Switzerland (all)

On my way to China from Switzerland, I left home on August 2008 and plan to arrive in China on September 2009. As biologist I try to meet other collegues and make some birdwatch on some famous bird's important areas. meeting people also take a good part of the trip.

The aim was not only to overcome the cycle route, but also to hold a mountain of interesting excursions. We are four persons: Agata (10lat), Ania (16), Krzysztof (22) and me, father siblings.

Website is in Polish, but it has a google translator. It is written in simple language. Try to understand all in your native language.

Cycling from Germany to Istanbul via Austria and the Balkan - and back via Greece, Italy and Switzerland in August and September 2007. Including tour diary in German, statistics, loads of pics and Google Maps.

Cycling with my Lowrider Tricycle and my Bongo drum from Germany to Vietnam :o) stopping my bank career 1/2a ago to fulfil my dream and exploring alternative approaches to life; very interested in the current financial crisis and following future; doing interviews with citizens asking them for their approach to life, and opinions about the financial crisis.

Presenting results of my interviews, blogposts with GPS pics, video documentations,

Believing in One World, One Love, One Unity, Dread Marco

The goal this Summer was to make sure I have climbed every asphalted (at least one side) pass throughout the whole of the Alps above 1700m (which I have detailed in a list at the cycloclimbing.com site). I also wanted to include some difficult roads that are not passes.

(Length: 4916.7 km for 29 days = 170 km/day; Height metres climbed: 105454 m for 29 days = 3636m/day.)

The winter of 1963 brought the longest cold spell to central Europe in a many years, freezing the landscape deeper than it had in 100 years. Realizing that such weather probably would not occur again in my lifetime, if ever, I decided to do more than read about frozen lakes and deep frost [...] The ice was glassy smooth here [in Zürich], the sun and warmth from the city having melted the surface during the warmest part of the day. I walked down onto the lake and mounted my bicycle carefully. From having ridden on snow packed streets, I was aware that the best gear was the highest (50-13) to prevent undesired wheelspin that could dump me onto the ice. Traction would have been even poorer had it not been -20 Celsius.

Stelvio summit with Valle di Trafoi background. Weather in the picture was typically cool with constant chance of rain and snow. It was a cold summer.

Ibach - Rosenlaui - Hospental - Biella - Ivrea - Tenda - St. Etienne - Arvieux - Lanslebourg - Bourg St. Maurice - Lavachey - Brig-Ried - Bignasco - Thusis - Brusio - Stelvio - Astfeld - Marebbe - Brixen - Landeck - Urnerboden - Alpnachstadt - Brunnen

From 28 August to 08 September 2008 I surrounded Switzerland.

A varied tour of flat country side to hills and Alpine passes.

I ve actually done quite a number of bike-trips myself. It was always a pleasure to be out in the nowhere for longer period of time just moving forward on two wheels.

Finally, after a longer period of absence from travelling I could free two months again. This time the challenge was to find a way of cycling with the entire family, with Juri (4) and Lenya (1), and my wife Angela of course. Thanks to the great Swiss invention of follow-me tandem we could attach Juris bike and de-tach it from time to time if traffic allowed. The bigger challenge was to find enough storage for our luggage which lead to the ``convoi exceptionnell'': two trailers in row behind my bike.

If you want so see how that worked out on the way from Zurich to the French Atlantic, read this live-blog written during the tour on my mobile phone (German). There are plenty of pictures of course as well.

From June 16 to August 1 2008, I cycled from Alta to the North-Cape, there I started a 7-week trip through Finland Sweden Denmark Germany Netherlands Belgium and France back to Switzerland.

An account of a weeks bike trip to the Italian Alps (Bormio), (and a bit of Switzerland) in September 2008.

The legend that is the Passo Stelvio had been on my itinerary for a few years. Between us, we'd expanded that to include the equally legendary Mortirolo and Gavia passes, and anything else we'd regard as a bonus!

