612.97 km

4.5 days
31 hours sitting on my bycicle
171 CHF spend for food

Paris – Zurich with the train: 4h, 107 CHF

These are just a few facts of my bycicle tour from Zurich to Paris last July. My goal was to drive to the newly finished LDS-temple in Le Chesnay, Paris.

Funny little story: I actually had planned to arrive a day later. About 100 km before Paris (I already had ridden about 120km at this point that day) I was so worn out and discouraged because of the heavy front wind that was getting stronger and stronger. At one point I let my bycicle fall, with me on it, beside the rode. I just laid there for a few minutes, trucks, cars driving with high speed and me watching the grass bending down from the strong gusts of wind. Suddenly a bycicle guy, also with lots of luggage on his bycicle stopped near me and askes if I’m ok? I assured him that everything is fine and that I am just too exhausted because of the wind. He chuckled a bit to acknowledge that he understands what I mean and cycled on. After refreshing myself a bit, I got up and started to get going again at slower though persistent speed. In the next city I overtook the same guy, because he had dropped by a store to buy water. I stopped and fond out that he was from Italy, that he drove through the Swiss alps and also had the goal to ride to Paris. We decided to ride together from now. We switched the lead from time to time and I found it very motivating to have the same goal and eagerness to „to fight“ against the strong wind. Suddenly I though: „Maybe I can reach the temple still today!“ I was so fired up and I felt new strength and courage! After about 1.5 hours cycling together, almost at the end of a town, I lost the fellow cycler from Italy, Matthias. Later I found out that he stopped by a market to get some food… I still made it to Paris in the evening and he slept in a hotel somewhere before the city.

Impressions: