A Morning Ride

This morning I went for a bike ride before taking my daily shower. I rode through Nyon and then turned up towards Duiller and from Duiller I headed for Genolier. When I was in Nyon though I cycled down towards the lake before cycling up one of the steep hills before heading to Duiller and onto Genolier. along the way I considered whether I would go all the way to Arzier and changed my mind, because it would have required a long descent on carbon wheels that I am not yet used to.

I chose this route because when I went for a group ride a few weeks ago I suffered with the climb to Genolier and the part that goes behind La Rippe. It's not that I am unfit but rather that I am not used to cycling. This year I have cycled just 789 kilometres. It's not that I am lazy, because I am not, but rather that I am tired of how dangerous it is to ride bikes regularly. Too often people drive too close and too fast. There is the rule that says that people have to pass 1.5 meters from cyclists but some people don't respect that rule so every ride is a gamble.

The reason I have been cycling more recently is that I have learned of a new routing option that allows me to stay away from cars. If I had a cycling route that did not expose me to any cars then I would cycle every single day. It's because I don't feel safe that I don't.

My plan this morning was just to ride 25 kilometres or so, to complete one of the Garmin cycling challenges. In the end I cycled 33.73 kilometres and climbed 355m. I got a personal record for the ascent to Coinsins and the Genolier climb. That's good. I will struggle less in about three weeks when I do it as a group ride.

Recently I adjusted the bike rack for the car that I use at the moment. This will allow me to range with the bike. I will be able to find new cycling routes further from home, as well as to transport up to three bikes at a time.

I want to ride more but on routes that are dedicated to cyclists rather than cars. Cycling is a pleasant sport, on tertiary farm roads where cars are banned.

I will see how long the weather is good enough to keep cycling.