High Horizons

This book is a collection of cycle tours stories based on tours that I have made in the Alps alone and with friends over the last few years, covering Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Germany and Austria. All these tours were done on my Giant XT 660 which started life as a mountain bike, and on which I have done many mountain bike races. But in 2010 I converted it into a touring cycle, putting on slim tyres and the paraphernalia necessary for carrying baggage, lights etc. The downside compared to a normal road bike is that it’s very heavy; the upside is that it has disc brakes, front telescopic forks and is incredibly resilient. Or at least so I thought. After the last tour, a cycle shop diagnosed that all the moving parts had to be replaced, and in response to my grimace at the price tag, told me that I should be happy that it was me that wore the bike out rather than the other way round. I’ve tried to complement the usual routine of cycle touring with a parallel theme specific to each tour with the aim of giving the reader a bit more of an feeling for the places that I’ve been cycling through. This isn’t just about long strings of tarmac but about places with often rich, fascinating histories. Cycling gives the rider a far better appreciation of places than say a car or a train, as the rider is more part of the environment and a rider is more approachable than someone encased in a metal box. So these accounts are an attempt to bring the places to life for the reader. The Alps are a wonderful playground for cyclists, not just because of the natural beauty, the diversity of cultures but because they can really test a cyclist’s mettle. I’ve provided maps of my individual stages so that anyone inclined to follow these routes can use them as an inspiration.