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Friday Quiz Apart from a 16 year age difference, what do the...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:38:33 +0200

Friday Quiz

Apart from a 16 year age difference, what do the above hubs have in common?

May Riding Stats

Thu, 31 May 2012 22:24:00 +0200

Woah, in May I rode 1’013 km, climbed 29’732 m and spent 55 hours and 42 minutes in the saddle. When I stepped outside the house this evening to take off for the last ride of the month, it just started raining. I had gotten outside with my road bike. Seeing it rain, I went back inside, switched bikes and left on my cross bike. My stats were missing 17 km to reach the 1’000 km mark. In the end, I rode a short 30 km loop and passed this magical distance a little bit before the Hohmatt. Now I don’t think I’ll be making it a habit or should I better call it an obsession to ride as much in a month. I only got there thanks to several benevolent factors all coming together during the same period. First, May 2012 was one heck of a spectacular month that got blessed with very favorable riding weather. Next, I had a week off where I was able to ride every day. Lastly and most importantly, I wanted to be out riding and had a lot of fun doing it. Sometimes other things will have priority and sometimes there just won’t be that itch to head out, so I don’t expect to repeat this often and I certainly won’t set it as a goal. But if I cross the 1’000 km mark again having such a blast as this month, I’ll be feeling just as good as tonight. June starts tomorrow and I’m supposed to get a Quarterhorse some of these days. Summer’s ahead and there are a few rides to be done.

Hike Across The Aiguilles De Baulmes

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:20:43 +0200

Impressions from a day hiking across the Aiguilles de Baulmes.

Grand Chômeur Au Grand Chaumont

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:06:00 +0200

Okay, the title’s not really accurate. With over 750 kilometers ridden this month it may look like I’m not doing that necessary evil, but bills need to be paid and so do bikes. So like most of us unfortunate ones, I continue to do that 42-hour thing called work and have at the same time been very fortunate to log a lot of hours on the saddle this month of May. This week I also took a break from the office grind to enjoy my local hills on two wheels. After a mountain biking visit to the Chasseral yesterday, I went back again today on the loop I rode May 17th. For a Thursday afternoon there were a lot of cyclists on the road. I passed a few older dudes then crossed a large, spread out group with support vehicle as I descended to Nods. With temperatures around 25°C I refilled my bottle once. Glad that there are plenty of fountains along the way.

Translation:	chômeur (french) = jobless person
Distance:	89.9 km (55.9 miles)
Elevation:	2’321 m (7’615 feet)
Time:	04:00:45
Speed (avg/max):	22.4/73.3 kph (13.9/45.5 mph)

NeilPryde Alize 1 Year Anniversary

Sat, 19 May 2012 09:57:27 +0200

Exactly a year ago, I received a package from NeilPryde with a medium, blue & white Alize frameset. I built the bike up with a bunch of hand-picked components and have been riding it since. A year later, I have a huge smile on my face each time I’m sitting on this sweet carbon road bike. While I loved my previous titanium road bike, a Litespeed Ultimate, which I rode for an whopping eleven years and still ride on my daily commute, that titanium bike sure beat me up on long rides. The 6Al-4V teardrop down tube and the short rear triangle with curved seat stays just didn’t offer the road smoothing compliance one needs to sit in the saddle for an extended period of time. The Alize on the other hand is a dream machine for +100k rides. Despite the aero seat post that does not flex like a slender 27.2mm post would, the frame itself is the most comfortable road bike I’ve owned to date. I chose the Alize last year for its stunning design and the many good reviews. I don’t time-trial nor do I spend much time on flats where an aero bike truly shines, yet of everything the market had to offer the Alize sat comfortably at the top of my list. After a year of climbing lots of mountains in the Swiss Jura, I can say that the Alize does an exceptionally fine job at going uphill. There’s one component though, that needs mentioning here, because it contributes a major part to the bike’s climbing abilities - Rotor’s Qrings. These oval chainrings are the best bits one can add to a bike. Their ovality is pure mechanical dope. No hidden electric motor needed. Toss them on an Alize and you end up with a bike that seems capable of neutralizing gravity whenever the road points to the sky. Whether hitting a climb out of the saddle, descending curvy mountain roads or covering flat stretches at high tempo, the Alize is an absolute pleasure to ride. It’s my first road bike that continuously pushes me to set the limits of distance and elevation farther and farther. Could another bike perform as well? Certainly, a bike like the upcoming BuraSL would probably even perform better in my hilly riding terrain, but I’m not someone changing bikes often. The healthy investment I make in a bike like the Alize is one done for a couple of years and when I ride something that puts a huge grin on my face, there’s really no reason to look at anything else. A year criss-crossing the Jura with my Alize has me wanting to explore every single paved climb in this beautiful region of Switzerland. Give me a few more years and I should know and blog about every square inch of road in the Jura - on top of my NeilPryde Alize.

Group Ride With The Ice Saints

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:17:22 +0200

After yesterday’s sudden snowfall while I was crossing the Montoz - thank you Sophie - I should not have been surprised when the Ice Saints joined me again on today’s road ride. The thermometer stood near zero in the early morning. The chimneys on the nearby homes were all blowing smoke. The heaters kicked back in, yeah it must indeed be cold. My lesson learnt from yesterday, I put on a pair of knee warmers and a long sleeve undershirt and pulled on a long-sleeved cycling jersey. Yesterday’s cold left me a little drained so today was not going to be a particularly fast day. I just wanted to ride the Chasseral and get some good miles under my tires. I left town on the forgotten little road to Gaicht, then climbed up to the Twannberg. When I popped out of the forest and looked at the Chasseral the whole mountain was white. I didn’t expect to find it like that and wondered if the roads would be clear. I rode to Nods then took the road to Lignières. Instead of riding into the village, I turned right and easily continued to Lordel. I turned right and hit the very steep climb past the few homes. The climb eased once it reached the tree line. A wonderful climb took me through the Chuffort Forest and brought me to La Dame. Be warned, the climb is paved through the forest but turns to gravel for the last half mile in the open. Arriving in Grand Chaumont the fast descent to Savagnier followed. Feeling a bit like an icicle my fingers remained around the brakes on the bumpy descent. A quick crossover to Chézard St. Martin launched me into the next climb to Vieux Prés and the Pertuis. The ride to Les Bugnenets across the Joux du Plane provided a welcome break where the legs were able to recover a bit for the last long climb up the backside of the Chasseral. I went easy and kept a steady pace. Funny how these climbs are actually not even all that long when you know them well. The last pitch to the top of the mountain pass was made easy by a stiff tailwind and made difficult by snow and occasional ice. At the top I turned left to go to the very top but shortly after the restaurant, I had to turn around. The road to the antenna was covered in snow. I hit the descent to Nods behind cars. Today, I made no attempt at passing. Wet roads and icy temperatures offered no high-speed conditions. An equitation event in Diesse required a small detour, then I took my usual route across Magglingen to get home.

Distance:	89.8 km (55.8 miles)
Elevation:	2’380 m (7’808 feet)
Time:	03:54:51
Speed (avg/max):	22.9/76.4 kph (14.2/47.5 mph)

Nippy Moron Loop

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:48:00 +0200

Back in March I mapped out a ride that I partially explored on April 28th. Today, I finally managed to ride the whole thing and came back knowing that this is a ride worth doing a couple of times a year. I wrote about the first stretch from Biel to Sornetan in my blog entry from April 28th. Today, the Sornetanians weren’t piercing paper targets with bullets at their small shooting range and the passage was open. I crossed this small hamlet that sits atop a small hill, dropped down a curvy road and then turned right to hit the road to Moutier. There was a short climb into Souboz and then the road flattened until it started to go down into Perrefitte. This is a sweet stretch of road - wide with smooth pavement and lots of turns. It feels like a roller-coaster, is fast and a lot of fun. The eleven kilometers to Moutier were covered too quickly. A road like that should just go on and on. In Moutier, I turned right but instead of riding the busy road through the Gorges de Court, I took a small mountain road to the right to reach Champoz. Early into the climb I met a group of mountain bikers who cheered as if I was the “tête de la course” in a Tour de France stage. I replied with a smiling “hey guys” and continued on my way. I’ve never done this stretch before and the 300 meters of extra climbing are absolutely worth it. The road snakes its way up through a dense forest to Petit Champoz, then the pavement makes way to cement for the open stretch to Champoz. All the elevation gained was lost again heading down to Bevilard from which I continued to Court. I took the main road, but will change to taking the paved path along the Birs creek next time. I thought my legs would be tired by now, but I launched into the Montoz climb still feeling fresh. On the way up, I met a mountain biker and rode a few minutes alongside chatting. On the descent from the Obergrenchenberg to Grenchen I had a bunch of cars in front of me. It’s Sunday after all. Really cool though, every single driver pulled to the side and let me pass. Arriving at the bottom, I now entered the Grenchen - Biel segment, for which I held the leader position on Strava with an average speed of 40.6 km/h and a time of 11:03. After 2’800 meters of climbing I wondered if my legs were still up to beat that time. I had a tailwind that facilitated the challenge and made it in 10:24 with a speed of 43.2 km/h. Temperatures were hovering around 10°C all day and perfect. My engine runs better when things get a little chilly.

Distance:	115.3 km (71.6 miles)
Elevation:	2’822 m (9’259 feet)
Time:	04:36:09
Speed (avg/max):	25.1/70.8 kph (15.6/44.0 mph)
GPS Track:	GPSies.com

Friday's Cyclocross To The Chasseral

Sat, 12 May 2012 10:48:13 +0200

Work and weather didn’t give me a chance to ride much this week. Thursday I attended a trade show and spent the sunniest and hottest day in a closed expo hall. On a quick trip outside for lunch, I realized what a nice day it’d be to be out riding - even more so because I was surrounded by some sweet mountains. I was lucky enough to make it back home by 6PM to have plenty of time for a ride before sunset. After several weeks of mountain bike and cyclocross abstinence, I grabbed the Mares for a loop to an old friend - the Mont Sujet. On the climb up to the Twannberg, I passed a group of mountain bikers. 26 inch full suspension mountain bikes versus an agile cyclocross bike was like an encounter between a group of slugs and a lizard. On Friday afternoon I pushed the cyclocrosser out the door yet again for a visit to the Chasseral. It was hot to the point of being close to unpleasant. Good thing there are plenty of shaded climbs where temperatures are much milder. I headed to Rondchâtel to climb to Les Coperies for an approach of the Chasseral from the east. Still feeling the previous ride, I took things easy. After I passed the turnoff to the Petite Douanne, the trail to the Métairie de Morat disappeared under a thick layer of snow. Bike around my shoulder it was time to hike. Mid May and I’m hiking in bibs and short sleeve jersey through piles of snow that will possibly remain into June - in the Jura? Next I climbed around the Petit Chasseral dancing uphill like Alberto Contador to reach the last tough pitch to the antenna at the peak of the Chasseral. Steep with a stiff headwind Alberto was suddenly gone. I dropped into the smallest gear and tried to take cover from the wind by staying at the far left of the tiny road. I crossed two mountain bikers at the top and smiled seeing that other folks come up here on a late Friday evening. I stopped to shoot a last photo, then dove down the street to Nods. I swooshed past two motor bikes who seemed a bit wary about letting their bikes fly down the road then took the quickest way back to town.

