Well into November and still the conditions are good for biking, enough to encourage 4 regulars and one newcomer to venture out, even though the forecast was a little uncertain. Rudi emerged from biking semi-retirement to join Stephen, Mervyn, Mark2Ts and PeterD on a ride marketed as flattish with the potential for our favourite Bonmont climb after lunch. This latter suggestion was shot down before it had taken wing by a couple of participants, who shall remain nameless, but whose names start with the same letter as “mutineer”. It seems that after-lunch cycling has to be short and easy.
e-Rudi had packed his e-bike neatly into his car to avoid draining both bike and leg batteries on a ride from his home in Morges to the Everness Hotel meeting point.
A few spots of rain welcomed the other riders but happily did not transform into anything more significant (the rain that is, for the riders it’s too late). We set off to join the cycle route 50 by the Chavannes Shopping Centre and followed this all the way into Chambesy. Pristine bikes were spattered by spray from the wet, muddy Versoix paths as were bikers who didn’t have the benefit of mudguards. Without the presence of the the leader from the last outing and his off-piste tendencies, we were able to make almost unwavering progress along the designated route. So much so, that there was a potential for either a coffee stop or a slightly longer loop before lunch. We stopped for coffee. Rudi, ecstatic that both his batteries were still fully charged, kindly sponsored the refreshments, including the now customary first beer of the day for one participant.
Fortified and grateful that a longer loop had been averted and that a 50 km/hr speed limit put heed to a time trial along the flat straight lake road cycle track, we were able to proceed without stress, admiring the views and details often unseen when passing this road in the car. We turned off the lake road up past the Nyon Tennis Club, onto the smaller tracks, through Eysins and via the back route to Signy, where lunch had been booked at the Pinte, recently having changed management to Sabo, who also runs the Nyon Tennis Club restaurant.
We all enjoyed the first beer of the afternoon (and for some a subsequent second) and happily ordered the menu du jour of oriental couscous starter followed by braised beef in tasty sauce and truffled potato. This was excellent and complimented by the usual varied and lively conversation.
After lunch, Mark shot off ahead at strategic points, sufficient to ensure that the ever-hopeful leader would not be tempted to divert the group up the Jura. More refreshments were offered in Arnex, but ultimately declined, as the attraction of an afternoon siesta won out.
Statistics: ca. 48.5 kms, 416 m ascent, max. elevation 501m, saddle time 2h30, average speed 19.5 km/hr.
NB. Regret lack of usual photographic record, our chief photographer was absent.