Quick spin by Lake Geneva on a hire bike

My hire bike for a spin around Lake Geneva

During my recent skiing trip to Chamonix I had been hoping to get in a little bit of two-wheeled action by hiring a fatbike and riding along the snowy trails. It is something that I had done on a previous occasion while at this famous ski resort in the shadow of Mont Blanc. On that day I had been hoping to get up to Argentiere, but due to time constraints I only made it as far as Les Praz, near Flégère. At the time I vowed to return the following year and get in a snowy bike 

However, when I returned in 2020, the clock beat me again so my schedule didn't allow me to get out on the bike. Needless to say last year was a none-starter because of the pandemic. 

So this year I was all set to do it. The only problem was that there was "the wrong kind of snow" (as the old British Rail saying goes) and in some cases no snow at all! 

That was the running theme at the different skiing areas I visited during my stay - at Chamonix, Courmayeur, and over in Saint-Gervais. 

Apparently there hadn't been a proper downfall of snow since late January. The mountains were looking decidedly devoid of any of the white stuff over large areas at the high altitudes. There was no possibility of getting the customary snaps of snow-covered conifers, while being winched up the mountain on the chair lifts. 

Meanwhile, at resort level the cross-country skiing, running and cycling trails were pretty slushy. So fatbiking would have to go slimline.

Determined to get in a cycling fix while I away, I decided that my best bet would be to cycle in Geneva. It was a pleasant way to kill time before picking up my flight back to London. After all, Lake Geneva is not such a grubby place to hang out!

After dropping off my suitcase at left luggage in Geneva (Cornavin) train station I hired a bike from the nearby bike cooperative, Genèveroule, and very soon was whizzing through the streets. After crossing the Mont Blanc Bridge (Pont du Mont Blanc), I was on the shores of the vast lake. Navigating was easy enough as there was a cycle path giving lovely views of the city hinterland. 

Given that the crescent-shaped Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman) stretches for 45 miles (73km) at its widest point, you could easily ride all day, even passing into France and back again. Sadly, I only had a couple of hours and I couldn't pass on the opportunity to stop and have my packed lunch there.

I definitely want to return there and do a circumnavigation of the whole lake. So that's another ride to add to my ever lengthening list - and I hope to tick that off as well as a Chamonix fatbike ride before long.

Wanna go a quick spin around Geneva?

Here's how I did it:

I took a bus from Chamonix bus station to Geneva bus station, which is in the centre of the city and about 5 minutes' walk from the train station.

I left my suitcase in a locker at the left luggage department, close to the station entrance (you can pay by card so no need for Swiss Francs in cash)

Exit the station via the back, near the bus stops and emerge onto Place de Montbrillant. Genèveroule is right opposite, next door to a café called La Petite Reine. 

They have various sorts of bikes, including road bikes and e-bikes. I opted for a city bike and paid 9€ for half-day. 

The lake was about a 5-minute bike ride from the place - slightly longer on the return as I was going uphill.

There are bike lanes on a number of streets - some are segregated, others aren't. The segregated lanes are generally those on popular busy thoroughfares. There are also sign-boards to get to well-known landmarks and areas of interest. 

Overall, I felt safe riding around Geneva; it was similar to riding around the central parts of London where you also find segregated cycle paths, traffic lights and signboards for cyclists. There is also a bikeshare scheme, though I didn't use that. I'll try it next time.

Once I returned my hire back, it as possible to get a train direct to the airport. (Tickets available from the ticket machine in the concourse.)

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Cycling in Paris - La vie est belle!

When I lived in Paris almost 30 years ago I never thought of travelling around by bicycle. Cycling was something I did while on holiday or as a special excursion out with friends. 

I only knew one person who travelled around Paris by bike, and he was a bit "bohemian" so I just saw it as part of his ways. Seeing cyclists go around the Bastille roundabout, or even worse the Charles de Gaulle Etoile roundabout with its 12 avenues radiating from the Arc de Triomphe made me think they must have a screw loose or are even on a death wish! 