Distance:	61.6 km (38.3 miles)
Elevation:	1’843 m (6’047 feet)
Time:	03:15:34
Speed (avg/max):	18.9/77.5 kph (11.7/48.2 mph)

Friday Visit To The Chasseral

Fri, 04 May 2012 22:26:47 +0200

Distance:	59.2 km (36.8 miles)
Elevation:	1’515 m (4’970 feet)
Time:	02:23:57
Speed (avg/max):	24.7/78.0 kph (15.3/48.5 mph)

Last Ride Of The Month

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:20:03 +0200

The cool thing about keeping track of your rides, is that you often end up pushing yourself harder and going farther. Despite the meteorological disaster that April has been, I was close to the 500 km mark (without counting my daily commute) with just one more day left to reach it. I left the office the minute the clock showed I had done my hours behind the desk and headed straight home to do one last ride in April. A climb to the top of the Chasseral brought my distance ridden past the magical 500k mark to a total of 529 kilometers and 15’384 meters of climbing. Altogether it took 29 hours and 34 minutes or 8 bike rides and 3 running sessions to reach those numbers. Tomorrow’s training session will consist of carrying laundry up and down four floors. 3 or 4 loads should take care of the dirty laundry that accumulated over the past week. The Alize could use a break too. After rides in snow and rain, the bike is in dire need of some maintenance.

Distance:	56.1 km (34.9 miles)
Elevation:	1’748 m (5’735 feet)
Time:	02:15:48
Speed (avg/max):	24.8/79.0 kph (15.4/49.0 mph)

Road Ride To The Montbautier And Back

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:11:58 +0200

I got up around 6AM this morning to be out the door no later than 7AM. I had some errands to run between 11 and 12AM and needed to absolutely be back. This left me with about 4 hours of riding time. Back in March I mapped out a loop that I wanted to explore today. Time was going to be tight, but there were always possibilities for shortcuts. I left Biel and instead of looking for shortcuts, I flew right by my turnoff to climb the Jeanbrenin pass and continued to the small village of Cormoret. I wanted to take the 6.5 kilometer long climb up to the Mont-Tramelan. It’s a one lane road far away from everything. Paved all the way with the exception of a half mile stretch somewhat midway, this is one of the sweetest climbs out of the Vallon de St. Imier. The first part of the climb right outside of Cormoret is fairly steep, then it mellows out for the rest. Once I reached the Col du Mont Crosin, I turned right and headed to Tramelan. Here, I wanted to check out the climb to the Montbautier, a place I’ve never been. Again, absolutely amazing. A killer descent followed towards Le Fuet. Following my planned itinerary, I now headed to Sornetan. Right before I reached the village I heard continuous gunshots and soon after I reached a barrier. The road crossed the line of fire and was therefore closed. A quick look at my iPhone also showed that I would not be back home in time if I continued my loop. I made a U-turn and climbed back to Le Fuet and continued to Tavannes. There was a last climb ahead, the Col de Pierre Pertuis, a road I really don’t care to do because of traffic. But now that there’s a tunnel with the Transjurane, only a few cars drove across the Col. I did the remaining stretch to La Heutte, then had another somewhat ugly stretch of road ahead - the three highway tunnels to Biel. I gave everything my legs had left and surprisingly kept up with the cars to my left. There’s an 80 kph speed limit as far as I recollect, so either drivers were going slow or I was going pretty fast.

Back home, I jumped into our car to pick up cat food at the vet, then drove to my local bike shop to pick up my wife’s rear wheel with an Alfine hub. The wheel at hand, I finished assembling her bike so that we can head out for a maiden ride this afternoon or tomorrow. On one of the coming weekends I’ll be back on those roads to do the whole loop without time constraints. This first part to Sornetan is a fantastic road ride. The second stretch to Moutier, Champoz, Sorvilier, Court and the tough climb to the Grenchenberg is just as scenic, adds a bunch more miles and a whole lot more climbing. Should be epic!

