The SlowUp bicycle events have started for 2024. Ticino was supposed to kick it off today, although I’m not sure how well the weather cooperated.
For those who aren’t familiar with SlowUp, it’s “A day of free leisure activity that can be spent on a bike, skating or on foot along a distance that is entirely closed to motorized traffic…Along the way there are also various entertainment points, food stalls and other parallel activities. The pace and distance can be chosen freely, and you can enter and exit the course at any point.” (quote from myswitzerland.com)
This year there are 21 different routes in various parts of the country.
Here are a few of the events coming up in the next few months:
28 April - Murtensee
5 May - Werdenberg-Liechtenstein
12 May - Solothurn-Buechibärg
26 May - Schaffhausen-Hegau
2 June - Valais (note: there’s a typo on the website where it mentions 4 June)
9 June - Schwyz
16 June - Hochrein
30 June - Jura
Plus many more in July and August. I’m not affiliated in any way, I just think it’s a cool idea. The website is here (in German, French and Italian): slowUp Schweiz
In 1995 or so, as a US tourist, I drove to Bacharach on the Rhine to stay in a B&B on a Sunday in spring. I was turned away by the German police because the whole town was closed to traffic so people could enjoy walking and biking. It was a wonderful energy, and I didn’t mind having to park on the outskirts and walk in. Great tradition!
While the Slow-up events used to be really cool, there has been a gradual creep of people using powerful e-bikes and e-scooters to zip along from one end of the event to the other. With all the stalls, bouncy castles and other attractions along the route, there are also families with little kids on pushbikes, trikes, scooters, etc., who are randomly rolling around in circles or popping out without warning, and if you’re on an e-bike pushing 30+ km/h you’ve got zero chance of avoiding them. We didn’t go to our local one last year partly because of that.
SlowUps are great for families with little children.
Anyone that wants more excitement is very welcome to ride MTB trails. You don’t need an ebike to do 40 kmh, just let go the brakes while going downhill. If speed is not enough, hit that ramp that will kick you 2m up in the air. Don’t worry, there are no children that get in your way. And if you see a child, the little one is doing a backflip…and comes to kindly ask if you’re fine after you crashed
So, let the families be happy. If SlowUps are not that exciting and you want more, there’s plenty of it around Switzerland.
Well, the Cycle Week (bike festival) is next month in Zürich. Serious fun
I was unfortunately one of those e-bike people on a slow-up between Bellinzona and Locarno. It was so crowded and we needed to be somewhere by a certain time. In hindsight, I have to admit your criticism has a lot of truth to it.
We went a few times when the kids were younger and had small bikes or balance bikes.
It was best to go really early when it wasn’t so busy so there was little chance of them getting knocked over.
The organisers really need to re-think the events with the popularity of ebikes.
Last year we went with a ferry to Meilen and then cycled all the way to Bächlihof in Jona, where we had a yummi lunch. It was nice and relaxing ride, although you have to watch out for skaters, rollers and little kids. The weather was wonderful.
