The Roche Au Dade Via Ferrata
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The Roche Au Dade Via Ferrata

Byrichard

Two days ago I was agonising about whether to go for a via ferrata(VF) or a hike. Eventually I decided that I would go for the hike, because hiking was an 18 minute drive away. I went for a walk/run and then I found that I had a burning desire to do the via ferrata. I went down to the cave and rummaged through to find various bits and pieces. I found my Grigri, climbing rope, harnesses and more. I also found that I had a tandem speed which I considered using.

It’s amusing. I had a real, deep, burning passion to do the Via Ferrata. I had forgotten how it feels to prepare for something that is potentially dangerous, but in reality very safe, if you follow the rules and regulations of the sport. It’s fun to consider whether to use the brand new VF set or to use the slightly older set. My slightly older set might have been used on one or two VF before I broke my arm and stopped climbing from 2019-2024 or so.

When I was walking along the port’s high wall in Javea in 2001 or so I felt scared at being three or four meters in height, compared to the road beneath. I questioned how I would cope with the heights that we encounter on a VF. I hoped that I would not be scared of heights again.

Luckily Via Ferrata is something you don’t forget. I found that all of my old Via Ferrata habits were still there. The habit of keeping arms straight, of resting when required, of taking pictures, of day dreaming and of patiently waiting for the rest of the group. At one or two points I was asked “why are you waiting” and the answer is simple. If I went at my speed the one and a half hour VF would take fourty five minutes. I have done VFs every weekend every summer for years so I am perfectly at home on VFs.

I was so “at home” that I took 72 photos during the VF.

The one challenge I faced was keeping the phone safe. I would have taken more photos but my key concern was dropping the phone if I slipped or lost my balance. I didn’t have as much flexibility to take photos as I would have liked. I need to find a system that gives me that flexibility. When I was doing VF all the time I had a strap so that if I dropped a camera it would drop less than a meter. Yesterday I was taking a risk every time I took photos.

In the past, when doing Via ferrata regularly, I have smashed one or two cameras to bits as they hit the rocks, over and over again. The best solution might be to use the Garmin virb.

About the Via Ferata Itself

The Roche au Dade Via Ferrata is about 45 minutes from Nyon. It is located in the valley that you pass by as you drive from Switzerland to England and vice versa. You get off the main road, drive through the village and head to a small simple parking. There are three or four routes that you can take. You have an introductory VF that takes you across several bridges. You also have the option of just going to do the zipline. There are two of them but for the second one you need to be more experienced to get to it.

For the most part I would class the VFs as easy but that’s with years of VF experience. There is one bit on the classic route that I think people should be wary of. It’s the vertical climb after the last monkey bridge because it is more vertical and physical than the other parts. This is where people might struggle if they are not prepared.

I like that there are three or four routes to enjoy because you can spend more than fourty five minutes here. You also have a picnick table. You can climb one part, get back down, have a snack or drink and do the other parts.

As you can see from the featured photo the via ferrata is right on the road, as is the parking so access time is quick.

And Finally

In the end I’m happy that I chose to climb with the Via Ferrata group rather than hike with the hiking group. One of the advantages of doing something with a smaller group is that you get to know the people better. I definitely want to do more activities with this group and I’m happy that we ended the day with a drink before driving home. I think that “end of activity” drinks, even if it’s orangina, are important.

The Temptation of a Group Hike
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The Temptation of a Group Hike

Byrichard

A few days ago I signed up for a group hike but decided not to go for two or three reasons. The two main reasons were the size of the group and the weather. From what I saw fifteen people were going to go on that hike and I am still in pandemic mode. I would be happier with a smaller group of people. fifteen is too large.


The secondary more valid reason is that rain was forecast. It’s not that I don’t walk in the rain, because I do, but if I’m walking in the rain I might as well not drive the electric car, to do a group activity where we will be walking through puddles in a forest. My hiking shoes are in the car. I put them there yesterday, so I could walk comfortably in the rain.


It bothers me that Switzerland, England, the US and other countries decided to pretend that the pandemic was over, because, for single people, without families, we are completely responsible for how irresponsible we are, for our own safety. If we have children then we have no choice.


