let's visit glaciers

September is a great month to ride a bike. Almost the last big bang before it gets really cold and the Swiss alpine passes close for the winter.

For me, that's when things get interesting as I rather ride in cold and wet weather than in the heat. So this month, we are going to go up and check disappearing natural wonders, the Swiss Alpine glaciers.

Glaciers all around the world have lost huge amounts of mass as a result of climate change. And the trends are accelerating. As glaciers feed many rivers, which in turn provide drinkable waters to large swathes of population, their disappearance is a huge issue. Hopefully, we can shed some light on the problem (and their beauty) with this ride. Course details to follow soon!

and we are done

A really great day out on the bike, starting in Meiringen and ending in Brig. I rode over the Grimsel Pass and onto the Furka Pass up to Hotel Belvedaire.

Grimsel is a bit of a nemesis of mine, so it was really good to get it done and in a lot less time than the first attempt a couple years ago.

Sadly, the Rhône Glacier, nestled in the valley near the Furka climb, has lost even more ice. It is easy to see its former resting place, the glacier now having retreated to expose the sheer rocks it has helped shape over who knows how many decades and centuries.

With the train rides and the ride itself, this was a 450km, 11-hour day with a CO2 abatement of 90kg.