Last Friday I picked up my new bicycle - a custom-built Swiss "Tour des Alpes" model. I asked our friendly salesman Bruno if this lovely, light but sturdy bike would help me up the hills, but he told me I'd still have to do the work. And he was right, sadly. But at least there's several kilograms less of it, with easier tires and better gears, than on my old mountain bike. I rode it home from Zug, testing both bike and my new shoes and clip-in pedals. I fell off only once, at an intersection. To be expected, I'd been warned. Next time out, I fell off again, this time despite having carefully removed my left foot from the clip - it was my right foot that I tried to drop onto! Large bruise on the left thigh, right knee dripping blood - perhaps after this I'll learn...

So yesterday Hilary and I decided on a bike ride rather than our usual Heidi Friday hike. We met in Cham and set off towards Bremgarten, soon happily cycling the quiet farm roads of the Reuss valley, through pretty farmhouses and villages. A bit of a hill challenge seemed necessary so we turned off towards Muri and up a steady but gruelling enough 400m climb towards Brunnwil. From the top it was a glorious 4km freewheel down to the Baldeggersee, past a pretty little schloss presiding over a hillside of heavily laden grapevines. Alongside the Baldeggersee we rode, kilometres ticking past, and back through Hochdorf to Sins, across the little covered bridge over the Reuss, and then I turned off towards Hünenberg and home, while Hilary returned to Cham. I clocked up 85km, according to my new odometer - a good 25km longer than any previous ride. I was happy to get off that saddle and out of those pedals! It's addictive though - I'll be back on it tomorrow...