Cycling to the Airport and Ice Skating

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A week ago I proposed a bicycle ride to Mies, before stopping at the Port de Crans for coffee. Quite a few people joined the chat but no one committed to turning up. I woke up in the morning and said "I’m thinking of setting off early, since no one had confirmed. When no one said "wait, wait, wait" I set off on my bicycle ride.

The conditions were excellent. I was warm, the roads were quiet, and the views were pleasant. I even thought "These are fantastic cycling conditions, it’s a mistake to stay indoors and zwift when the weather is so pleasant.

I did make the mistake of gravel, and then grass riding. The route I had planned on was closed due to the shooting range being in active use. That’s when I diverted to a giant puddle and then grass and mud. In the end I turned around, due to a dead end.

I then rode towards Geneva, and the airport, before riding down towards the centre, before turning to get to the Place Des Nations to snack, before riding home. This stop was a mistake, because that’s when I cooled down. That’s also when clouds appeared and blocked out the sun. It also started to drizzle so the trifecta of being wet, in shade, and rained on made the second half colder and less pleasant.

If I had stuck to my original route the entire ride would have been pleasant.

A Slight Mistake

I believe that suggesting the ride on GoSocial, rather than on strava was a mistake. When I got home from the ride I noticed the timeline light up with gravel rides, normal rides, runs and more. If I had proposed my activity on Strava I would have been heard by people who were already motivated to cycle rather than trying to convince hikers, and people who prefer to party.

Ice Skating

During one of my walks I noticed that the ice skating rink was going to open in a few days so I posted it to the Nyon GoSocial group. People were interested so yesterday afternoon a few people turned up and we skated for a few hours. In this case seven out of eleven people who signed up turned up. If it had been a hike it would have been twenty out of twenty.

It could be up to two decades since I last went ice skating. I don’t enjoy skating because you go around over, and over. Compare the GPS track from yesterday’s skating, compared to the morning’s bike ride and you will see what I mean.

Ending on a Feeling of Solitude

Yesterday there was a conversation about ice skating and fondue, and I thought both were the same event. They weren’t. At the end of the day, after skating three people went for the fondue and I walked in solitude and I felt down. The irony is that I have been more social than I have in years so it’s absurd that I felt that isolation. That’s one of the challenges of being an introvert in the COVID age, as I call it. You want to be social but not in crowded bars, pubs, or large events. You want to be social in a convivial ambience, such as on a bike ride or hike. If skating and the fondue were the same event, that would have been ideal. I misunderstood.

And Finally

It is absurd of me to start a cycling group, just as every cycling group straps an indoor trainer to the back of their bikes. It makes sense to ice skate, do autumn hikes and sports that people want to do in this weather. Having said this, there are plenty of hiking groups so it’s nice to have a niche.

I noticed that for Saturday and Sunday I could propose Ride and Scones as a bike activity, and in the afternoon, when the air has had time to warm up.