As a prelude to the big ride we have planned for later this autumn, we decided to test our mettle by cycling from Malvern College Switzerland to Malvern College UK.
With all our belongings safely transplanted from Switzerland to the UK, we returned to MCS one last time - this time with our bikes - to say our goodbyes.
The route we chose would follow the Rhine Cycleway (Eurovelo 15) from Leysin to Rotterdam. Once in Rotterdam, we'd catch the ferry to Harwich and finish our ride with a three-day dash across the south of England to Malvern.
By way of statistical summary, here's how it all panned out:
- 23 days of riding
- 7 countries passed through (Switzerland, France, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, Netherlands and England)
- 1832 km covered
- 9193 of ascent (though it was mostly flat or downhill!)
- 21 days camping; 2 days in hotels
- zero punctures
- 2 worn out brake pads
It was a fantastic ride and we are very grateful to the staff both at MCS and MCUK for humouring us in the endeavour. Cycling is a wonderful way to travel: slow enough to take things in and to meet people, fast enough to cover a significant distance over time. As a way to draw to a close our time in Switzerland and to underscore the ties between MCS and MCSUK it proved a very fruitful exercise.
We took a picture of our departure/arrival at the two schools that bookended our ride. As we head off to the US we leave with very happy memories of both:
