A bit crazy, perhaps…. So why not go flying with a bike? I always have a decision problem when the weather is nice, what do I want to do? So what could be cooler than combining two types of sport? This is really quite a privileged position. You can do just about everything from your front door. There are many popular trails for biking, the Niederhorn at Interlaken offers many flying possibilities and I look directly out on to the lake, so I don't miss the kiting wind if this is on.
That wasn't so difficult. The Sigriswil ridge lies directly above where I live and is quite spectacular. You really should go up there. The ridge is perfect for biking; an absolute dream. Unfortunately, at some point there is a rock face that can only be negotiated with a paraglider. After that there are perfect sweeping trails again. That's when the idea of Andy's bike came back to me.
At the beginning I wasn't so sure how to combine bike and paraglider, or where exactly I wanted to take off and land. With four paraglider lines; I cobbled it up myself. It took a few hours to get it right. I looped two lines around the saddle tube and attached the other two to the handlebars. I then hooked the ends into the main carabiners.
It took me quite a while to get the length of the lines right. If the lines were too long, I couldn't reach the pedals. If they were too short, you have to sit on the saddle during the whole flight. The pain was excruciating, believe me. In the end, all four lines were different lengths and the bike sat perfectly under me.
More Laughter. What was the greatest challenge for you? Or something completely different? The whole project was demanding enough. It cost me a lot of trouble to get the bike and glider connected suitably.
