I am now starting to head back towards Geneva. Today I passed through the Swiss capital of Berne (photo) and to apparently the “flattest” part of the country, a place called Neuchatel. Nothing is flat in Switzerland!

I did 111km today and I am looking forward to getting to the finishing line on Wednesday morning.

I have really enjoyed this adventure, but next time I will definitely do more training for the mountains.

Today I cycled around Lake Brienz to a place called Interkirchen. I can’t convey just how stunningly beautiful Switzerland is – this morning was just perfect

On the way, I stopped in at a place called Meiringen. It is the place where Arthur Conan Doyle lived and where he wrote the last of his Sherlock Holmes mysteries (not a lot of people know that!). There is even a local beauty spot, the Reichenbach Falls, which features in one of his novels.

Technical stuff: only 75km today and for some reason even that was a struggle. Maybe I have used up all my available stored energy or perhaps I am just getting old!

My current total, as of today, 850km (528 miles).

Today didn’t start very well. Somewhere I ate last night did not check safety first! Needless to say I had a bit of upset stomach this morning. So, I was off to the pharmacy for some Imodium (first time I have ever had to take it), but better safe than very sorry – and embarrassed!

So, I started the day with a very easy and lovely ride cycling along Lake Konstanz from east to west. The weather was gorgeous, as you can see from the photo.

For those of you still following my route, I travelled 112km (70 miles) from Bregenz in Austria to Gottmadingen in Germany. That’s country number six in total. It should be another relatively easy day tomorrow as I make my way back into Switzerland.

 Total – 720km (450 miles) ouch!

Great thunderstorm last night which really cleared the air. Temperature now at a much more bearable 25 degrees.

Today I travelled from Zurich across the north of Switzerland, through Liechtenstein and into Austria (five countries visited so far). It has also been my longest day with 126km covered (80 miles).  Apart from a couple of hours of really bad hay fever, it has been a great ride.

Five days in and I am sure some of you would like to know some stats: 

- I spend about 6 hours per day actually cycling (stops not included)

- I try to keep my heart rate above 120bpm and below 140bpm

- My sat nav computer calculated that I burned 6,050 calories today

- My energy levels are good in the mornings but it is hard to take in enough calories during the day, so I am burning fat stores at the moment (what a way to lose weight!)

However, I am feeling great and look forward to my evening luxury each day of a cold beer. Tonight I am staying in a place called Bludenz, a sweet little town in the Tyrol.

Steve in Martigny

After a good night’s sleep, my route took me from Evian to Leuk in the Valais region of Switzerland. I set off at 8:00am and followed Lake Geneva to Montreux, cycling through Martigny and then the wine growing areas of the Sierre Valley.  Finally finishing at 4:00pm.

My legs have been surprisingly good, but when my stored energy runs out it does feel like I’m falling off a cliff. To prevent this I am eating lots of fruit and drinking isotonic drinks, however there is only so much you can take in a rucksack.

Still I can’t complain, it has been a good day and quite flat with only about 500m of ascent.  The temperature has also been a little better today, at a chilly 33 degrees

The mountains start properly tomorrow with the Simplon pass at 2000m – let’s see if I can make it.

75 miles down, only 888 to go.

(Source: www.dailypeloton.com)

To celebrate his 50^th birthday, on the 14 July our chairman Steve Tate will be embarking on a two week, 1,000 mile bike ride across Europe.

Starting in Geneva, Steve will be riding alone and unsupported across five countries around the Alps (Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria & Germany). In doing so he will cross five major mountain passes along the way.

To report on Steve’s brave and challenging journey, we will be posting regular blog updates of his progress.

Steve sees this as a personal challenge and not necessarily for charity. That said, if you would like to support him, his charity of choice is Save the Children and you can make a donation using the link below:

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/donate.htm

We all wish Steve the best of luck with his exciting adventure and look forward to hearing about his escapades.

Last month you got an insight into our CEO, Mr Harrington, so it is only right that you get introduced to Check Safety First’s other head-honcho… Steve Tate:

Name: Stephen (Steve) Tate

Role at Check Safety First: Chairman

Sum yourself up in ten words or less: Honest, good fun, with a strong sense of right and wrong. Oh and I can be dogmatic. I should also put down bad at maths, because I have gone way over ten words!

What one thing couldn’t you live without? 

Apart from my daughter, Isabel, I would have to choose skiing. But red wine comes a pretty close second.

Favourite desert island disk? 

Dreadlock Holiday by 10CC – it has to be reggae for a desert island.

Favourite holiday destination? 

Interlaken in Switzerland. It doesn’t matter if it is in the summer or the winter, I just love the place.

Best holiday memory? 

Driving with a girlfriend from London to Costa del Sol in 1989. We did the journey in one go – only stopping for fuel – and it took 27 hours (Spain had no motorways at the time). We arrived at a friend’s villa, absolutely shattered. The villa had a resident maid who looked after us for the next 10 days – pure bliss.

Then we drove from there to Frejus in the South of France, again in one long drive, and had a week of not so glamorous camping. We spent two days in Paris on the way back.

Holiday nightmare? 

In 1982 I rode my motorbike all over Europe which took four months over the course of a summer – an amazing experience, would recommend it to everyone.

However, somehow I got into Yugoslavia without a visa. All the road signs were in Serbo-Croat and I couldn’t understand a thing. Eventually I found the coast and a great camp site, but after three days I got really sick – high fever, vomiting, delirium, the lot!

As I was in Yugoslavia illegally, I made the choice to try to ride back to Austria in case I needed medical help. The worst ride of my life! I eventually arrived in Austria went straight to bed and slept for 18 hours straight.

Favourite type of holiday?

I am a massive fan of skiing and activity holidays. In fact, I am planning a cycling holiday from the north to south of Spain, which is around 1,000kms.

Source: www.sejour-vacances-ski.com

So, has the recent snow and big freeze tempted you to take a winter holiday, or would you prefer to hibernate until the summer kicks in?

Personally, I am sick of the winter, but if you’re not then here’s a list of suggestions for perfect winter sports and activity breaks:

1-    Build shelters and spot bats by day and snuggle up your log cabin by night in Yorkshire.

2-    The more adventurous of us may fancy searching for snow buntings in the Highlands.

3-    A Narnia-inspired skiing break for the family in Switzerland.

4-    Blast away the cobwebs in the Lake District by hiking with ice picks and crampons.

5-    Adrenaline junkies might like the sound of speeding around in snow scooters in France.

6-    If your kids are missing the snow now it’s melting they fancy this ‘Snowmen in Sweden’ break.

7-    A scenic cross-skiing adventure overlooking pine forests in Scotland.

8-    Learn essential survival skills in Derbyshire, including how to light a fire from a bow drill.

9-    Those who like orienteering might prefer to navigate their way round Bienn Damph in Scotland.

10- Finally, a mountain bike trek with a visit to a Welsh Whisky distillery – an interesting, and potentially dangerous, combination.