Whew! Yesterday was the annual Appenzeller Rundfahrt. I've been on a few organized cycling tours and this must have been the worst. The tour cost CHF 28.- which included a keychain-size souvenir fondue pot and a slice of Appenzeller cheese. I started later than the 5am start time and literally saw no more than 10 other cyclists for the entire 70km. The flyer advertising the tour claimed that the event ran until 17:00 but neglected to mention that the rest stops (providing the food & drink for the CHF 28.- we paid) closed earlier. It also rained.

Other than that, I enjoyed the challenging hills (see profile below) and the gorgeous scenery over Appenzellerland. Next year, however, I will save myself the CHF 28.-.

Mittelland Route #5

We made it! Jeff and I arrived back today from our five-day Switzerland bike tour. We had planned to leave 14 June but we postponed a day due to poor weather. The tour started in St. Gallen and brought us through Zurich Airport, Baden, Aarau, Olten, Solothurn, Biel, Yverdon-Les-Bains, and finally to our destination Lausanne (google earth). It was a painful and enjoyable 408km (my butt is killing me). We had perfect weather and Jeff has the sunburn to prove it.

We were fortunate to be joined by friends during various parts of the trip. Simone joined us on days 1 & 2, Esther on day 2, Antonia on days 2-5, and Rahel on days 4-5. Our first night was in a Schlaff im Stroh near Kloten, but instead of sleeping on straw in a barn we slept on plastic mattresses in a garage with farm machinery. The second night was a bed and breakfast near Aarau with an anal retentive host. There was literally a sign hanging in the washroom explaining how we must brush our teeth over the sink. The third night was in the Lago Lodge Bistro, Brewery, and Backpackers in Nidau (near Biel) and the fourth night was in a Backpackers in Yverdon-Les-Bains. We had a delicious barbeque on the last evening.

I am extremely pleased with the progress I have made with my fitness level. Back in March I committed myself to controlling my weight, changing my eating habits, and getting in shape. This bike trip clearly demonstrated to myself that my efforts were not in vain. I biked harder, faster, and farther than I ever did before. No more bonking!

I hope to make another multi-day tour this summer. There are still numerous places to explore in Switzerland and I may even feel up to trying one of those mountain passes.

Enjoy the photos!

On Edge

I've been on edge the last few days. I managed to break a plate, burn myself in the kitchen, pour hot sauce all over my pasta, and get my hand caught in a pair of pliers. It's lead-up to the bike tour that starts today. Jeff and I are departing soon for our five-day bike ride from St. Gallen to Lausanne along national route #5. See you next week!

There is an article on the BBC site that I found interesting. It's about a random number generator that has, in the past, shown bias shortly before major world events. The hypothesis is that the machine is actually predicting these events! Have a look. RedNova News - Science - Can This Black Box See Into the Future?

This last week has been a ride. Last Saturday I was biking with Antonia around Trogen and St. Gallen and managed to "kill her". I'm told this is no small feat. On Sunday was the annual Schaffhausen Slow-Up where 36km of trail and road were cleared for cyclists and bladers. The event brought out families, power walkers, and even a few joggers. I biked the route twice (map below) and ran into some old friends near the end.

The rest of the week was more cycling with the exception of Thursday. Tomorrow I take a break to run some errands and prepare for the 14-19 June bike trip. As a complete surprise, my friend Jeff made the spontaneous decision to fly over from Montreal and join me! Woo hoo! I'm really looking forward to this trip!