Distance:	81.9 km (50.9 miles)
Elevation:	2’043 m (6’703 feet)
Time:	03:08:50
Speed (avg/max):	26.0/90.0 kph (16.2/55.9 mph)

Tour De Romandie Stage 1

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:06:25 +0200

Someone forgot to tell April about global warming. This month’s been one of the coldest and wettest Aprils I remember. Just like last year, the Tour de Romandie crossed some of my often ridden roads and just like last year, I took half the day off to watch the peloton race through the Jura. This year, I had a companion in jk and we rode our road bikes through the St. Imier valley to stop by the road at the second category KOM in Les Bugnenets. We battled a stiff headwind until we reached Sonvilier, then climbed the Montagne de l’Envers to reach Les Pontins and our perch from which we waited for the TdR right across the Les Bugnenets ski resort. We were both adequately dressed for a chilly ride on a cloudy day, but we quickly froze to the bones waiting for the peloton when the weather gods unleashed gusty winds and rain on us. A little bit higher up the hill those rain drops were snow flakes. Contrast that to the same time last year, when I rode across the Chasseral after watching stage 3 of the Tour de Romandie. I hope May will once and for all take care of the snow on our local mountain peaks. My legs are itching to do more climbing.

Distance:	88.3 km (54.9 miles)
Elevation:	1’660 m (5’446 feet)
Time:	03:48:16
Speed (avg/max):	23.2/72.0 kph (14.4/44.7 mph)

Training With FiveFingers On TenToes

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:58:00 +0200

The past weekend was marked by some very unpredictable April weather. One minute the sun was out, the next it was raining. Looking south from our balcony the sky generally had a friendlier blue, across the Jura to the north it remained threateningly grey for most of the weekend. On Saturday we picked up my wife’s new 29er in the morning and stocked up on groceries in the afternoon. Sunday was spent preparing a few modifications for the new 29er - more on that once it’s done - and some gardening on the balcony. Later, I switched the TV on to watch Liège-Bastogne-Liège but couldn’t warm up to the race. I grabbed my running gear and my Fivefingers to head out for a short run that turned into a steep hike to “La Face de Rondchâtel”. Hiking steep and rocky terrain “barefoot” was an amazing experience. The trail needs to be carefully scanned and every foot step needs to be well chosen. It’s a great training for balance and coordination, too. But caution, the slightest mistake on sharp rocks could result in bloody feet or worse. My sore calves this morning are an indication that I need more of this type of cross training. A hundred kilometers or more on the bike? Piece of cake! Ten kilometers in Fivefingers? Ouch, some regular training is needed to get there.

Distance:	9.9 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation:	614 m (2’014 feet)
Time:	01:20:04
Pace:	08:05 min/km (12.96 min/mile)

Chasseral Calling For Change Of Plans

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:04:43 +0200

When I set out for an evening road ride to take advantage of the only sunny day this week, I wanted to do a simple loop across the Plateau de Diesse. I zipped through town to reach the lake, then left the main road in Vingelz to begin a sweet climb to Gaicht. The Tüscherzberg road to Gaicht is an old, one lane road. The pavement is slowly turning to gravel and there are more potholes than anyone can count. What it lacks in pavement quality it more than makes up in quietness and solitude. It’s rare to meet anyone on that somewhat forgotten stretch of road. Once the road pops out of the forest, one gets to rest for a few minutes until turning into the next climb to the Twannberg. I reached that popular little mountain and was greeted by the Chasseral who was back to be fully coated with snow. Plateau de Diesse loop? Heck no, the winter being back to the Chasseral called for a climb to the peak. I launched into the climb at a steady pace and climbed and climbed until everything around me was white. The road got narrower with every meter I inched forward. At the sharp hairpin turn right above the tree line the climb was over. A van that tried to get up the road right before me came back down in reverse. I stepped to the side, then rode that few remaining meters of uncovered road. A few photos later, I was on the way back down from the mountain and suddenly realized how cold it actually was. My glasses fogged up to the point where I had to take them off. Once in Nods, I took the same way back to the Twannberg but then turned left to head to Magglingen. Taking this way has two highlights, first the Hohmattstrasse with a fantastic view of Biel and the lake. Then there’s the long descent into town to finish the ride. Another fantastic training loop that fits well into the hours after work.

