With only two weeks to go until the Tour des Stations ultrafondo (240km and 8200m of climbing), it was crunch time. I felt massively underprepared and still needed some BIG days in the saddle to …
Why do you ride?
“Why do you ride?” I was asked this question a few months ago by Cyclist Magazine who had come to the Alpes vaudoises to shoot videos on riding in my home region. This ended up …
Growing up
I met Dan in June 2010. I was in the Dolomites for a cycling tour and was looking to connect with local riders on the rest day; at the time he was living in Brunico …
Osprey Katari Kitsuma Gravel Biking Pack Review
There was a period in my life when I was a pure-bred roadie. The kind of guy that if I drove somewhere to go for a ride, and forgot to bring cycling socks, but had …
Why Hire a Guide?
While hand-picking our Top Tours of the Alps, one thing became clear: we can only do so much to help with mountain experiences on a website. Anyone using ALPSinsight needs to have sufficient skills to …
Celebrate the year of the bike in Switzerland
2018 is the year of the bike. The Swiss national tourism board has chosen to focus its summer campaign on cycling. It’s a smart choice: more and more people around the world choose to spend …
The Perfect Swiss Cycling Tour
In many ways, Switzerland is the land of perfection. Streets are clean. Trains are on time. Government services work. For cyclists, the Swiss perfection is embodied by the incredibly smooth asphalt of the roads, unparalleled in other countries. …
The Swiss CrissCross
January 2017 After a lifetime of mountain sport trips for both work and play, a few certainly stand out. A great experience results from more than what you did and saw, it comes from who you …
Gravel Biking the Strada dell’Assietta
Hardcore roadies—that’s what best describes Dan and I. When it comes to cycling, we are all about tarmac. We could eat switchbacks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and still want more for dessert. Once we …
Ultralight Bike Touring in the Alps
Bike Touring in the Alps Until 24 months ago, the idea of bike touring, or bikepacking as it’s called now, was foreign to me. I was a roadie, a bike racer. A tiny saddle bag …
Gravel Biking
Dan discovers gravel biking… I was, and always will be, a purebred roadie. I’m also a pure uphill kind of guy. For many years my life was about bikes. In fact I first moved to Europe …
There’s no such thing as indoor training for cyclists in the Alps
I was born and raised on the shores of Lake of Geneva, which is one of the few flat areas in Switzerland. But I was never far from the mountains, and I loved climbing as …