With our BLeader away it was time for the mice to play, on our E-Bikes. A hot day in prospect on the plain no doubt put a number of peddlars/peddlers off, but with a plan to go high the aim was to get up into cooler air.
Here was the flyer:-
“In the remote case that there is anyone interested to join me on Thursday, given that our Bleader is gallivanting elsewhere, I am planning a ride.
I very much enjoyed the E-Bike ride that I had up the Jura to La Vattay and Col de La Faucille last Wednesday for the Zip, that I would like to share it.
So, I plan to ascend the very quiet French route from Huttopia behind Divonne on the forest trail to the Noire de Divonne and Petit and Grand Grande ski trails (max 1406m) and thence to La Vattay with a short road section to the Col. The forest trail is all tarmac, at a reasonable gradient, and is shaded from the sun pretty well all the way. I took 2hrs 20mins from my house 1093m and 29km (but went slow as I was only on level 2 power for most of the way up).
Lunch at the Zip Col de la Faucille la Petite Chaumiere restaurant at 1262m (I’ll book a table). Max temp in forecast at St Cergue at 4pm is 29C. So it should be nicer that bit higher and earlier.
Return via Vattay and then the Grande Grande Chalet (in total another 200m up) descending the very quiet tarmac road on the Swiss side to near Bonmont and La Rippe. (It took me only an hour to get home last week, (albeit I went down the French route). I had 43% battery left.
Suggest we (if any takers) start at 9.30 from Everness. We should be home before the 35C temp hits La Côte.”
In the event 5 of us turned out at Everness on time. Mervyn, PeterSt, Mark2ts, Thatcher and me, with apologies from a number of folk.
The route (59km and 1300m) we followed was exactly as planned above:-
It was good to see Thatcher out again, testing his operating system after his recent op. He sensibly turned back at the 800m contour satisfied that the test had gone well enough for the day. The rest of us carried on to the planned coffee stop at 1082m, after chatting with and passing a friendly non E Biker covered in sweat but enjoying the shady ride.
The E bikes were going well. Mervyn managed to get to Huttopia (570m) on no E power at all, as he said he had forgotten to charge his bike to 100%, and was saving power. It started with 85% which was more than enough. PeterSt carried a spare battery as he believed that his bike’s battery was not going to last the course (it did). We powered on (level 2 in Mervyn and my case) up to the Noire de Divonne and the temperature slipped down to a very pleasant level. The ride is now more gently up and then down to La Vattay and was a really pleasant highlight so I clicked up to Level 3 and we cruised at pace up the cross-country ski trail which used to be exhausting when skating, back in the day.
It was not long before we were à table at La Petite Chaumière, slowly served by a young lady with a T shirt that read “I am a simple woman”. But the beers came eventually and were cold and good.
The food is not the best here, but it did the trick, most of us choosing the equally simple Jura salad, otherwise chicken. Coffees followed and we were away by 1.50pm, the heat rising a little at the col.
There followed an easy cruise down to La Vattay, a simple ascent up the Grande Grande ramp (exhasting to skate up) and across to the chalet of the same name, transitioning off the tarmac for 700m or so.
The border gate is not locked and we were soon back in our home country taking the short ride up to the col (1414m).
The Swiss road down to La Rippe is not as wide or as clean as the French road we had ascended on. It is also a bit steeper in places. I had biked up this test piece before – several times with our Bleader. Coming down was a really nice ride, at first herding cows, and mostly on the brakes. At the P’tit Bard (1060m) we stopped for water. It was hotting up.
From there it was a simple glide back down through the forest to La Rippe and Crassier where PeterSt turned off right to Divonne, his battery still giving him power. We said farewell to Mark at God’s Crossing (or is it Gods’ ?) and we were soon home for a shower and a siesta by 3.20pm. The day was still hotting up.
I had 46% power left.
A fine ride employing E-bikes for their most effective and proper use.
Sounds like a great outing for e-bikers. Could have been a little challenging for us traditionalists…. but maybe to be seen later in a warm up to Barillette aspirations! Well done on finding a new route on our back doorstep.