Outdoor adventures, mostly gravel rides, but not always
Christmas ride through the mud and fog
Christmas Day weather is generally hit or miss, especially on BI with the frequent rain. I was expecting snow for Christmas after the move to Switzerland but we had far more rain, and far less snow, than Bainbridge this year. I enjoy a good muddy ride and today was no exception.
Beautiful fall ride through the Swiss countryside
I was unprepared for how many forest service roads were riding distance from the house. I knew of the big mountains in the south but the farms and woods closer to Zürich were unexpected. The beautiful fall colors on a cool, quiet day made for the most enjoyable ride.
A beautiful, quiet loop among the farms and canals
A lovely, flat cycling loop to see the iconic windmalls of the Dutch countryside.
A Swiss classic, the Klausen Monument
The Klausen Monument is a annual ride over Klausen Pass with your choice of direction. I chose to ride from the west, the harder side, as it promised to have fewer cyclists than coming from the east.
A quiet ride through the farms with a fantastic climb to Gottschalkenberg Pass
The ride started with an accidental participation in a hill climb on the Buchenegg complete with spectators cheering for me. The highlight of the route was the climb to Gottschalkenberg via Mangeli.
An adventure following the path of the Sihl complete with farm roads, gravel paths, and singletrack
A little bit of everything: chunky gravel, forest service roads, singletrack, oblivious baby goats, tunnels, farm roads, fast descents (some too fast on too chunky gravel!), river views, hike-a-bike, and great weather.
Lower elevation adventure ride on the Olympic Peninsula
In January the higher elevation forest service roads are covered in snow & ice and inaccessible, safely, by bike. Wanting to ride some forest service roads, I opted for one of the lower elevation areas which is muddy and cold but generally snow free. The area around Big Skidder Hill is closed to vehicles but open to walker and bikes so it’s a wonderful place to ride in the winter.
Two routes, two separate riding partners, and one great day of all-road riding in beautiful Marin County
I had long wanted to ride in Marin, birthplace of mountain biking and constant location of adventures in my Strava feed.
The Cascade Bicycle Club Flying Wheels course with the addition of two transport stages along 520
A group from Seattle I had toured around BI a year ago had been planning a ride of the Flying Wheels 100M route for a few months, being pushed off by a number of factors. Finally this weekend, albeit without perfect weather, we were able to ride the course. To mix it up, we opted to ride it backwards and, with inspiration from Jan from BQ, I rode two transport stages as well.
A straightforward out-and-back on a steady, but shallow, climb along a roaring river
I rarely ride out-and-backs and when I do it’s usually a hill climb. The ride up Icicle Creek Road isn’t as impressive as Hurricane Ridge or Mt Baker but it offered an exceptional experience on an early morning ride.