Includes a daily ride report and route maps, plus loads of pictures of each days ride in the gallery section.

I began my first bike tour in Asia. A few years after I went to South America for another tour. My latest tour was a year through Africa. I am back in Canada to make enough money for another tour, hopefully this one will last at least 6 years or more. I will have 3000+ photos when I am finish with my Asia section.

A tour along Rhein, Alsace, North of Switzerland

This November, Simon Evans and Fearghal O'Nuallain will begin the first Irish circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle. Their unsupported expedition will cover over 30,000km, passing through 30 countries and some of the highest, lowest, driest, coldest, warmest and loneliest places on earth. In doing so, they will be promoting the positive contribution that cycling can make to mental health and the environment, raising 100,000 euro for Aware and highlighting climate change.

A collection of tours that will eventually link up as a global circumnavigation. Fast riding with little luggage.

Cycling from Bassano (Venice) to Zurich, passing Ofenpass, Flüelapass and Albulapass. Google maps + gps tracking files included.

Rodadas es un manual para aquellos que quieran iniciarse en el cicloturismo. En esta página encontrarás información sobre cómo elegir tu material, trucos para solucionar algunas de las situaciones con las que se enfrentan habitualmente los cicloviajeros e información sobre iniciativas cicloturistas en Espańa y allende de los mares.

Además, te contamos nuestros viajes a través de Europa (en junio-octubre 2005), Escocia (2003) y Holanda (2002).

Il lago di Costanza (Bodensee) č un percorso ideale per i ciclisti grazie alla bellezza del paesaggio e all'abbondanza di strutture appositamente pensate per loro: dalle piste ciclabili agli enti turistici e alberghi che offrono una particolare accoglienza con tanto di depositi custoditi, assistenza tecnica e materiale informativo a disposizione.

Il periplo completo del lago attraversa tre stati (Svizzera, Germania e Austria) e misura circa 260 km, considerando anche la propaggine occidentale formata dai bacini dello Zeller See e dell'Untersee; non ci sono praticamente rilievi; č possibile abbreviare il percorso sfruttando una delle numerose rotte che collegano le due sponde del lago (Bodensee-Schiffbetriebe). Lungo il tragitto si incontrano villaggi con le abitazioni dalla tipica architettura del Baden-Württenberg e alcune splendide isole e penisole collegate alla costa da ponti e quindi facilmente accessibili anche alle biciclette: Mainau, Reichenau e Lindau, su cui sorge il nucleo dell'omonimo villaggio. In tutta la regione si trovano numerosi centri balneari e termali oltre a un'infinitŕ di spiagge che ben si prestano a un intermezzo rilassante fra una tappa e l'altra.

I'm at one of those grave intellectual impasses that have been known to bring even greater minds than my own to a standstill. I have an orphan sock. Trivia, you say. Ha! I think not.

The cause of this problem is surely the work of that Slovakian KGB Agent, foolishly disguised as a laundress in Svolen. She stole it, I'm sure. Probably for a DNA sample to impress her superiors in Bratislava. They've been following my every move since the kustoms agent in Warsaw asked me the purpose of my visit to Poland. When I answered ``vacation'' the disbelief on his face gave him away. What, doesn't anyone go to Poland on vacation?

But back to the real problem, the orphan sock. The purists among cycle tourists would say, ``Throw it away, it's excess baggage. And while you're at it, cut three inches off that over-long toothbrush handle.'' But the Calvinist in me says, ``Save it. It's a good sock, nearly new.'' I've already reduced the weight of my baggage by losing its mate. Maybe I'll lose another and be back to even and lighter still.

After a year's sabbatical from bicycle touring we could not wait to get back in the saddle. After researching our options and spending countless hours on various countries' Web sites, we decided on Switzerland because of the beauty of the country and their national cycling routes. We were not disappointed.

The most difficult part was eliminating routes. Not being able to make up our minds, we decided to do a little of everything - lakes, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, national forests and rolling green pastures with ubiquitous Swiss cows and their bells.

