in your hand is dangerous. That’s why it makes sense to use something like the quadlock bike mount. It’s easy to install on your bike and when you’re playing ingress you clip the phone on, and when you finish it you remove the phone in seconds.


In the past when I’ve played ingress I kept the phone in my pocket and I had to stop to see if I was close to the next portal or if I wanted to navigate. In this case you’re using the Ingress app rather than a cycling app and you spot the field lines and head towards the portal that you either want to capture or link from.


All in all this is a nice way of going for a bike ride somewhere familiar without getting bored by the routine or the 30th time down the same road. It’s a nice way of passing an afternoon.

Back to Cycling

Back to Cycling

Byrichard

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.


As silly as it sounds to wait for weeks before getting back on the bike I see that it was justified. When I tried to shift gears I could feel that the muscles for shifting gears have not entirely recovered. The bone has fused, but all of the muscles that were seldom used during my injury still need to grow back and strengthen.


Changing gear is so simple when you are feeling normal. You do it without noticing. Now there were instances when I felt that I was lacking the strength to push the lever.


I could also feel that my upper body was getting tired. I had to take a break or two during this ride. The longest break was when I was waiting for a person walking two horses to get off of the rural road I was on. I didn’t want to get kicked. I also had no reason to rush.


I took an unsurfaced road for part of the ride to avoid traffic. During this section of the ride I was slower than usual. I checked for potholes and had no intention of putting more strain than needed on the arm. I actually thought about turning back after this section.


On the straight road that goes down from the farm, past the observatory and down to the roundabout I didn’t pedal as hard as I could. I cruised instead.


We will see how I feel the next time I ride the bike. I expect it will feel better. I need to get my arm used to these strains, and to strengthen the muscles accordingly. At the end of this winter I should be back to normal. Imagine if i tried snowboarding with this weak arm.