February Update

2009
02.22

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.

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

January Update

2009
01.26

Friday Friendly in Switzerland

Bike travel should be easier than it is. I’d love to do some cycling with Irina through Russia and Turkey, but man… what a headache ! I do have good bike case. I even mangaged to use it once: took my Fuji from Geneva to Iowa for RAGBRAI. It wasn’t fun. Packing my regular suitcase and clothing is a chore, but try packing a bike. Try.  Once you’ve done it, you’ll think twice next time you tighten your pedals. Yeah, and my piano-size bike case cost me $150 as surplus luggage…and that was back in the good old days.

My problems would be compounded in Russia. Imagine I put the bike together in record time, then what ? I ride it from the airport ?! Where do I store the case ? And I don’t dare leave the bike out of my sight, so will have to face the flabby, flailing arms of my babushka hostesses as I wheel the velo through the livingroom. Of course, I could rent a bike… if the world were perfect, but Russia isn’t near perfect…in fact it’s 167th place on the list (see story below).

My good friend,  North Dakota Tim,  told me about Bike Friday: the folding bike invented in Fargo that folds fast and can pack in a backpack. But Tim’s pride in ND is unwavering, and just months before he had been boasting about the Bobcat skid loader, so I never gave the Bike Friday a second thought.

North Dakota School of Design

The Bob Cat 863 and the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket

The Bob Cat 863 and the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket

Then one of our new guides, David Fisch, took his pocket rocket on our Challenge Tour last year, and we had trouble keeping up with him. In fact, later that summer, Dave did 2 1/2 days of the Challenge itinerary in a single day. I had been hasty and apologised to Tim.
Now I’m rethinking my bike travel plans and may do a bike trip to Turkey in September. I just need to choose my machine: See the selection here.
Of course, riders coming on our tours needn’t worry about boxing, folding or renting. We’ve got the perfect bike for you. Still, I do feel a little evangelical about my newfound wheels and so am giving any Bike Friday owners who come on the tour (with their bike) a $200 discount. Details here. And if you come on our June 28th tour, you’ll be sure to see a few Bike Fridays on the road with you.

News Flash: Switzerland Best Place in Universe

Swiss cities beat out Fargo, Bismark and other world metropoles in two highly regarded quality of life rankings. The Mercer Rankings showed that three of the world’s top ten cities are here in Switzerland: #1 Zurich, #2 Geneva and #9 Berne. Not to be outdone, the “World Values Survey” (a group of elitist pollsters snobs) found Switzerland to be the 2nd happiest country in the world…right behind Denmark. Now, you’re welcome to bike across Denmark, but if their happy-boom causes Danish hotels to fill up early, I’ll work hard to find you a place on a Bike Switzerland tour.

Russia, by the way, ranked 167th.

Happy, fat and foggy-headed

Having grown up with small town newspapers, I feel that it’s entirely appropriate to inform you that David Cotting (Author of 1,001 Bike Switzerland Salads) and myself were the privileged guests in the home of Tim (North Dakota) Anderson on Friday night. The ever-exotic “Pineapple” was served for dessert, and John helped himself to several glasses of Tim’s cherished single malt.