Our journal includes lots of photos along with a daily log and an equipment list.

A three-week cyclotouring trip across France (mostly camping) from Bordeaux to Lausanne, passing through Périgord, Limousin, Creuse, Canal du Centre in Burgundy, crossing the Alps in Jura, through Pontarlier and Vallorbe. Lots of nice pictures; practical informations about traveling and camping in France, and flying there with a bicycle. Especially useful for budget travelers who don't mind pedaling long hours in a beautiful country.

Crossing the Swiss Alps to Venice, along the Adriatic coast to Greece; island hopping on Corfu, Crete, Santorini, Naxos, Samos; and finally following Turkey's Mediterranean coast to Antlaya.

[Picture at http://www.camino10.com/Griechenland/38%20Delphi.jpg deleted, it tries to set a cookie. Ed.]

Here is a trip that takes me to places I have dreamed about for 35 years. Mountains, Glaciers, Volcanoes and Easter Island.

Now includes my 2007 tour of Australia.

La bellissima escursione ciclistica si snoda lungo un percorso di 1000 chilometri attraverso Germania, Svezia e Danimarca. Rispetto alla tradizionale ciclabile che si sviluppa longitudinalmente lungo la verticale Berlino-Rostock-Copenhagen, questa variante permette di visitare anche l;affascinante penisola di Zingst, l'isola di Hiddensee, nota ai tedeschi per il suo fantastico patrimonio naturalistico, la penisola di Rugen ed infine la ventosa isoletta danese di Bornholm, paradiso dei ciclisti. Un traghetto per il sud della Svezia porta a raggiungere e conoscere le bellezze del breve tratto scandinavo. L’itinerario, si sviluppa in una ventina di giorni comprendendo anche un soggiorno a Berlino e nella mitica Copenhagen.

A new cycle journey. I want to cycle from Vienna to Nice, a complete crossing of the Alps from east to west. Then I have to cycle a bit further to Avignon. The idea is to zigzag as much as possible to fit in as much exciting backroads and extraordinary landscapes as possible. Jeroen van Meijgaarden will join me the first two weeks. Then I will be on my own to complete the crossing of the Alps.

Like last year the month August was cloudy and rainy, and the prospect for cycling in the Alps was not very promising. September did not seem to get better, until the weather broadcasts predicted some sunny days ahead.

7. Sept. 07 I fastened the panniers onto my bicycle and was ready to start the annual alpine cycle tour.

After 9 days I was back again, without seeing a drop of rain.

Il ciclismo č sofferenza. Il premio č la cima di una montagna o una cittŕ a 2000km da casa. Se questo premio vi sembra adeguato allora la domanda ``ma chi te lo fa fare ?'' ha giŕ una risposta. Se non vi sembra abbastanza, semplicemente non potete capire chi pedala.

Cycling is suffering. The prize is the top of a mountain or a city 2000km far from home. If this prize seems you enough, then the question ``why do you do that ?'' already has an answer. If you don't find it enough, you just cannot understand cyclists.

Another shorter than expected tour, this time in Switzerland, generally following Veloroute 2 (the Rhein Route) from Basel past Rheinfall, Bodensee, Liechtenstein and Chur to Andermatt via Oberalp pass, then over St Gotthard pass and onto the Italian border.

In what seems to be the theme of his years tours, events conspired to thwart the original plan of connecting July's tour (Copenhagen to Freiberg) with it's intended destination: Venice.

A freak, non-cycling related, knee injury on the third evening left me unable to bend my left leg; which meant the only way I was getting to Venice was by train.

Despite this (and the fact that it rained solidly for two and a half of the four days on the bike), it was still an enjoyable tour with some great sights and new personal achievements.

Another Easter holiday four day, partially supported, mini-tour extending last year's London - Paris trip onto Geneva.

Once again the weather was still what you might expect in April, with the added bonus of snow and freezing rain in the Jura region, but at least last year's constant headwind had subsided into a mere crosswind.

