Category: Switzerland

  • A Bridge Too Far

    A Bridge Too Far

    Reading Time: 5 minutesYesterday I walked to a Coop shop in Nyon by foot, to shop for a day. Rather than taking the car I chose to walk down from Eysins, across the narrow, really dangerous road and bridge to get to the other side. Along the way I saw two dog walkers question whether…

  • Why I Switched Away From Minimalist Shoes

    Why I Switched Away From Minimalist Shoes

    Reading Time: 2 minutesDuring the pandemic I would walk from one and a half hours per day every single day of the week for months. In that time I believe that my feet swelled, making normal shoes more and more uncomfortable to wear. To be more specific. I found that the top of my foot,…

  • On Noisy Viticulture

    On Noisy Viticulture

    Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you drive in Geneva there are hundreds of vineyards. If you drive from Luins all the way to Leukerbad you have vineyards. In effect Switzerland has a landscape filled with wine making vineyards. Whilst they are beautiful to look at, especially as the seasons change some of them, especially near Nyon…

  • The Lure of Affordable Cycling

    The Lure of Affordable Cycling

    Reading Time: 3 minutesA 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…

  • On Investing Time Writing a Daily Blog Post daily

    On Investing Time Writing a Daily Blog Post daily

    Reading Time: 2 minutesFor years, spending time on social media was an investment that paid dividends. One of my UN jobs was connected directly with responding to a tweet about them looking for an archivist. Within a day I had an interview and within a few days I was working. That was back in 2014…

  • The Curious Case of the Tired Elliptical Wheel

    The Curious Case of the Tired Elliptical Wheel

    Reading Time: 2 minutesAt 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,…

  • The Morning Run to Breakfast With Cyclists

    The Morning Run to Breakfast With Cyclists

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteYesterday 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…

  • The Diminished Need for a Car

    The Diminished Need for a Car

    Reading Time: 4 minutesLast 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…

  • A Fitness Discussion with MyAI about Silos, Running, Cycling, and Strava

    A Fitness Discussion with MyAI about Silos, Running, Cycling, and Strava

    Reading Time: 4 minutesYears ago we had bulky GPS watches that we wore only when we were hiking or doing sports. They only tracked our speed, location, and elevation. With time they were made less hideous and more socially acceptable. We could go from wearing them when doing sports, to when doing nothing. With time…

  • The First Metric Century of the Season

    The First Metric Century of the Season

    Reading Time: 3 minutesYesterday 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…