By Ambassador Seb De Meris

There was no real plan for this ride. With the big heat, I had no desire to ride in the sun during the sunday afternoon. I would have gone for a swim, but there’s no lake nearby, not to mention the crowds around. While looking at the mountains from my home, I thought of a lake, invisible from here but whose surrounding peaks can be seen. I’ve a bit free time ahead, so why not go for a spin to swim?

I packed a towel, snacks, tools and lights (you never know) in the frame bag and it’s time to ride!  I wanted to ride light so I didn’t bring my camera with me and I figured that the smartphone would do the job for that unexpected ride.

I leave the plain in the direction of the mountains towards a signposted route. The heat is felt but there is a little wind in the back that helps me to not melt. I arrive on the route which, with the signs, makes sure you don’t take the wrong path. In Switzerland we are fortunate to have a multitude of signposted routes for bikes, which is cool so you don’t have your eyes continually on the GPS.

The road is punctuated with steep climbs and descents but it’s pleasant to ride, especially since there is almost no traffic.

After a 10 km climb I arrived on the shores of the lake. I’ve been riding for an hour and a half and the shadow of the mountain has not yet covered the black lake (Schwarzsee) but the air is a bit more chilly. 

The view is beautiful. Now that I’m there I think it was a good idea to go for spin.

Now that I’m there, the mission is to find a good spot for a little swim and cool down the legs. I spot one between the reeds and wonder if there aren’t any wild animals or velociraptors around. All right, it’s time to get the stuff out of the frame bag.
The spot is perfect and there is almost nobody! I take a dip and enjoy drying with the last rays of sunshine. I feel like I’ve enjoyed the whole day which before this tour had been anything but productive…
 

 

 

 

 

After swimming, the return trip must be considered but hunger is felt because it’s already alomost 20h. Fortunately a small restaurant allows me to refuel in a healthy way.

The advantage of having climbed almost 1000m on my way to the lake is that I get to descend all the way down on the return journey. It’s going relatively fast but I don’t miss a second of the sunset as I’m heading straight west.

Arrival at home at 9:15 pm, just in time to see the last glimmers on the mountains and finish the weekend in a nice and perfect way.

About 2h30 of cycling for 70km and a swim and all crowned by beautiful landscapes, I tell myself that we should enjoy the moment more often and not to hesitate too much. Nothing special had happened on that Sunday. There was no ride planned and yet it is one of the bike ride that I’ve enjoy the most this year. In any case I might be tempted again by an unexpected ride.