Distance:	51.0 km (31.7 miles)
Elevation:	1’620 m (5’315 feet)
Time:	02:06:51
Speed (avg/max):	24.1/71.9 kph (15.0/44.7 mph)

Train Before The Rain

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:46:42 +0200

The whole week’s been pretty crappy weather. Nothing but rain, rain, rain. Not the type of thing that invites to take a bike out for a spin after work. The rain was needed, though. Nature is about to explode now that everything got a healthy amount of H2O. I used the bad weather to work on my Niner, which suffered in four days of mud the past weekend. It needed new rotors and pads and everything else needed to be freed from dirt. Amazing how that stuff finds ways to creep into everything. The Niner’s still fully disassembled. Another couple of hours of work and it should be ready for better days. Today was the first day that roads had enough time to dry. So, as soon as I escaped the office, I slipped into my road gear and left for a short out and back climb to the “Zentralplatz”. At the top of the climb, I had to hurry to turn around. Dark clouds were arriving from east. It rained almost immediately as soon as I zipped downhill. Luckily, only the first couple of miles. The forecast for the weekend doesn’t look all that promising. Time to wrench and time to tie my running shoes.

Distance:	34.8 km (21.6 miles)
Elevation:	1’103 m (3’619 feet)
Time:	01:25:53
Speed (avg/max):	24.3/74.1 kph (15.1/46.0 mph)

Strava's Pseudo-Privacy

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:11:00 +0200

Nigel Wynn at Cycling Weekly touched an interesting topic with his post about ride mapping sites potentially being used by bike thieves looking for high-end bikes. Cycling Weekly has been told of several incidents where thieves have appeared to target a particular address, turning up fully equipped with cutting equipment and getting away with thousands of pounds worth of cycles. Strava, for example, allows you to hide the position of a specific address on your ride maps, like your home, by setting a masked area around it. Anyone looking at a map of your ride is not shown a selected area around the address - 100, 500 or 2000 meters.

How good is that privacy mask? Well, whoever paid a little bit of attention in geometry class will quickly realize that it takes just three points (start or end point of some logged rides) to figure out the masked address. Short explanation: the selected distance in the privacy settings of Strava forms a circle around a rider’s home address, or any other address the rider chooses to mask. When the rider logs a ride on Strava, start and end points of his rides from home will sit somewhere on that circle. A thief now just needs to sit down with a ruler, take three points and connect them to form a triangle. At the half-point of each edge, he draws a perpendicular line. Where they intersect, he’ll find that high-dollar carbon bike.

I tested this with data-points from some of my rides and the lines intersected within 50 meters of my house. Knowing the times a rider’s training - a piece of information also obtained from Strava, a thief can just sit at nearby street corner to figure out exactly which house to hit for that pricy bike.

What can you do to better protect your location on Strava? Set your mask to 2000 meters and always leave and return to and from your home on the same route. That way, start and end points of all your logged rides will be at the same place and it’s impossible to triangulate your home. Obviously, a thief could always hang out at such an endpoint at a typical time you train and follow you home. But that’s the risk you take putting information about your activities and whereabouts into the social media cloud.

Impressions From A Long Ride

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:13:03 +0100

Long, hilly, windy and sunny. It was great to be out despite the wind sucking the last reserves out of me after I had descended from the Grand Chaumont. I chew down three cereal bars in the basement before attacking the four floors to reach our apartment.