When Switzerland decided that vaccination, without COVID zero was enough, I was agonisingly depressed by the news. It destroyed my hope of returning to a normal life. I’m still living for COVID zero. I’m still masking. I’m still social distancing. I’m still avoiding crowds.


I want to work remotely because I don’t want to be on a temporary contract and catch COVID-19 and Long COVID because then I’m doomed to a low quality of life until I die. I don’t want that. I don’t understand why people have given up hope of COVID zero.


I still remember Foot and Mouth England, where we avoided going to see wild horses, where we walked in soap baths to clean our shoes. I also remember the Mad Cow disease crisis. It’s a shame that with the COVID crisis we had such awful people in power, in Europe and the US. It doomed us to living with a disease that we could easily have eradicated.


I’m trying to stop wearing the masks but it’s hard. For me, not wearing a mask indoors, is akin to self-harm. I don’t like that normal people have decided just to live with COVID, to be fatalistic about this situation.


I will resume normal life. I wasn’t ready this weekend, especially given the expected bad weather. I have no choice but to play COVID roulette.If people tolerated masks then I would socialise. They don’t, so I stay in solitude.
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Byrichard

According to Apple Health I take an average of 14,553 steps per day, over the last year. It doesn’t stop there. Not only do I take fourteen and a half thousands steps per day on average but I run up, up to fourty five floors per day and I walk at six kilometres per hour, rather than the four kilometres per hour that normal people walk.


Articles like this speak about walking pace, number of steps per day, as well as steps climbed in some cases.


2,500 daily steps is about the point at which the risk of death was significantly reduced (by 8%), when compared to 2,000 daily steps.

2,700 daily steps is about the point at which the risk of both fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease events like heart attack and stroke was significantly reduced (by 11%), when compared to 2,000 daily steps.

7,000 daily steps, roughly, is the optimal number for those looking to reduce their risk of both fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease events (51% reduction).

9,000 daily steps, roughly, is the optimal number for those looking to reduce their risk of death from any cause (60% reduction).

Each 1,000 additional daily steps, or about 10 minutes of walking, will reduce your risk of death to some extent, though not in predictable intervals.

Each additional 500 daily steps, or about five minutes of walking, will improve the health of those with low levels of physical activity.


During yesterday’s run I switched to running for five minutes for the Nike Running club app. Three quarters of the way through that run I noticed something unusual in a field so I turned around. It was a dog. The dog saw me and then started to walk towards me. I retreated and yelled “leave me alone”. I think the dog’s owners heard me and called the dog back. The damage was done. I changed course and walked across a wet field, rather than risk being attacked.


Long Walks to Avoid Dog Walkers


Plenty of people see dogs as lovely animals but I don’t. I see the signs warning of dangerous dogs on properties. I see them bark aggressively at me. I see them charge me, on more than one occasion in recent years, and now I’m fatigued. I’m fatigued that dogs will approach you threateningly in some cases, and curiously in others. After being threatened so many times in recent years I don’t trust dogs at all.


My walks are huge, compared to those of normal people, in part because I choose routes that have the least likelihood of encountering dogs, and if I see a dog I will ever take a longer detour to avoid them, or a shortcut to circumvent them. The only time I didn’t follow the instinct to avoid a dog it was within three strides of biting me.


The benefit of fearing dogs, rather than trapping me at walk, and discouraging my walking habit, does the opposite. By walking routes that dog walkers don’t walk, and by walking routes, where I can see things, well in advance, gives me the opportunity to go for daily walks, without being afraid.


There is a walk by a river that I loved to walk, and I would often get muddy in the process. After encountering dog walkers with their dogs unleashed I eventually gave up that route, because I had nowhere to flee, and I saw these dogs once it was too late to retreat.


People love to say “don’t be afraid, dogs only attack people who are afraid of them”, and that’s the entire source of my fear. If they threaten me, I feel fear, and if I feel fear they want to threaten me all the more.


In yesterday’s incident I don’t think the dog was going to attack me. I think it was curious, but because I was walking by a farm property, with the people out of sight I thought it could suddenly decide to defend the property and bite. I need help to overcome that fear.


Playing with Personal Activity Intelligence


This morning I ran up three floors three or more times as I moved recycling from the apartment to the car. In the process I got a good workout but it didn’t count as active enough for my PAI score to change. Either I wasn’t active for enough minutes in a row, or it’s not trained to recognise that increase in heart beat as a PAI event.


