Mountain biking in autumn
Inconspicuous - a description that may apply to some, but not to David Florin. His look is striking: he has long hair and a reddish goatee. His green eyes shine and when he laughs, a few gaps in his teeth become visible. His earlobes are pierced. Thebikingviking_21 is what he calls himself on Instagram - and not without reason. His nature: upbeat. He describes himself as active and very close to nature. "Eau am la natüra", I love nature, he says in the Romansh dialect Jauer, his father comes from the Münstertal, where Jauer is traditionally spoken.
Today we are on the Via Engiadina. Admittedly, this is not a place where David Florin is often found on his bike. He is drawn to the more difficult trails – which he seeks out on his local mountain, Muottas da Schlarigna. He has a strong connection to this place, not least because the oldest Swiss stone pine in the Engadine is located here. Incidentally, it is easier to reach on foot than by bike. Today, however, we are not on a different trail because of its difficulty, but because the first snow fell a few days ago – the northern side of the mountain is covered with snow and slippery far down. A dream for the eyes, but not for biking. To take the Via Engiadina under your wheels, it's best to start at St. Moritz's local mountain, Corviglia – the ultimate biking mountain in summer, and in winter it promises action and adventure on the slopes. The trail begins at the Signalbahn mountain station. The most comfortable way to get here is by gondola. The route covers around 18 kilometres of varied terrain to Silvaplana. The view over the lake district is priceless. It is autumn, the colours are magnificent. A biting wind is blowing in the valley, but up here it is peaceful
The Florin carpentry workshop – a family business in its third generation
We take a break. David lays his bike on the ground, sits down with his back against a tree and takes a sip of tea from his thermos. The forest, the trees – especially the Swiss stone pine – that's what he identifies with and what he earns his money with. He puts his hand on the tree, taking off his glove to do so: ‘You have to feel the wood.’ David is a carpenter and works in the family workshop in Samedan with his father and brother. They have been in the industrial zone of Samedan since 1993. His mother runs the shop in the village centre. The Florin carpentry workshop is known throughout the valley for its carved furniture – real works of art. In the workshop, David had previously shown us a chair with a richly decorated backrest. The light coming through the window transforms a chair in a workshop into a scene. If you sit on it and let your gaze wander, you will discover a picture above the workbench on the wall: ‘Cycling is beautiful’ it says. Time seems to stand still in this cosmos, the calendar shows a summer picture: August on Lake Silvaplana. It is October.
During a break under the tree on the Via Engiadina, his phone rings – the alarm clock. ‘I have to go back to work,’ says my phone, he says with a grin. But not today. Does he take a nap every day? ‘Yes, sometimes, or I get lost in conversations with my brother.’ They all eat lunch with their mother. Family connections are important to David Florin. Not least because his family also taught him to love nature. They often used to go hiking and roam the forests. ‘I had a very happy childhood,’ he recalls.
We take the trail under our wheels again – at 2063 metres, with breathtaking views of the already snow-covered Corvatsch and Piz Margna, the trees in the most intense yellow, with green Swiss stone pines in between, David's favourite wood. Here he is in his element. He elegantly avoids the stones – there seem to be no obstacles for him. He leans into the curves, the bike goes with him, until the sun disappears on the horizon.