But 30 years on, I have happily joined those folks. There is a difference though nowadays. I have just returned from a trip to Paris with my bike, and I must say it was very pleasant.

Commuting by bike is very much part of Parisian culture, and everyone seems to be doing it!

Over the years, various improvements have been made to the infrastructure to accommodate cyclists. I first noticed changes about 15 years ago, the first time I cycled from London to Paris. At that time the famous Vélib bike sharing bikes had just been introduced (the first major city in the world to have this system), and there was a segregated bike lane that went all along the boulevards north of the River Seine (the right bank) following the same route as Line 2 of the métro (Porte Dauphine to Nation). 

It was great whizzing along there, even if you had to dodge the odd vehicle parked in the bike lane, or the errant pedestrian! Outside of this lane there weren't many segregated bike lanes - just cursory lines painted on the road. So it was no different from London. 

Personally, I was still happy to ride around Paris though, as by then I had started doing a lot of bike riding, be it my daily commute, training rides or cycle races. Also I felt confident navigating around Central London by bike, so I didn't imagine cycling in Central Paris would be much worse. 

The thing I did notice, and continue to see even now, is just how compact Paris really is. Back in those days I lived in the 12th district (arrondissement) next to the Marché d'Aligre. To get to Chatelet-les Halles would be about a half-hour by métro. But by bike you can do it in about 20 minutes. These days when I visit Paris I stay in Vincennes, a nearby Eastern suburb. To cycle there from Gare du Nord just takes half an hour.

Funnily enough when I lived in Paris back then, I thought any suburb was a long way away. But through cycling, I have realised that places really aren't that far away. 

In the last four or five years there has been a massive growth in the number of cycle lanes in Paris. As well as the "line 2" cycle lane there are segregated lanes in many other places. My ride from Chatelet to Vincennes (via the Marais, Bastille, Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Nation, Cour de Vincennes) takes in separated lanes. Then there are cycle lanes along the "boulevard exterieur" (the boundary between Paris and the suburbs), plus along both sides of the River Seine. The right bank is actually a traffic-free path, the Voie Georges Pompidou, with various other activities going on - running, rollerskating, picnics, mini expeditions, and a few hammocks if you want to just lounge and watch the world go by. 

These days there are loads of people on all kinds of bikes - all shapes, sizes, genders, race, levels of fitness (and competencies), dressed however they want - some even with mini sound systems blaring out. It's great to see this democratisation of cycling. 

The improved infrastructure has largely been as a result of the policies of Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, who is aiming to reduce pollution in Paris by slashing motorised traffic, and promising a bike lane in every street in Paris.

Last year I interviewed Jean-Sébatien Catier of Paris en Selle, Paris's answer to the London Cycling Campaign and they had similar gripes to their London counterparts - not enough was being done. 

However, it was acknowledged that for changes to be made to the cycling infrastructure, the road layout is altered and this needs approval from the Home Office (Ministère de l'Interieur). So it's all in the bureaucracy - just like London Mayor Sadiq Khan has to get the green light from each London Borough before he can change the road layout. 

A couple of other points of interest around the Paris cycling network are a) they took ideas from the London Cycle Superhighway network when they designed their lanes, which is interesting considering that folks in London regularly slam the London Cycling network and b) Anne Hidalgo was up for reelection last year (postponed to this year due to the pandemic). She was unanimously voted in for a second term, and now she's just been confirmed as the Socialist Party candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections. 

Does that remind you of a trajectory of another Mayor of a capital city across the English Channel who put in place a decent cycle network and later ended up as head of state....?? 

That aside, I would certainly recommend taking a bike to Paris. It really enhances your experience of a trip to this beautiful city. Granted, it's not yet Amsterdam or Copenhagen, but it's definitely going in the right direction.

