“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 to be way more introspective than I imagined.
It made me think about how my passion for cycling has remained intact since I discovered the sport when I was 12. But also about how it had evolved from training and racing to becoming an enriching lifestyle. More than anything else, cycling is what made me who I am today. Didn’t I meet my wife on a velodrome?
Riding also brought me to a mountain community, and has taught me many reasons to be grateful to live there. I enjoy the simple, slow lifestyle rhythmed by the seasons. I love being away from the crowds and close to nature. I dig that the cheese I buy at the local grocery store comes from farms I can see from my garden.
This video also features a short loop around my house, which I ride with my friend Valérie. It was shot last summer, and at the time I had no idea it would soon become a luxury to ride that far. As we can’t go anywhere right now, I feel grateful that I can still get out in these landscapes. It makes this mess we’re going through just a little bit more bearable.
Enjoy this comforting piece of video from wherever you are, which is likely to be your couch. And for more escapism on my home roads, check out the Classic Passes of the Alpes vaudoises on our road and gravel biking website Switchback.
By Alain Rumpf
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