GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Want a sub-two-hour calorie burner that’s fun, with nice views and libation options? I shook off my Sunday indecision late today following a Saturday night dinner with friends, finally asking my wife to prescribe an afternoon excursion. I ended up taking my first real bicycle ride of 2013, heading across Pont Butin [...]
Tougher road measures in January spelled out
November 14, 2012 by
Cyclist minimum age rules, ban on marking radars BERN, SWITZERLAND – New road regulations go into effect in January and while most are aimed at cracking down on hooligan drivers and speeders, three other key measures should be noted: – the minimum age for rida bicycle on a main road will be six years old [...]
Biking by the Rhône
September 23, 2012 by
CANTON GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Nothing can be finer than a late summer bike ride along the Rhône River flowing south from Geneva. In spite of much poo pooing by cycling friends, the Rhône trail system offers hours of trail riding entertainment, minutes from the city centre. You can drop into this urban jungle from the [...]
Recycled bikes, a green on green idea
September 13, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Vélos pour l’Afrique will be sending its 100,00oth recycled bicycle to Africa this week, a point brought to my attention by M-Way, the Migros shop that sells electronic bikes – and that is giving CHF250 discounts to anyone who buys a new e-bike and trades in their old bike. A great way [...]
Google and cyclists creating Swiss bike maps
August 14, 2012 by
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Swiss cyclists have it easier this summer, with plenty of easy-to-borrow or rent urban bikes, special deals like Valaisroule‘s four hours of free bicycles, and 3D Google Map that show the terrain. Try selecting the bike icon, then 3D for a map that gives you directions from Verbier to Martigny – prepare [...]
Free Electric Bike Rentals in Geneva
August 14, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – As of today and until 21 September 2012, you will have the opportunity to test an electric bike, free of charge in Geneva. Head to the Planete Charmilles plaza on Avenue d’Aire from 9:00 to 19:00 Monday through Sunday. (For those of you new to Geneva, Planete Charmilles is the mall located [...]
Swiss army replaces old clunker bicycles with top models
May 14, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – A hot debate in recent months in Switzerland has been over how much money should be spent on new fighter jets and whether to buy them from France or Sweden. Meanwhile, the Swiss army reportedly has opted to spend CHF7 million for new transport on the other end of the speed spectrum, [...]
Cancellara rides for cycling safety in new bpa campaign
March 19, 2012 by
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Fabian Cancellara, Switzerlands’s four-time world champion cyclists, is getting a different kind of publicity with the new spring campaign from bpa/bfu, the Swiss Safety Council. “Lovelo” about loving your bike – with a helmet on – has a simple message: put your helmet on right by testing with two fingers above your [...]
Bye-bye, bike tax!
October 14, 2011 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Bicycle owners in Switzerland will say farewell at the end of the year to the CHF5 tax and stickers on their bikes, the Federal Council confirmed 13 October. The tax, in reality a form of third party insurance, will no longer be necessary as of 1 January 2012, but the insurance coverage [...]
Fixing demons: bikes that won’t be fixed
September 27, 2011 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Ever had a pair of jeans that just never fit right, or a car that ran lousily but refused to die? Lately I have been plagued by bicycles that just won’t be fixed – what I think of as demon bikes. Last week someone brought me a 21-speed mountain bike with the [...]
