2022 yearly review (sort of)

December 30, 2022 It’s that time of the year. I’m sitting at home trying to write a review of what I’ve done since my last review. Like everyone, I want to make some sense of what happened in 12 months, I want to find the elements of a good story. But it’s hard. Why? Because there’s no underlying scenario. It’s … Read More

2021 yearly review

January 3, 2022 As a consummate procrastinator, I meant to write this yearly review on December 31. Then I remembered that I had an invite from my friend Damien to ride around Lake Geneva on that day. 167 kilometers on a mad group ride in spring like weather was a nice way to finish off a pretty darn good year. … Read More

Project 50

Project 50

I’m turning 50 this year. At first, I brushed it off and thought it didn’t matter. But of course it does. 5…0…! It really hit me when I entered a local race and found out I was in the 50-59 category. And it got me to reflect on what it means. Like, on where I come from… My love affair … Read More

So, what is pain exactly?

So what is pain exactly

In this third article of a series on the mind and body struggle against everyday stress, my wife Lillie talks about the various sources of chronic pain and how to break free from the pain cycle. Click here for the first article and here for the second. This week I need to ride 450km in 3 days to complete a … Read More

The search for Type 2 fun

In this second article of a series on the mind and body struggle against everyday stress, my wife Lillie talks about how we can all accomplish great cycling challenges if we are willing to step out of our comfort zone. For the first article, see here. For the third, click here. When I started the Torino-Nice Rally (TNR) with my … Read More

Live to move, move to live

In this first article of a series on the mind and body struggle against everyday stress, my wife Lillie shares her findings on the importance of movement for good health. Click here for the second article, and here for the third. At 4am on August 19, 2019, my life was turned upside down. I was jolted out of sleep by … Read More

How to become a cycling influencer (that I will enjoy following)

How to become an influencer

March 27, 2021 Swiss newspaper Le Temps recently published an article on cycling influencers. It was interesting to see a mainstream media writing about such a niche subject and the journalist, Florian Delafoi, did a great job. And I’m not saying this because he interviewed me. No, I just learnt something and it made me think. Good journalism. In the … Read More

This is not about my awesome day out

This is not about my awesome day out

February 9, 2021 This post is not about another awesome outdoor experience I had. Like yesterday, where I had a great workout and skied perfect snow on my local mountain (photographic evidence above). Nope.  Today’s weather forecast was sub par so I thought it would be OK to squeeze a bunch of video calls in my schedule. I did a … Read More

When life gives you snow, make lifelong memories

When life gives you snow

January 25, 2021 “Let’s go for a ride tomorrow, 3 hours to get some base miles in” said Luca, “there is a window of good weather in the morning”. Luca is an optimist and the window did not materialise; instead we woke up to a thick layer of new snow… all the way down to the valley floor. There would … Read More

Mountain stage

March 25, 2020 Hey, how is this new life going? I can’t complain for now. We are lucky to live in the mountains and spring is upon us. The snow melts quickly but we don’t care because our ski resort shut down like everywhere else. Of course, the coronavirus has a bigger impact on our everyday life. My son’s daycare … Read More

Instagraham strikes again

February 21, 2020 This is the type of message I get from time to time from Graham. Remember him? He’s the week warrior from a story I wrote for this blog some time ago. Since then, he has earned another nickname: Instagraham, for his inclination to take and post A LOT of photos. Graham’s message was timely as I’m training for the Patrouille des Glaciers, which … Read More

Chasing Cancellara Zurich-Zermatt: my recipe for success

Chasing Cancellara Zurich Zermatt

In a desperate attempt to revive my clinically dead blog, I am posting below an adaptation of an article I recently published on Swiss French website cycliste.ch. Stay tuned, the next post may show up in less than 6 months… August 19, 2019 My Ultrafondo Tour des Stations was a resounding success. Starting in last position and dropped by the … Read More