Three men on their bummels set off (again) on a sunny and breezy but not too cool day from Divonne. It was kind for the morning that the wind was from the south as we headed up north towards the hills, half-forgetting that the wind would be in our faces on the return from Gilly. Avoiding the purgatory of Bonmont we instead opted for a ride across to Givrins and our favourite bakery coffee stop. Sadly the oven was being changed and it was closed, but the local cafe was open 50 mtrs away, and it had seating on sunny terrace beating the bakery. Sadly for the same reason there were no croissants (thanks for the coffee Mark).
Having avoided purgatory we faced the hell of the Genolier hill below the Clinique, but because of the tailwind indeed we were blessed with an easier ride. That was needed because we were bound for Bassins and Le Vaud. Leaving my water bottle behind at the Le Vaud water fountain we rolled down to the restaurant at Gilly where they know Peter Drew’s middle name.
The plat de jour was deer and being half vegetarian I managed to be game for it. Good service, beers and company. Warm inside table. We toasted absent bikers.
The ride home was the come-uppence we deserved – into the keen wind and the wind came straight though my helmet onto a bald surface. The next day I had a fine cold that I had been struggling domestically to avoid.
Attending : Peter Drew, Mark Watts, Peter Taylor.
I (PT) logged 58.61 km and 630m deniv. But statistics are windless…
