2017 has been a wonderful year for cycling: regular club rides, a bike tour along Rhone river and to Cannes (to be shared later), riding in Gran Canaria and many worthwhile local rides in Switzerland.
The fall has been a scenic gift. No other season is as attractive as the fall in Switzerland. It’s full of colors and the dry weather is pleasant for riding.
Before I’ve assembled Fargo bike for the first time (it had suspension and a derailleur system back then!) in fall of 2014 I haven’t actually ridden that much.
As I got the bike together I went for the steepest rides for as long as I could, seeing firsthand just how beautiful autumn in Switzerland is. That one bike has significantly increased my yearly distances.
Not every ride is a bliss. I regularly find myself feeling miserable or being “elsewhere” during rides. I don’t pretend that cycling is always a magical joyous experience. However, this fall has been prolific for outstanding rides. I treated every ride as the last one because the winter was very close and the mountain passes could have closed any day due to snow.
Grosse Scheidegg (83.5km 1579m)
https://www.strava.com/activities/1219229039
A recommendation and one of the most stunning bike rides in my life! The scenery had everything from autumn landscapes to freezing lakes and glaciers.
Nufenenpass (87.9km 1806m)
https://www.strava.com/activities/1229738475
Eventually I will ride over most mountain passes in Switzerland and Nufenenpass is the highest of them all! The more passes I ride over the harder it is to do the remaining ones because not every pass is conveniently reachable by public transport.
Entlebuch (85.8km 1485m)
https://www.strava.com/activities/1240275635
Another recommendation. The ride went through Entlebuch national reserve not far from Luzern. I enjoyed the later part of the ascent but the weather was a bit dull and I came down sick shortly after the ride.
Up next
I will keep riding throughout the winter. In addition to the regular club rides and indoor training rides I intend to keep doing short local rides. Above all, I hope to try out snow biking in some of the nearby parks. Last time I tried I felt disappointed.