An opportunity to remind you about episode 073 of The Cycling Europe Podcast… “Leigh Timmis was a round-the-world cyclist who upon his return, was searching for another challenge to sink his teeth into. A fortuitous meeting with the head of his local cycling club introduced him to the idea of turning his attention to a world-record โ namely The Fastest Cycle Across Europe (Cabo da Roca to Ufa).ย
Through the right perks, an employer can vastly improve productivity, morale, and staff retention. Anything that makes employees healthier and happier, and that costs very little to implement, is likely to qualify. Given its numerous benefits on employee health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, itโs no surprise that government-backed cycle-to-work schemes are growing in popularity.
Here’s a short teaser video for a film that I’m currently putting together to tell the story of my two-week hike along the Tour du Mont Blanc earlier in the month. Enjoy!
The writing is on the wall: Human-caused climate change is real. And according to the scientific community, weโre quickly running out of time. People are increasingly aware of this, changing their habits to limit emissions. Considering cars and airplanes account for a significant percentage of fossil fuel emissions, many are opting for eco-friendly ways to travel. Train journeys, for example, emit just 10% of the equivalent flight. But the clear winner is bike travel: hereโs how to do it sustainably.
Following my arrival in the Alps (see previous posts) I embarked upon a two-week trek along (most of) the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), one of the worldโs classic hikes. Keep scrolling for a selection of photos but before you do, I did manage to squeeze in some cycling whilst passing through Paris on my way home. Yesterday evening, with a hiking colleague from the TMB group who had also made the correct decision to take the train home rather than fly, I cycled from my hotel down to the Eiffel Tower. This morning I set off again on a short Parisian odyssey on one of the Vรฉlibโ eBikes taking in the Louvre, Champs รlysรฉes, Arc de Triomphe, Seine (a bit bumpy of the cobbles!) and back to the Gare du Nord.
Destination reached. Now for two weeks hiking around Mont Blanc.
I was a little concerned by the accommodation situation this morning. But in the end it turned out OK. A cheap room – by Annecy standards – turned up on Booking.com and I snapped it up. Itโs a ground floor room built for those with access needs. It would have been perfect if Iโd had the bike with me. But I donโtโฆ
And today, a bus. If Iโd set off at the crack of dawn I could have caught a direct regional TER to โDijon. There are a couple every day from Paris Bercy station but I didnโt and neither did I fancy a long wait until the later train. So, I caught a TER to Laroche Migennes (no, Iโd never heard of it either until this morning) where I could catch a โTER Busโ.
