Beware - fast moving bicycles

In general the attitude of drivers in Switzerland towards cyclists is pretty good.  The main reason for this is that cyclists here are so common, so they are very used to sharing the roads with them.  However, you still get the odd idiot who just has no idea.  Take for instance the bike ride I just came back from.  I was cycling fast along the main road (30km/h or so) and a car was joining the main road from the left at a diagonal.  He could clearly see me coming but still kept pulling out.  In the end I was either going to cycle into the rear right hand side wing of the car if I maintained my current path or I needed to take some evasive action.  So I went up the inside of him and overtook him along the inside.  It could have been that he was intending for me to do this, but I doubt that very much.  Usually when drivers intend that you go up the inside of them before they join the main road they leave enough space so it is clear what their intention is.

After he passed me I got a little blast of road rage and chased behind him for a good kilometre or so, hoping that he would stop so I could have a few harsh words with him.  He didn't stop but in the next village he had to slow down in the pedestrianised area, and I took the chance to overtake him.  As I passed the drivers side window I gave him a deathly glare but there was no reaction.  So I left it at that and cycled off.  If nothing else it gave me a good fast burst of speed for a kilometre or so, and a good dose of adrenalin.

I haven't been doing that much cycling since La Marmotte so I am a little worried I need to do more work on the bike.  The best is probably if I try to cycle to and from work as much as possible, as every little helps, especially if I put in some bursts of speed along the way.  Also, I can try to do a long ride this weekend as my friend had to cancel the Barrhorn trip due to other commitments, so I now have the weekend free.  The best weekend plan would probably be one long bike ride and one long hike rather than two days of hiking alone.   The reason for this is that I need to to cycle in order to do the Vuelta Sudamericana and to hike in order to climb Kilimanjaro.