In September of 2022 I accepted a last-minute invitation to kind of a charity ride-cum company team-building experience within the Swiss Alps. Upon my return I wrote a narrative about it for Bicycling, which I’m happy to report they lastly printed yesterday:

To today I’m nonetheless unsure why Plume (the corporate behind the experience) invited me. I acquired the sensation possibly their PR individual plugged “biking journalist” into a preferred search engine and my title got here up, however I simply tried it and that doesn’t appear to be the case:

They completely ought to have invited Henri Desgrange.

Anyway, I want I’d been in a position to share extra in regards to the experience right here instantly upon my return, however I figured it was higher to attend for Bicycling to run the story, and I had no concept that wouldn’t occur for over a yr. By the best way, it seems to be like Pogačar got here again for this yr’s experience, and consequently I can now boast that there’s a photograph of me on his web site:

See? There I’m:

I’m unsure if I used to be actively hiding or simply distracted by my telephone.

Talking of this yr’s experience, the CEO of Plume stated he was planning to make it even tougher this yr, and judging from the route it seems to be like he did simply that.

As for why I selected the Vengeance Bike as an alternative of 1 that truly made sense, my authentic plan upon receiving the invitation was simply to carry the Homer and do the entire experience in sandals. Nonetheless, video of the earlier yr’s experience it was clear to me I ought to at the least use some form of highway bike (you realize, pacelines and stuff), and as I say within the story I used to be having fun with driving the Kestrel a lot simply earlier than my departure I figured “What the hell,” and simply threw it in a bag. Nonetheless, I suppose a part of it was additionally my very own insecurity–I had no concept what I used to be stepping into or who any of those individuals had been, and I assume I form of figured if I used to be gonna get dropped then at the least there can be extra honor in it if I used to be driving a 35 year-old bike with a six-speed and no climbing gears. This is identical purpose I used to decorate the best way I did in highschool: if you happen to can’t look as cool as the opposite children, then take the other tack and are available to highschool trying such as you acquired run over by a driving lawnmower. Additionally, to not examine myself to Jobst Brandt or something, however I knew he used to tour the Alps with like a 46×19 or one thing loopy like that, so I figured (hoped) I’d in all probability be capable of handle.

As for Pogačar, I used to be secretly relieved that I by no means acquired to interview him as a result of I had no concept what to ask him (“Uh, so what’s it wish to be a very good bike rider?”), however he did appear fairly gracious and was completely happy to pose for photographs:

However I’ll at all times take into consideration these climbs. Possibly it was simply my dumb gearing, or possibly my life’s too straightforward in any other case, however they made me really feel elated and like something was potential. In the future I’ll have to return and check out it with regular gears…