My summer alternative to skiing

I'm very pleased to get 10mph average on my mountain bike. My route does take in some tarmac and I have been passed on occasion by a road bike seemingly going twice as fast as me!

On the topic of idiot drivers I do accept that most people are very considerate. It's the cretins that stick in the memory though. I was on a B road last week (proper single track with grass verges either side) and a 4wd pick up approached me a long clear section of road at about 50 mph. He didn't slow down at all and at the last moment swerved on the grass verge whilst flashing by me.

On the other side of the coin, I was driving back towards our village last summer on another B road. I saw a couple of guys riding their road bikes side by side and slowed down to their speed and sat behind them assuming that they would drop behind each other to let me past. No such luck. They rode on for another 200m before I was able to safely put my offside wheels onto a wider bit of verge. I paced myself with the bikes, wound down the nearside window and asked them (politely!) why they hadn't let me go by. One of the riders responded by saying it was a country road and I should have to wait. I told them that was ridiculous. I was then told to eff off. Nice!

The reason you are doing 10mph Barney is that you are enjoying yourself too much on your big knobbly tyres while us bikies grind out the miles on the tarmac with our heads down. Reminds me that I must get an MTB.

A lot of the alpine resort are developing their summer biking and 'round July-August they open-up selected gondolas and chairlifts and you can take you bikes up on them. It's not all for MTB (VTT) adrenalin-junkies either: where we ski they have some great 'follow the contour' routes: spectacular scenery but pretty easy MTB tracks. We've done part of the Tour du Mont Fort around Verbier:

http://www.tourdumontfort.ch/intro/en/index.php

which includes downloadable satnav maps and the option of an easy and a more difficult itinerary. I've got photos of me looking massively intrepid in front of glaciers and on mountain tracks, but in reality, I've taken the telecabine up and just been cruising along easy routes, albeit at altitude.

It's nice to cycle 'round the same area that you're already familiar with from skiing, and interesting to see the summer version of where you've skied.

During my season times and for many years afterwards, my fitness was carried by 25 ~ 50 mile fell runs/races. As the years passed by, I dropped down to running marathons, and I ran my last sub 3 hour marathon at the age of 52.

Over the past few years, I have worked on strength & mobility routines, and these have maintained the requirements for skiing.

Unfortunately, last year, I suffered a long illness, and consequently lost muscle and fitness. Fortunately, I was still able to ski, albeit not quite at the same Mac rate. I am now getting back to some level, by hill walking, plus other efforts. (Managed Skiddaw two weeks ago, but it hurt)

Putting this into perspective, a good friend, the head instructor in Niederau, does not put his MTB on the Gondola. He cycles up the mountain several times a week.