Distance:	94.3 km (58.6 miles)
Elevation:	1’893 m (6’211 feet)
Time:	03:59:06
Speed (avg/max):	23.7/72.0 kph (14.7/44.7 mph)

Mavic Galibier Road Shoes Out Of The Box

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:37:05 +0100

Mavic’s probably best known for its wheelsets and rims. But besides that, they have branched into shoes, pedals, helmets and tires. Last November, I needed a pair of shoes to cyclocross and stumbled across a great deal I couldn’t pass up. I purchased a pair of Mavic Tempo MTB shoes, used them for cyclocross and quickly they also became my daily bike shoes in which I commuted to the office. The Mavic shoes fit my feet perfectly and have been performing extremely well over the past winter months. If I run across a sale on black ones, I’ll certainly grab a second pair. In the meantime, I got a pair of Mavic Galibier road shoes to replace my embarrassingly old Specialized shoes. The Galibier is a mid-level shoe in Mavic’s lineup that doesn’t break a bank. I got my pair for 120 Euros - about the same price I paid for the Tempo MTB shoes. After having Specialized shoes with a full carbon outsole, and seeing how badly these scratch over time, I opted not to pay for an expensive high-end shoe again. The Galibier comes with a non-bling carbon reinforced composite glass fiber outsole. If they fit as nicely and comfortably as the Tempo, that’s more than good enough.

Ride Interrupted

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:09:00 +0100

Today’s road ride was supposed to be somewhere around 85 to 90 kilometers. A razor-sharp rock on the road ended it all after 42.9 km. I had just entered the first few miles of a road I’ve never taken before. When I came up to an intersection, I lifted my head to read the road sign. Just in that short instant when I wasn’t looking at the pavement in front of me, my rear tire met with what turned out to be an incredibly sharp rock and instantly exploded. I stopped, inspected the damage and knew that the ride had ended right there. I had a spare tube, but what I needed in addition was a spare tire. I called my wife to drive out and pick me up. Together, we drove to Valangin and had lunch at a small restaurant right next to the castle. Despite this mishap, the roads out there are totally worth revisiting. The climb up to Les Vieux Près and Pertuis is amazing. In fact, while I was waiting for my wife to arrive, I studied the map and came up with a sweet loop in reverse direction starting in Biel climbing to the Twannberg first, then heading through Lignières to climb over the Chaumont to begin a nice expanded U-turn to attack the Chasseral from the backside. Return via Twannberg, Magglingen back into town will cover 88 kilometers and close to 2300 meters in total climbing.

Distance:	42.9 km (26.7 miles)
Elevation:	1’033 m (3’389 feet)
Time:	01:47:32
Speed (avg/max):	23.9/68.8 kph (14.9/42.8 mph)

Sweating Out The Flu

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:36:00 +0100

It’s been a full week sitting at home trying to get over the flu. I’ve been to my doctor to get a few meds and a note confirming my inability to work. Today, I could no longer sit idle at home watching the wonderful blue sky through dusty windows. I felt good enough to ride. My wife was worried and told me not to go, but I needed to test my body. Knowing that my body’s still somewhat weak, I jumped onto my road bike for an “easy” climb up to Les Près d’Orvin. I wasn’t going to do this in record time. Today’s goal was to breath fresh air, catch some sun and get my motor running as well as it would. And the motor ran surprisingly well. It climbed with a steady spin and only lacked a little in speed. The ride certainly cleaned out the sickly combustion engine. When I passed by the ski lift, I was surprised to find a large amount of snow still covering hillsides left and right. The road turned wet, then icy to the point where my road tires lost their grip. I had to walk, which wasn’t an easy task either. Further up, the road was dry again so I continued. The final stretch to the mountain top remained inaccessible. The road was still covered under a thick carpet of snow. On a southern facing slope that was the last thing I expected. Without reaching the KOM I made a 180 and took a little detour to the Buffalo Ranch, where I snapped a few photos. Heading back down, I walked the icy road section once more, then dropped to Orvin. This fast descent isn’t fast any longer. Its pavement suffered through the winter and is dotted with lots of deep pot holes. Until those are fixed, 90 kph descents are only for those carrying a Kamikaze gene.

Distance:	33.4 km (20.8 miles)
Elevation:	1’065 m (3’494 feet)
Time:	01:40:40
Speed (avg/max):	19.9/75.2 kph (12.4/46.7 mph)