The Pandemic Boosted my Steps


During the pandemic my step count exploded. I went from walking 10,000 to 20,000 or more, daily. I was walking so much because there was little else to do.


Gender Gap


In the article Why Do All the Men in My Life Walk So Fast? the issue of walking pace difference is brought up. Months or years ago I came to the conclusion that I walk fast because I walk alone so I gradually sped up. I walk fast even by London standards. It’s due to playing a game when I was younger. I would stride from one coloured tile to another at school so my stride became longer. The second reason is fitness. The fitter you are the more powerful your stride and pace. It’s not about gender. I know men who walk slowly. I call it undertaker pace.


I love when women walk as fast, or faster than me. I love when I have to keep up with them, rather than the other way around. To me, this signals that we will have the freedom to enjoy pleasant walks together.


Christine Reed, in Alone in Wonderland also wrote about the frustration of others walking faster than her. She wrote about how they made it effortless to move at speed.


One of the reasons for the difference in walking speed is simply that some people walk a lot more than others. The more you walk the higher the speed at which you walk. The reason some people look as if they’re walking fast effortlessly is that they walk enormous amounts. In 2020 I walked five and a half million steps. I would walk from two to four hours a day, every day, to the point of eventually becoming fatigued, and decreasing the distance.


During the pandemic walking was fun because there were no cars, and without cars walking is a pleasure. Cars don’t respect pedestrians by the side of the road. During the pandemic every road was walkable. When the pandemic ended those roads became dangerous again. It’s because of danger fatigue that I stopped walking my favourite routes. It’s why I now have one walk with four variations, that I can do clockwise, or anti-clockwise.


If walking was made safe, along roads, I would have 40-80 kilometres of walk, without ever needing to get in a car. It’s because of dangerous car driving that those routes are not worth the risk, out of lockdowns.


It is for this reason that I argue that we need roads to be dedicated to pedestrians and cycling. We need those routes to be banned to car drivers.


Elena Colgato argued for a world without cars, but the problem is not cars. The problem is how people drive those cars around pedestrians and cyclists, as well as how few routes are safe for pedestrians to walk along.


As a prime example millions are being spent to redo the motorway exit for Nyon, but nothing is being done to make walking between Nyon and Signy safe for pedestrians. If you want people to walk more, you need to make it safe to walk. If you want people to walk faster, you need to make walking a viable option. My biggest frustration is that walking is not safe between villages and towns.


If people want a world with fewer cars, the countryside needs to be safe for walkers, from all villages to all other villages, along most roads.


And Finally


For me, the goal is not to replace cars with buses and trains, because people would still be unfit. For me the ideal situation is to make walking between villages and towns safe, without needing buses or trains. Buses and trains should be so regular that you can go from A to B every fifteen minutes, rather than once an hour.


If you make it safe for people to walk, and cycle, you encourage them to walk and cycle, and if they walk and cycle their walking pace will increase, which in turn will speed up getting from A to B on foot, and negate the need for buses, which would reduce the carbon footprint of getting around.

From L’Isle to La Sarraz on a Bike via Romainmôtier

From L’Isle to La Sarraz on a Bike via Romainmôtier

Byrichard

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.

For the part from L’Isle to Romainmôtier you are on quiet roads for the most part, but then as you go from Romainmôtier to La Sarraz you need to take busy roads with dangerous cars driving fast and close. I didn’t feel the need to criticse any of the drivers, but it doesn’t as safe on that bit of road, due to the quantity of traffic.

RomainMôtier is a good place to stop for a coffee, look at the architecture, and enjoy a little shade, on a warm day. You enter through the gate that is closest to Envy, and then you exit by the other gate that heads down to Croy. From there you follow the road down to La Sarraz.

The Road from Pompaples to La Sarraz is a main road, so cars are frequent, and fast. This is a road worth avoiding if possible due to the traffic.

Horse Drawn Cannons

It was amusing to get to La Sarraz, because as we got close to the town we got stuck in traffic. Horse drawn carriages were slowing down the traffic. This was topical. To see horse drawn carriages, as you head towards a castle. It’s not every day you get stuck behind cannon transporting horses.