This blog (still ongoing) describes our experiences, both good and bad, of cycle touring around Europe. It was a long planned trip - about 15 years before coming to fruition - and we decided that as we were between jobs and countries (from Dubai on the way back to NZ) we would explore some of the places we had always wanted to visit and get a culture fix too!

Viaggio lungo la valle dell'Inn. I primi itinerari sono stati percorsi nell'estate del 2001.

Siamo partiti dal passo del Maloja e abbiamo raggiunto dapprima Innsbruck e poi Kufstein.

Nel lugio 2007 abbiamo riscritto gli itinerari, aggiungendo nuove fotografie e rivisitato il percorso, che č stato modificato nel suo primo tratto in Engadina.

A lightweight tour of the Swiss, Italian, and Austrian alps, 1501km, 33047m of climbing, and several passes.

Welcome to the Wish Tour!

Below you will find the photos and journal from a two-year, 20,000-mile bicycle journey around the world.

Starting in July 2005, this journal will take readers across the United States, Europe, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

The journey began more than 20 years ago, as the seeds of a dream to circumnavigate the globe were cultivated from a deeply personal and painful experience.

[Absolutely stunning pictures.]

This cycle route from 25.04.07 to 25.05.07 was one of the most beautiful but most strenuous I ever made. Greece and Croatia with their many islands are very hilly. The advantage of such a landscape, it offers a different panorama at every bend. The total altitude my odometer shows is over 18.000 meters. That is two times the Mount Everest, not from the foot of the mountain but sea level. The weather is also responsible whether or not a journey remains a in great memory. During the whole journey I have had 4 hours rain on the morning from Pula to Porec (Istrien). That was the only rain I have had. In Greece the sky was sometimes cloudy, but I was not at all sad about this natural sun protection.

The clock was ticking, I was one hour off C-Day with everything packed. I had gone through my checklist time & time again fully knowing that as always with my memory I was bound to have forgotten something.

[...]

3 days in, the sun had come out and I was settling down into my monotonous click, click of turning peddles, I was just dwelling on trying to figure out how many revolutions I'll need to turn these things to get me to my final destination, when In front of me not 30m away was a police car blocking the tow-path. On closer inspection its inhabitants were, as I first thought just having a crafty fag break down on the River embankment. But what was he trying to cover up with that white blanket? Like a puzzle it all clicked in, he was covering up a dead body & as it looked (why did I look) a pretty decomposed one at that!

Retching was not a clever idea when you're in a strong head wind & speeding at 25km. But the sight of that body will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Was this the way it was supposed to be? I was planning a pleasant cycle trip along the Rhine to chill out and clear my muddled head of all my earthly problems! But this was turning into a Hollywood horror movie & I was the sucker, who you always knew, was first up to get mutilated.

Well did I survive to tell the tale, did I find the inner me that I was looking for? Read on & find out!

At moment Raoul (who has left on 12 May from Civitanova Marche, Italy) on his bicycle is along the road to Kaamanen (Finland) where he is going to stay overnight. In the next two days he will reach Nordkapp!!!!! ;-))

I made this short tour because of a name: my bicycle has ``St Gothard'' written on it. But Gods didn't make it easy for me. My very last kms down from St Gotthard pass were like this:

``The heat was evaporating rapidly from my wet hands, and every gallery on the way down meant a refuge like coming home. I brake intermittently with one hand, sucking the water out of the glove on the other one. Behind the road barrier I can't see anything, it's total whiteness, I'm riding through the cloud. Could be like heaven if I weren't soaked to the bones.''

A one month cycle tour from Lund Sweden, to Switzerland via the Rhine and Moselle Rivers during the summer of 2005. Total distance 1600km together, plus 1000km solo back to Sweden. We left with a road map book of Europe, a guide book of the Rhine, but without a German phrasebook (we speak English and French). Some hiking in the Alps as a side trip.