Mastodawn

On Cycling into La Bise

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Yesterday before the ride I could hear the wind playing with the shutter slats. I could also hear it against the combes, or roof, if you prefer that word. I looked outside and I could see that the wind was moving branches around. I also looked at the temperature and thought “Do I really want to go for a bike ride in these conditions?” Of course, as this was a group ride I did.

Getting from Eysins to Nyon was slower. Where I get to fourty kilometres per hour I was at just twenty. I could also feel the cold and wished, temporarily that I had another layer.

We went for the group ride, and it felt warm, which is nice, but the wind was forceful. Riding into it, we could feel that it was swallowing most of our speed. When it’s windy it’s hard to feel like a much worse cyclist than usual. Your usual effort is not reflected in the usual speed on that segment.

Sometimes you could feel gusts of wind that try to flatten you sideways, but you counter balance and stay upright. The result is that what would be a relaxed ride becomes a challenge.

There is a moment when I got tired, and started to feel the cold. I was tempted to turn back with the others, but decided not to be lazy. That cost me. By the end of the ride I was truly exhausted. Not exhausted enough to wait for the lift when I saw that the blue circle lit. That blue circle means that a lazy person just ordered the lift.

I shouldered the bike and walked up two floors, rather than wait for the lift.It’s ironic that after a sixty kilometre bike ride in a twenty four kilometre per hour wind with nine hundred meters of climbing, that I am more willing to walk up stairs, than the neighbours walking from the apartment to their car, or the reverse.

I almost always lived on multiple floors so i never use lifts. I have the fitness not to need to, and the impatience not to wait. The point is, despite being knackered I still had the energy to walk up two floors, rather than wait for a lift.

Knowing I’d Run This Morning

Another factor in my sense of being knackered after the bike ride into the wind, yesterday was knowing I had a nine kilometre run this morning. I’m certain that this played a role in my sense of tiredness. When you know you have to make an effort the next day, you tend to save some energy ahead of the next day.

Kcals Burned

Yesterday I burned over 1400 kilocalories and today I burned 900. I made sure to have more rice than usual last night. My legs felt fine and although I would have been happy to run slower, I made it to the end of today’s morning run. 2300kcal within the space of two days.

And Finally

As I walked home, I stopped to get some food for tonight, and noticed that my legs are now knackered. I need to rest them for the rest of the day and recover. Once again I failed to notice that the ride had so much climbing, but we were also unlucky with the wind. That added hugely to the end result, in terms of effort. Today, and tomorrow, I need to recover.

#bise #cycling #leman #tiring #wind

David Anthony Nov 23

Long tiring busy working weekend, thankfully it's over now and I've tomorrow off 😊 time for copious americanos ☕❤️
#workingweekend #tiring #busy #coffee #americano

Chris C Jul 12, 2025

Pulling weeds all day in the heat can be draining. So I decided to reward myself with a few Blueberry Pie Oreos, and wash them down with a nice cold soda. Nothing like a little sweet treat to recharge the battery. 😋 #Hard #work #heat #Tiring #sweet #treat #reward

The Theoretical Doctor Jul 10, 2025

The Most Enjoyable and Tiring Day In Medical 3

Opinion | The Alabama Democratic Party is exhausting

Watching Alabama Democratic leadership miss opportunities for gain in order to fight with other Democrats is tiring.

Alabama Political Reporter

richard Jul 22, 2024

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This weekend has been physically demanding. On Saturday I rode with people who do nothing but ride, so they’re far fitter, on a bike than I am, so by the end of the ride I was struggling to keep up.

## The Options

I fully expected the weekend to be difficult, Originally I considered the Tour D’Aï walk but that would have been a long climb, followed by a long descent. It would have also been exposed to the sun during a sunny hot day. The first hot day of the year. It would have required hours on trains. It’s because the bike ride was close and convenient that I chose to do that instead. No commute, or at least no commute by public transport.

## Fatigued

Yesterday I woke up. I could feel my knees. I walked around, opened windows, to see if my knees would warm up and feel better. They did, so I showered, and eventually I decided that I would go for the walk after all. This is despite my right knee telling me that it wanted to rest.

I walked to the train station, waited for it, and one hour twenty later we started hiking from Le Pont to Vallorbe, via the Grotte Au Fées and the Grotte De Vallorbe.

## The Caves

The Grotte au Fées is more interesting because it’s actual exploration but the Grotte de Vallorbe is interesting because of its scale. I would have explored more of the Grotte au Fée if other people had been equipped to explore, as I was. As they weren’t I did not explore.

We went to the Grotte de Vallorbe and I had forgotten how large it is, but I had an advantage over other people. I had a head lamp with me so I could light the cave, to see more. That’s how I found that there is either salt, or some other type of cristal at the bottom of one hole that I was able to light.

I had also forgotten about the scale of the Cathédral portion of the cave. It’s large and it made me think of the Planet Earth caves and caverns episode. It would be impressive to explore a huge cave.

What made yesterday’s hike different from others is that I was already physically tired from the previous day of cycling. It’s not often that I ride 60km in a single day, especially not with the harder part at the end, with people who are fitter than me.

## Twenty Nine Thousand Steps on Sunday

Yesterday I felt tired from the start. Despite this I managed to walk from home to the train station, and then 13-14 kilometres on a trail, before walking in a cave, and then to the train, and then from the train to home. I toook 29,000 steps despite feeling low on energy. On a “rest” day I walked 22.3km according to Garmin.

## And Finally

This was an exceptional weekend. Saturday was difficult, especially when climbing from Nyon but Sunday was an endurance challenge. I started the hike tired so I had use up reserves. I can hear it in my voice. I sound tired today. Today I may have a short second walk, just to flee the noise pollution and heat.

https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/a-weekend-of-hiking-and-cycling/

#cycling #effort #endurance #hiking #tiring

A Weekend of Hiking and Cycling

This weekend has been physically demanding. On Saturday I rode with people who do nothing but ride, so they’re far fitter, on a bike than I am, so by the end of the ride I was struggling to k…

Richard's blog