Live Help at www.bikeswitzerland.com

Have a question about our tours while browsing online ? Now you can talk directly with one of us through the site. Just look for the box below and start a chat. We’ll be happy to talk…if we’re online. But if you just want to shoot the breeze, better to give me a ring at “bikeswitzerland” on Skype.

New on-line help.

Tiger the Lion’s New Album

Our own David Cotting and his band “Tiger the Lion” released their new album on Friday night. We managed to give the band a lot of financial support by drinking a good deal at their bar. You can listen to some of the new album tracks by going to this link: Tiger the Lion

You’ll be able to buy the album at www.cdbaby.com within the next ten days or so. OR, sign up for a bicycle trip with us before March 15th and we’ll give you the entire “Tiger the Lion Collection” autographed by all band members. And of course…you’ll get David’s super salads for the entire trip.

Bike Switzerland in the Canary Islands: Feb 20-28, 2010

The dates have been set and it’s going to be quite a tour. If you haven’t heard, Bike Switzerland will be hosting a road bike tour on the island of Las Palmas next winter. There will be lots of climbing and we’ll be averaging 80 to 100 km per day, so this will not a walk in the park. You’ve got a year to get in shape.

We’ll be spending our first three days in a 5-star hotel at the beach resort town of Mas Palomas in the south. The following three days will be spent at a mountain resort in the center of the island and our last two nights will be spent on the beachfront in the historic city of Las Palmas in the north. You’ll have seen more of the island than most of the locals ever do ! Weather in the Canary Islands is in the low to mid 70s at this time.

The actual day-to-day itinerary and prices will be announced when our sister-website is goes online in April or May. Stay tuned.

Jersey and Jacket orders

We’ll be taking jersey and jacket orders until the end of March. You’ll find pictures of these products on the “Documents Page” of the website.

Talk to you soon.

JOHN

Flights to Geneva for $50.

Buying a direct flight ticket to Geneva may be expensive and unnecessary. Why not fly into London, Rome, Amsterdam or Barcelona and use the savings to extend your vacation. Geneva is home to Easyjet, the low-cost airline that makes you pay for the beer and peanuts, but otherwise saves you money.

So, if you live in Minneapolis consider flying into Amsterdam. If you live in Caracas, consider flying into Barcelona. Get the cheapest flight you can find to Europe, Easy Jet flies into Geneva from over 30 different European cities, so chances are you’ll find a cheap connecting flight if you act this month. As seats are sold, the price of remaining seats increases. But now is the perfect time: the summer itineraries have just came out and flights are dirt cheap: I just bought a round trip to Amsterdam for around $80. The catch ? No meal service on the plane and only one bag in the cargo hold. Travel light and bring a can of Pringles and you’ll be alright. www.easyjet.com

New Bike Switzerland “Alpine Morning” Jacket

Last year we had 100 jerseys printed off and sold all but a few odd sizes. It was such a success, that we’ve decided to create a matching jacket. We’re working with our same designer and Louis Garneau to create this light jacket to be delivered in late May. You can find details on the design and sizing at this link:Our jacket . Otherwise, if you’re interested in more technical specifications, take a look at this link which will take you to Louis Garneau.

We’ll also be ordering more jerseys and you can find sizing information at the following link: Our Bike Switzerland Jersey. As before, the jersey will sell for $65 and the jacket for $80. However, you can buy the pair for $135…feel free to mix sizes (you already have a jersey and want jacket, but want to buy your spouse the jersey). That price includes tax and postage…but no “retro-discounts” for past purchases. The jerseys do look great. Here they are in “real life”. Click the picture for a close-up.

Thanks Loren and Susan

If you’d like one of these items, you’ll need to pre-order. This is easy: just write me a short email before March 1st to let me know 1) What you would like 2) your name, email and address. Write me at John@bikeswitzerland.com

Or, if you have a GOOGLE account, go to this link and place your order on the spreadsheet yourself.

America: Look at the Bright Side

Obama biking in Switzerland

Enough talk about the economy. Jeez-louise. Granted, I have every reason to encourage your travelling, but really it could be worse. Last year was worse. In April of 2008, one US dollar was worth one Swiss Franc and I was panicked. Then there was the gas ! The price last April for a gallon of gas was $3.39 !

Today things are markedly better: the dollar is at 1.16 and has been gaining steadily since the recession hit Europe in December. Gas prices are back to a more reasonable $1.85 on average which means airline tickets are about 40% cheaper. And whether or not you voted for him, Barack Obama is immensely popular here in Switzerland…no more wincing as you take out your passport at the border. If your financial condition hasn’t changed much since last year, then you have every reason to celebrate with some biking here in Switzerland. Things are definately better for you.

Single Rider

We have a woman looking for a roommate for our July 16th-July 27th Lite Tour and a gentleman looking for a roommate for the August 27-September 7th Lite Tour. So, if you’re thinking about a tour and want to avoid the single supplement, then consider one of these dates.

Updated Reviews:

We have new faces on the “Reviews Page”. If you were on a ride last year, check it out: you might be there. We’re especially proud of the review that Peter Verbrugge gave us. Peter organizes the international tours for American’s largest bicycle club (Cascade out of Seattle) with over 6,500 members. Bike Switzerland hosted a group of their riders last year.

Bike Switzerland in Grand Canary

Our 2010 Grand Canary trip is being tentatively set for Saturday, February 20th to Sunday, February 28th. This will be confirmed along with prices in the next newsletter. We plan to have a seperate site dedicated to this trip at some time by April or May.

My best,

JOHN