2025 went by faster than expected.
My new role at my new job kept me busy throughout the year. Multiple reorganisations, a team that almost doubled in size, and a setup now spreads across Switzerland meant that Swiss-wide travel is now part of my routine.
I also decided to get a Swiss public transport Generalabonnement. It allows me to use trains, buses, trams, boats and many cable cars. Getting to my office in central Zurich by TWIKE has become slower due to heavy morning traffic, and with regular trips across the country, public transport simply made more sense.
As a result, the TWIKE spent more time parked than moving this year.
So what did I actually do with my TWIKE in 2025?
In February 2025, I took it on a one-day trip to the Black Forest, mainly to escape the persistent fog that tends to settle around home.
March brought the usual post-winter Plexiglass care for TW560, clearing the windscreen and preparing it for the months ahead.
In May 2025, I had the chance to test-drive the TWIKE 5 prototype during the TWIKE Klub general assembly. I also checked the state of health of my eight-year-old battery pack. It is still holding up well.
June was spent running a full-cycle capacity test on the battery and starting to plan this year’s main journey: TDGB2025, an ambitious nine-day, 2,500 km trip to the UK and back.
In July 2025, I focused on putting together a new long-distance charging cable selection.
At the same time, I struggled more than expected to get the TWIKE registered with Transport for London in order to access the ULEZ, LEZ and Congestion Charge Zone.
In August 2025, TDGB2025 finally got underway. Nine days on the road, and the photo I had hoped for along the way made the effort worthwhile.
After August, work and travel took over again.
In October, I took a week of planned time off in Greece. Unfortunately, it ended almost immediately with a serious running accident on the first day. A hospital visit and stitches followed, and the days off passed without much rest or recovery.
As my wife and I are spending a few days away after Christmas and welcoming the New Year on the Italian Adriatic coast, I decided to take the TWIKE out one last time in 2025. The destination was the Feldberg in the Black Forest, hoping for sun before sitting down with 2025’s TW560 stats.
With the rivers Glatt and Rhine meeting just a few kilometres from my village, dense fog is almost guaranteed from October through March. Cold temperatures and high humidity are the norm, while only a few hundred metres higher the sun shines, the air is markedly warmer and skies are often blue.
This is why I keep returning to the Black Forest, just across the Rhine.
The image below shows what it looks like to leave the fog behind. It never gets old. (Driving into the fog has its own atmosphere as well.)
After weeks without blue skies, moments like this are just magical.
Temperatures at 1,600 metres were also unusually mild. There was no snow, even in what should be peak season for ski resorts. Over the past 18 years of coming here, December used to look very different. At times, getting up here was difficult because of too much snow.
I settled in for a simple meal that I always enjoy: Kaiserschmarrn and a Weissbier. After a bit more time in the sun, it was time to head back home.
So, what do the numbers for this year look like?
The distance covered was modest. Much less than in other years. At least efficiency remained good.
This wraps up 2025.
Planning for 2026 is already underway, with another long trip in mind. For now, I am signing off a little earlier than usual to spend some quiet days by the sea.
Thank you for reading my blog!