Lockdown London brings out large number of cyclists

In this period of lockdown people have made the most of the rules allowing us to go out once a day for cycling, running or walking. Suddenly large numbers of joggers are pounding the streets and parks up and down the country. My local park which is normally empty first thing in the morning when I go running, suddenly has many other keen athletes who have had the same idea as me - getting in their runs while they can be socially distant from the dog walkers and other numerous park users.

Given that we can't travel out of our neighbourhoods the roads are suddenly eerily devoid of vehicles. In my neighbourhood there are key workers like supermarket delivery vans, utility engineers, dustbin lorries, postmen and women, plus buses. But there are hardly any private vehicles.

Then when you go into central London the place is even more deserted. Trafalgar Square at 1pm on a week-day looks more like 7am on a Sunday morning. It's extraordinary.

So with such quiet roads, that has led to one thing - so many people are getting their bikes out. People of all ages and abilities are going out cycling - either one their own, with a member of their household, or as a family (as per the Government rules).

London has become Amsterdam - or even Copenhagen. Yes, I have even seen people on cargo bikes carrying their children. Mind you, that was in leafy burbs like Dulwich and Richmond.

It was even striking that when taking my bike to the repair shops for for tweaks I was turned away as the shop was already overwhelmed with so many bookings for bike servicing.

When I have ridden through central London recently I have been quite blown away by the number of cyclists wending their way around Westminster, Camden, Islington, The City.

It makes me want to quote something allegedly said by HG Wells, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."

Or to quote another inspirational figure, John F Kennedy, "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."

For sure it's a great pleasure to ride through London on days like these, and I am determined to make the most of this opportunity during the lockdown. It certainly adds a chink of brightness to London - despite the gloomy veil of coronavirus hanging over us.

Notably, the World Health Organization recently advised that people consider cycling or walking whenever feasible, as a way to maintain social distancing and  meet the minimum exercise requirements since we are spending a lot of time at home. Details on active transport are giving in it's information sheets on Moving Around during the COVID-19 outbreak.

There has been talk of more pop-up cycle lanes being installed in London as a way to encourage more people to choose cycling as a mode of transport, in a hope that social distancing on the public transport network can still be maintained.

To facilitate cycling in the post-lockdown period the Transport Minister, Grant Shapps announced some new measures. The government plans to install pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors in England as part of a £250 million emergency active travel fund. This is the first stage of a £2 billion investment, as part of the £5 billion in new funding announced for cycling and buses in February.

In London the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has said that new measures would include temporary cycle lanes along Euston Road and Park Lane, an upgrade to existing cycles lanes, as well as pavements being widened at 20 locations including Brixton and Earl's Court.
This all sounds positive news and I hope that the authorities do honour their pledge.

Furthermore, various organisations and shops are providing bicycles or cycle support to key workers (people employed mainly in the NHS, schools, supermarkets, and others providing key services).

Brompton have provided free bike hire of its folding bicycles for NHS workers, and Cycling UK via funding from the Department for Transport are providing grants to independent bike shops and mechanics to provide free bike maintenance and parts.

In any case, the weather in London has been glorious these last few months, and even on the current network, the facilities are there for people to ride their own bike or a Transport for London bike. So it is worth getting out on two wheels on London streets these days - all while maintaining a social distance, of course.


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London's Cycle Superhighways - Commuting friend or foe?

London is fast becoming a cycling city. Gone are the days when cycling through the city was the preserve of daredevil commuters and aggressive couriers! Now, we have “normal” people commuting by bicycle. By that I mean the everyday man or woman in the street dressed in civvies, not the slightest snip of Lycra in sight, on a hybrid bike or one of the Transport for London (TfL) bike share cycles.

It is great to now have proper traffic-free cycle lanes where you are separated from the traffic. I love being able to ride from the City to Victoria, via Embankment and Westminster on a traffic-free path, also known as the East-West Cycle Superhighway.

