It's Sunday at 6:15 in Zurich, I’ve just landed on a plane from NYC, where I left a late lunch surrounded by extraverted fashion, echoey tiled-dark rooms, brine-y glasses of natural wine to a train that arrived silently and precisely on the minute. I’m headed to a hotel in Oerlikon, just a few stops from central Zurich and a single stop from the Airport. Amidst a late summer heatwave, Zurich is sleepy and balmy at this hour. I arrived a day early and had friends who happened to be in town. So I squeezed an early-morning nap, then mapped my way to the lake, where a badis that was on my list looked ripe for this 95 deg Sunday.
As I navigate to the lake, a romantic view of Swiss summer takes hold. The young, fit, and scantily clad walk confidently toward the lake as the chicly dressed, sip rosé under umbrellas along the way. Life feels effortless in this moment, and Zurich epitomizes a sense of freedom despite the oppressive heat
I’m in Zurich for the week, at the behest of long-time friends Standert Bikes. What started as some quick catching up a few months earlier, under the context of my creeping desire to get back on ‘the old road bike’ became a wonderful fusion of all things new and exciting in both our worlds. Why quietly re-enter road cycling, when I could do it in a way that spoke to what was new in my life? Why launch a new limited-road bike like every other bike brand when you have a muse to reframe a traditional bike launch around? So was born, a gastronomic, fashionable adventure around Zurich with the new Standert Triebwerk LTD hosted by me, formerly known as Princecycling (now Prince.NRG).
Over the last decade, I’ve had a job in Lugano, road bikes through many an alpine road, watched cyclocross races in Bern, and even had a short-lived girlfriend in Lausanne. But no Swiss terroir had captivated me the way Zurich did this trip. There’s a young, creative energy here fused within its historic architecture. Beautiful nature within a stone's throw in every direction.
We rode electric boats on the cleanest lake I’ve ever been on. Ate some wonderful meals by young adventurous Swiss chefs and had more than our fair share of delightfully pristine tarmac to ride the new steed on. The Swiss did impress this go around and I can’t wait to get back with a bike and some more time to explore.
The Badis to visit: Seedbad Enge Lunch: Fischer’s Fritz Dinner: Rosi & Zur Goldige Guttere Cocktails: Raygrodski & Bar Sacchi