I didn’t see much of the interior of the castle but it does have a café for a drink or snack before continuing with the ride.

From La Sarraz you go via Ferreyres, Moiry and then follow the cycle route back to L’Isle, if that’s where you want to end your ride, to make it circular.

And Finally

Most of the ride is away from cars, which is good. It’s more enjoyable to cycle when there are no, or few cars, to endanger your health and safety.

Recovery Day

Recovery Day

Byrichard

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.

Despite the weak I still went for my afternoon walks, but it’s also because of the heat that I walked with 1.6 litres or more. During hot days I find that I can act normally, but I still try to keep myself hydrated. If I feel that I am overheating I pour water on my hat/helmet to cool down.

Keeping Cool

There are four ways to keep cool. The first is to stay hydrated. Drink a few sips every few minutes. The second is to wear a hat. By wearing a hat your head is not going to cook quite as fast as without. The third solution, which doesn’t require drinking water, is to drench your head/hat/hair when you come to a fountain, or when you feel that you’re reaching your limit to cope with the heat. I did so during two walks and two bike rides, since Sunday.
The final option is to become a morning person, to do things in the morning, before the sun heats the air and the ground.

Knackered

Yesterday I cycled to RomainMôtier and back. I was already fatigued from walking and cycling in the heat so when I got to Romainmôtier I felt faint, with a mild head ache. Due to the heat and slight change in hydration I thought that it could be heat stroke. I made it back to my car, had some food and I already felt slightl better, but I still felt knackered when I shopped for food so I got the bare minimum, rather than thinking about something more interesting to cook.

When I got home I had a siesta. I felt much better. I don’t know whether I became exhausted, of heat struck. Since sleep was enough to feel refreshed I think I had just exhausted myself.

Cycling With E-Bikes

The source of my exhaustion. I believe, is partly to do with the heat, of course, but it also has to do with the amount of energy that we burn when we’re cycling on normal bikes with other people on e-bikes. We pace ourselves according to the e-bikes, rather than our own speed.

An Easier Gear

I found that to avoid going too fast, on my bike, I had to change to an easier gear. I would pedal with the usual effort but cover less ground. This works very well, for pacing. I think that it does tire me more than if I was pedalling at a normal effort level and a regular speed. My motivation to use an easier gear, was, in part, to make a different effort, to get a workout, at a lower speed. It seems to have worked. It’s the 80/20 rule on a bike. Sort of.

The Ignored Temptation

When I was in RomainMôtier I was tempted to run my head under a fountain to cool myself down. I didn’t feel that I was cooking but I did feel a mild headache. Near the very end of the walk I did splash water on my head to cool down.

On warm days I am usually desperate for a coke or an electrolyte drink, and for once I ran out of drinks two nights ago, so I didn’t quench my first. I think it affected my endurance the next day.

And Finally

By going for two mid-afternoon walks during the heatwave I challenged my body. I then went for two bike rides where I got up at 0600 before cycling for three or four hours. If I was cycling alone I would have drunk one or two litres on both days. As I wasn’t I drank half a litre or less. Between sleeping a different schedule, walking in the mid-day heat, and then cycling two mornings in a row, I pushed myself to the point of exhaustion. Today I’m recovering. I will go for my afternoon walk but at least I will be well hydrated, and I was able to sleep to my natural wake up time, rather than an alarm.

A Ride in 35° Heat

Byrichard

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.

Before the Pandemic

Before the pandemic I wouldn’t have been home, or if I was home I would already have spent the morning climbing, cycling, diving or hiking. Due to the pandemic I do these things but in solitude. I also have a routine. I normally study in the morning, and do sports in the afternoon. If I flip it around my intellectual capacity is reduced and my studying stalls. Yesterday proved the necessity of my routine.

I Can’t Say No

Two years ago I wrote about pandemic solitude. It still hasn’t ended. If I am asked to do things I have no valid reason to say no, but it also puts my happiness into turmoil, both to be asked but also to want to study but feel that I should be social instead. The more my morning is broken, the slower I am to reach my goal of feeling employable in a new career. This, in turn delays having the type of life that would make seeing other people fun, rather than an obligation.