And so do tens of thousands of other people! Shortly after this Superhighway (and the first section of the North - South Cycle Superhighway) were officially opened at the end of April this year TfL counted an average number of 1200 cyclists per hour using the East - West cycle route between Tower Hill and Westminster Bridge. As more people have heard about the Cycle Superhighway, and particularly as the weather has been very pleasant it seems like every cyclist in London is taking to the streets! So that 1200 figure is probably significantly higher!

When riding to work I feel like I am part of an unofficial Ride London event, or a Critical Mass ride. In fact sometimes there are so many riders that at places like Blackfriars Bridge or Westminster Bridge you have to queue to get through a couple of phases of traffic lights. You are basically in a cyclists' traffic jam!

So yes, cyclists on London's roads are now a feature, almost as ubiquitous as black cabs. Unfortunately cyclists may not always have the same world-renown reputation. People's opinions on cyclists are somewhat chequered - rather like the Uber cars!

The perennial criticism of cyclists jumping the red lights and not respecting the Highway Code remains. From what I see the majority of cyclists do respect the traffic lights, and the proportion of bike riders who break the rules is no greater than the number of motorists who do so.

However, the thing that is of concern is bike riding discipline among groups of riders. Last week a couple of cyclists were involved in a head-on collision along the East-West Cycle Superhighway near Blackfriars Bridge. The video has been shared widely, and it is clear when you watch it who is to blame. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt - not even the guy who ended up rolling off the segregated cycle lane and onto the main road, which thankfully had no traffic passing at that time.

I must admit that this has been an accident waiting to happen. When riding the North-South Cycle Superhighway up through Blackfriars and Farringdon the two-way cycle lane means that sometimes you get some idiot trying to overtake slower riders and then veers into the path of oncoming riders. Sometimes people don't hold their riding line and suddenly swerve left or right and almost knock into riders next to them. I have also seen riders crash into the kerb when going round a corner! Thankfully I have not crashed or been involved in a collision with other cyclists, though I have had to take evasive action when I had a couple of near misses!

It is great having these lanes, but is it time for riders to learn a bit about bike handling and riding in groups? Or maybe it is just part of the process when folks get excited about having their own cycle lane, and in time things will settle down. Let's wait and see, and hope there are no serious incidents that will prove the naysayers right.


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Apparently it was Bike to Work day last Wednesday. I didn't know until after the fact. After all, every day is bike to work day for me (as long as its not raining)!

I enjoy riding to work. It sets me up nicely for the day, and I am in a much better mood when I have started the day cycling through London and admiring the view from Blackfriars Bridge with lots of other cyclists around me.

Commuter cyclists waiting at traffic lights on Blackfriars Bridge

Yes, the Cycle superhighway has definitely made a difference to the cycling experience in London. Cycling is so much more convenient and it's great to be in a lane separated from the traffic. The part of the Cycle superhighway that I use starts from St George's Circus, near Elephant and Castle and runs through Southwark, over Blackfriars Bridge, past Ludgate Circus and finishes just before Smithfields.

I am not the only one who enjoys riding on the Cycle Superhighway. The cycle lanes get busy with loads of cyclists and when the sun comes out, as it has been a lot recently, you get hundreds of riders out at rush hour. It's almost like being in an organised cycling event, with people of all shapes and sizes and on different styles of bike representing on the streets of London. In fact, when we are all waiting at the traffic lights on Blackfriars Bridge at rush hour the line of cyclists extends to almost the length of the bridge. It's crazy!

When I started commuting by bike through London about 15 years ago it was only really the hardy and the daredevils that ventured out on push bikes. We were very much in the minority and negotiating the traffic was makeshift and pretty much seat-of-your-pants stuff. But now, it's great to have various cycling facilities like separate cycle lanes, specific bike traffic lights, racks to lock your bike and in a few places even track pumps on the pavement. We can now begin to say that London is becoming a bike-friendly city. And that can only be a good thing.
 

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