Tinted Glass in Romainmôtier
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Cycling With Different Levels of Fitness

Byrichard
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Originally I wanted to write about following route 50 from one village to Romainmôtier. I changed my mind as I created the title for this post.

An old pickup truck and bike
An old pickup truck and bike

Yesterday I cycled with two people on electric bikes on my normal bike. I didn’t feel that I was making that great an effort, especially since I was cycling at a relatively slow speed compared to usual. I actually felt that I was taking it easy.

View of one of the porticos
View of one of the porticos

Calories Burned

It’s when I looked at calories burned that I realised that what felt like an easy ride to me, was actually a huge effort. It didn’t feel that way to me, because it is normal for me to make such an effort, and I usually push myself when I ride alone.

Three Times More Calories

By riding with people with electric bikes I felt that I was having a relatively easy day. I burned three times more calories than them. It shows to what extent being fit affects how we perceive effort, but also how much energy electric bikes save.

Perfectly Within My Comfort Zone

A window seat and table, from the days before planes and trains
A window seat and table, from the days before planes and trains

I was surprised by the huge difference in calories burned because I felt comfortable. I didn’t feel that I was struggling to keep pace with the bikes, or struggling on hills whilst they glided with ease. That’s the beauty of cycling a lot. Effort becomes ordinary, and fitness makes electric bikes harder to justify. Why get an electric bike when you can cycle with people with electric bikes and keep up?

Cyclists and Non Cyclists Riding Together

There are two types of people. Those that invests hundreds of hours over several years to boost their cycling fitness, and those that use electric bikes, to keep up with those with experience. I would argue that the strength of the electric bike is two-fold. The first is that it encourages non cyclists to cycle and experience the pleasure of getting from A to B under their own steam, but the second is that electric bikes allow non cyclists to ride with cyclists, and get a taste of what we enjoy.

Visiting Romainmôtier by bike

Romainmôtier is a nice destination to cycle to. The road takes you through a nice quiet road in the forest. The woods are the Bois De Ferreyres. The route that I took was undulating, with some climbing and some descending, but these ondulations are not extreme like cycling up to La Dôle or up to La Rippe, so manageable.

Cycling Destination

Quite a few people cycled to Romainmôtier and I noticed that a few went into the grounds of the Abbaye and rested their bikes against the wall, before having a drink. By taking the bike parking is simplified, but as well as parking being simplified, you get to experience the landscape first hand. You’re faster than a hiker, but still get to experience the winding roads, the ups, the downs, and the freedom to stop with the bike, more conveniently than with a car.

An old fireplace
An old fireplace

Recommendation

If you are not a confident cyclist, and don’t want to spend hundreds of hours getting fit, then electric bikes are a fantastic short cut because they give you the freedom to explore, without the dread of having to get back, despite being knackered. Electric bikes are more forgiving than cycling without a motor. With an electric bike you just ask for more assistance and you’re comfortable.

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A Bike Ride In The Rain

A Bike Ride In The Rain

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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. 


When I started the ride I wore my rain clothes. I also wore gloves. I wish I had at least one extra glove layer to protect me further. I think the mixture of rain and cold got through the gloves to my fingers. For the entire ride I questioned whether to turn back and give up on the day’s ride. I didn’t. I toughed it out. 


I rode up towards Gingins along the farm roads, before going across towards La Rippe. I didn’t go to La Rippe because of the downhill from La Rippe to Crassier. On a rainy day and with the brakes I have I prefer not to run that risk. The brakes were less responsive than usual. From Crassier I went across the Voie Verte to Divonne, and from Divonne down towards Mies, and from there back towards Nyon. 


You know how Cousteau always wore his trademark red hat. I feel the need to do the same, but with another hat. I got chilled during my bike ride and now I need to eat a good lunch, and let my body warm up again. This ride has chilled my core. 


Yesterday it was raining too, so I tested to see whether my devices worked with Zwift. They do. I rode for about 20-30 minutes before stopping and deciding to go for a proper walk, despite the risk of rain. The desire to go outdoors is strong. Even on rainy days I want to go outdoors. For once I rode in the rain. 

Critical Mass in Geneva

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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.

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.

Bookcrossing and A November Walk

Bookcrossing and A November Walk

Byrichard

Today I went for a slight variant and came across a book dating back to 1930 so of course I picked it up. I like the look and feel of old books. I also like that they carry history. The book is 91, almost 92 years old and it has been passed on from generation to generation for almost six generations. I looked in the book and at first I just ignored the scribbles at the front of the book, not thinking much of it. Now that I looked closer I noticed the BCID so I looked up bookcrossing.com and logged that I found the book.


Now that I know about this project I feel that I should add books that I own to that database, for people to find and share them. One book has 601 hops, and the next only 198. That is how many times books have been passed on from person to person.


I see that the project is still new but it will soon reach two million members (bookcrossers) and approaching 14 million books. It is present in 132 countries, and what is impressive is that this is only since April 2021, so the site is still new. Registering a book is quick and easy. Note the ISBN, Double check the info, write a comment, create the book, and then add the BCID to the inner cover and a new book is logged. It takes seconds.


I believe that this is a great project because if you think that the use case for cars, is bad, due to how much time they spend sitting around, then imagine how bad it is for books. They spend years, even decades on shelves collecting dust, without being read more than once. With a website like Bookcrossing those dormant books are given the opportunity to travel, to be read, to be discussed and to be shared, over and over again. A book is no longer read by one person but dozens, or even hundreds. It works like a library, but the library is the world, and everyone can be a curator.


I could now create an entry for The Unbearable Lightness of Being and other favourite books of mine, and over time I could follow as they are shared, commented on, and as their locations move either west or east, south, or north. It would show how interconnected the world is.


I will participate in this project. I like the opportunities that I think it opens up.

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