Noisy Afternoons

Experience has taught me that the afternoons are noisy, and this noise is the reason I go out for walks, whether it’s raining, snowing, windy and cold or a heatwave. I find that my mental health benefits from getting away from people living as if the pandemic was not over. Plenty of data, around the world, shows that the pandemic is not over. That’s why cycling is such a great sport.

The Beauty of Cycling

The beauty of cycling, even during a heatwave is that you’re usually between villages and towns. You’re surrounded by clean air. I have become absurd, because I don’t want to be around strangers without a mask, especially around large crowds of strangers, in restaurants and other places.

Sunday is one of the worst days to be in solitude. If you go for a walk you will encounter family groups and groups of friends. You are in solitude, and they are not. You have to pass, you are reminded of what you are missing, and you have to survive the experience.

By being on a bike, especially on the roads between fields you are in solitude. If you choose the right routes you are far from people, from cars, from dogs and more. You are in the moment, watching the landscape change, heading upwards, downwards and across.

35°c

Yesterday it was 35°c according to the weather services, and 37°c according to my watch. Normally on such a ride I would ride much harder. I would try to beat all my speed personal bests. Yesterday I didn’t. I rode slower than usual. I wanted to spend time outdoors, keep fit, but without giving myself heatstroke. It’s not the heat that worries me. It’s the time spend in the sun.

At first I thought this would be a short ride, because I thought the heat would affect me. Since I felt fine I continued. I arrived at a fountain and I refilled both bottles, and I splashed myself. I didn’t feel the need to splash myself to cool down, but did it anyway, in anticipation of feeling overheated.

Quiet

I continued through the Bois de Versoix and I hardly saw anyone walking, or even cycling. I did get to a parking, and the parking was filled with cars. Everyone had decided to go to the riverside between the trees to keep cool. What seemed paradoxical is that I couldn’t see anyone. I could hear children and see the cars, but nothing more. Riding in such conditions is nice. No population stress.

The Place des Nations Fountains

Before I got to Place Des Nations I refilled my water bottle. I then headed down to the Place Des Nations fountains where children were playing. I put my bike against some seats, and allowed one of the water jets to soak me and my clothing. I then continued my bike ride.

I kept splashing water on my face but didn’t really feel the need. I did this as a precaution, rather than out of desperate need. I felt fine, despite the heat

Three or Four Sips at a Time

When riding in the heat there are moments when you feel your thirst grow, so you drink too much, too fast. It’s important not to drink too much too fast, or you’ll just waste it.

Luckily I didn’t.

And Finally

During this ride I made sure to ride more slowly than usual. I made sure not to push myself beyond my ability to cope with the weather. I also made sure to be hydrated at all times. I had one flask filled with water, and the second filled with an electrolyte drink. I topped up both. I calculate that I drank at least two litres, which, over three hours isn’t much, but it worked. I felt fine when I got home. I was still thirsty but ate some peanuts and then drank water. I was thirsty for re-mineralisation. I wanted to recover the salt I had lost.

Cycling is a good sport in a heatwave, because you’re riding in the breeze that you’re creating. My fear of heatstroke was not realised, luckily.

Falling Out of Love With Driving

Falling Out of Love With Driving

Byrichard

There was a time when I used the car for everything I did, from scuba diving to climbing, to walking and more. Over a period of five years I weaned myself off of the car. I weaned myself to such a degree that I use the car twice a week when I am not forced to do things. I drive for the shops, and that’s it.
I could walk, and I do walk that way regularly. The reason I take the car for shopping is two-fold. The first is weight. Shopping for three or four days at a time weighs something. This is especially true when transporting drinks that are not coffee or tea. Coffee and tea usually come without water.
I’m writing this, sitting in a car, by the lake. I could be eating breakfast with people but have chosen not to. We are still in a pandemic and I do not want to risk falling sick with Long COVID. I can deal with solitude if I can go for daily walks and bike rides. I will not survive if I lose the strongest aspect of my character.

An Old Habit

I used to love driving, but now I find it a nuissance. As I walked and waited this morning I thought about how primal cars are in Switzerland. Some villages have no pavements. Some villages have no roads, in or out of the village, that do not require walking on roads. Switzerland might be known for it’s mountain walks, but if you’re by the Léman you will need to be lucky to walk, without being stuck on roads.
Since the pandemic I cannot stand cars and drivers. I am a car driver, but that doesn’t mean that I need to use it.

Becoming Local

Over the years I learned about the walks, bike rides and running routes that I can enjoy from home. I learned to detach my sporting habits from my driving habit. I prefer life like this. To some extent I am living in a different age as a result of this habit.

Not Mobilité Douce Friendly

It is the reason for which I notice how depdendant on car Switzerland has become. During the pandemic the motorway and roads were empty, so we could walk along them. As soon as lockdown ended the disease of car driving came back, and people use their cars all the time again. This is a great shame because car driving is an addiction.

Car Addiction and Social Media

People love to speak about Social Media as addiction, but without cars we would have no need for social media, because without cars we could walk to people and say hello, rather than depend on telephones. Cars are the reason we need social media, so if we want to cure “social media addiction” we need to eliminate cars, buses and trains. We need to get back to a world where we cycle, walk, and run to see friends. It is absurd that we rely so heavily on cars. Our reliance on cars forces our reliance on social media. If you want to cure a child’s addiction to social media, eliminate the need for cars.
I drove for half an hour this morning. Now I’m blogging from a parcked car

And Finally

Cars are great for scuba diving, and to travel long distances to do weekend sports but I think that commuting should be phased out, by car. Cycling to Geneva is as as fast by bike, as on a train. We need to wean away from being transported by machines, especially cars.

In Favour of Electric Bikes

In Favour of Electric Bikes

Byrichard

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.

Experiment With Commuting

I continued to cycle, and walk. I walked up to five and a half million steps a year during the peak of pandemic self-isolation. My walking went down recently, because I have resumed cycling. I quite easily cycle to Geneva and back. I do this journey, not because I have anything to do in Geneva. I do it to prove to myself that the journey is a simple one that takes as long on a bike, as on the train. This is the case. I could get to work by bike, rather than by car or by train. I would have a healthy bike ride in the morning, and another in the evening.

Fit Enough To Ride With E-bikes

E-bikes are fast. They get you to twenty five kilometres an hour with relative ease, and then it’s just a matter of maintaining that speed. If you’re not fit then you’ll face the challenge of keeping up with e-bikes, and riding with them will be unpleasant.

The flipside of this is that electric bikes are enablers. They enable people who haven’t spent 53 hours riding their bikes in the last year, to keep up with those that have. They enable those with one fitness level, to ride along with someone of another.

The Liberating Benefit of E-Bikes

There was a time when I enjoyed going for bike rides but I felt limited by the hills around where I lived. I felt that they got in the way of me going for longer bike rides. It takes a certain amount of training and practice to go up and down hills. This training doesn’t take weeks or months. It takes years. There was a time when I felt that the bike I use didn’t have easy enough gears for climbs. With time and practice I no longer encounter that challenge.

I worked to get the cycling freedom that I now enjoy.

With electric bikes you get the same freedom, without putting in the leg work. (pun intended). With electric bikes non cyclists gain the freedom experienced by cyclists, within minutes rather than weeks, months or years. It enables people of varying levels of cycling proficiency to be equal.

And Finally

When I go for my bike rides I often see groups of people, either cycling together on self-powered bikes, or electric bikes. Electric bikes have democratised the sport. People that would have taken the car to breakfast, or to have coffee, are now enabled to cycle on hilly terrain to explore the landscape, without using a car. Parking a bike is easier than parking a car. Cycling is good for the environment and it gets people to enjoy an easier version of cycling.

For a while I wanted to get my own electric bike. Eventually I reached a level of fitness where an electric bike was no longer of benefit. I am in favour of electric bikes, as it makes it easier for others to join us on bike rides, despite a difference in fitness.

The Pure Freedom of Meindl Shoes For Cycling

The Pure Freedom of Meindl Shoes For Cycling

Byrichard

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.

For When You Cycle With Others

The advantage of the Meindl Pure Freedom shoes is that they use a BOA style lacing system. You cinch them tight, and uncinch to remove. It takes seconds to put them on and remove. When cycling they are comfortable. I completely forgot I was wearing them. I like wearing clipped in shoes when I’m riding by myself, or with people who are also clipped in to their bikes. When I’m riding with others I find that normal shoes are better. You can stop for a coffee, or walk to take pictures of the landscape in comfort, without going “clac, clac, clac”. The other advantage is that if you’re going for a bike ride, by car, you don’t need to carry two or three pairs of shoes. One is enough.

For When You’re doing a Steep Climb

Several times I cycled up steep climbs with clipless shoes. When you’re on a 20° slope and you want to stop, but you’re moving so slowly that you don’t have time to unclip, being clipped in sucks. You’re stuck having to continue, until it flattens. Sometimes that can be several minutes later. The other challenge is when you’re starting up again. At this point you have the opposite problem. You want to clip in, before you fall sideways. That’s why I was tempted to get flat pedals. When you’re wearing normal shoes you can stop and start with ease. Today was a good example of that. I had to stop at a train crossing to wait for a train to pass. With clipless pedals it would have been a nuissance. With normal pedals and barefoot shoes it’s easy.

Broadening the Use Case

Normal shoes are big, heavy and have shoelaces that can get trapped in the chain system. Barefoot shoes are minimal, light and optimal for when the front of the foot comes into contact with surfaces, rather than the heel. They are ideally suited to cycling. One of my longest rides this year was with Vapor Gloves but I found that they were just a little too minimal for cycling. For the trip from Geneva to Nyon my feet were tired due to the lack of support. The Pure Freedom shoes offer more support. Cycling with them around the Lac De Joux felt fine. It’s only when you walk around before and after the ride that you remember that you’re wearing minimal shoes.

And Finally

Meindl Pure Freedom shoes are not marketed as cycling shoes, or hiking shoes. They’re marketed as backup shoes. Shoes that you take on a hike, instead of crocs, for when you’re in a town, on a train, or driving to and from where you’re hiking. I worry that heel strikes in these shoes are too hard for 10-12 kilometres walking at striding pace. Most cycling shoes have BOA laces so it made sense for me to test them cycling today. My experiment was a success.

Brompton On Hills

Brompton On Hills

Byrichard

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.

Six Gears with a Brompton

A Brompton bike may have just three to six gears. I went for a ride on one yesterday, on some undulating swiss hills in Vaud, at the foot of the Jura. The first thing I noticed is that the steering is really nervous compared to a normal bike. That’s because the wheels are tiny, so the torque needed to turn the wheel is minimal. You need to focus a lot of thought on ensuring that you don’t oversteer. I think that Brompton bike wheels are a third the size of normal wheels, or maybe half as big. With a normal bike wheel steering is more sluggish, therefore it feels natural.

Bigger Gaps Between Gears

The second thing you notice with the Brompton is that the difference between gears is greater. The hard gear is really hard, so it doesn’t get used much on hilly terrain. You need to shift down to the second and third gears, to make cycling possible. The easiest gear was too easy on hills, but the middle gear made it more challenging. The result isn’t that I slowed down. I think it sped me up. A Brompton, on mountaineous roads, requires you to find the least worst gear, and find a speed that is sustainable. In my case that speed saw me cycling faster than I would, on a normal bike, not by choice, but by necessity. To go slower would make the gear harder, so once I had inertia I tried to maintain it.

No Drinking

Usually I have no problem drinking and cycling but with the Brpompton I was fully focused on trying to find the right gears, but also being careful not to oversteer. I kept both hands on the bars at all times. I didn’t feel comfortable reaching to have a drink. The Brompton is a different beast to most bikes. The fitter you are, as a cyclist, the more you can adapt to the challenge of riding it, but it would take a few more rides before I felt comfortable riding it, and taking a sip of water.

Average speed

I got up to 37.2 kp/h on the Brompton but my average speed was 17 km/h. Usually I am at 20+ kilometres per hour and my peak is closer to 50+ km/h. My total ascent was 223 meters, according to the Garmin Etrex SE. I don’t know how the effort compared to riding the usual bikes because I didn’t measure my heart rate with a garmin watch this time.

And Finally

Bromptons are not cheap, so it makes more sense to get a normal bike for the same price, or cheaper. I tried this experiment because I felt too lazy to load the bike into the car, if I didn’t then ride the bike due to weather or a change of plans. I can keep up with people on electric bikes, despite the difference in riding comfort and style. My proof of concept test was a success, but rationally cheaper normal bikes make more sense.