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In the event, six intrepid members of the biking group assembled at the Divonne Lake (ice-cream shack) starting point: Bill, Ivan, Mark, Mervyn, Paul and a late-entry – our man from the mountains, Peter T.  

Several apologies for absence had been submitted exhibiting varying degrees of justification (no names, but you know who you are!).

Monsieur Météo promised to be benign – warm, dry and no wind. So, it was agreed to accept my proposal of a ride through the open fields to the relative shade of the Jura hills up to the 888m point on the infamous Barillette ascent.  It wasn’t long before Peter (then Ivan Ed.) took over the lead as we headed onwards and upwards.  We suffered varying degrees of pain and fatigue as the gradient increased from a modest 5% up to a more daunting 10.5%.  e-Paul once again demonstrated the clear advantage of bike battery technology over raw lung and leg power as, with the mere touch of a button, he showed at least one fit-looking young interloper a clean pair of heels (or in this case, pedals).

The investment of all that time and effort on the ascent was rewarded by a swift and exhilarating descent down the sweeping bitumened bends, where Ivan demonstrated impressive slaloming technique, to Gingins and thence to Trelex and finally Prangins.

This passed not entirely without incident as, no sooner had bits started to fall off Mervyn’s bike, than Mark decided to do a mini-Nathan and part company involuntarily with his machine. Thankfully only pride suffered a minor injury this time.

A table with seven places laid out awaited our arrival at Les Abérieux restaurant down on the lakeside at Prangins.

Beers were swiftly ordered and consumed before the mystery missing diner – our BLeader, Stephen, no less – made his welcome appearance, fresh from 15 minutes “re-education” on a stationary exercise bike. Now that’s solidarity for you, in the “I share your pain” sense!

Lunch-time banter covered the usual old chestnuts plus a intriguing discussion, initiated by our resident man of letters, Paul, on what constitutes the toughest sport. Cycling uphill in the heat of the midday sun, notwithstanding, other candidates ranging from mountaineering, ultra-marathons and competitive saunas were proposed.  The common denominator seemed to be utter madness.

With that we dispersed and wended our ways back to our various starting points in the Terre Sainte and beyond.

Vital statistics:  44 Km, 580m deniv. 3hr in the saddle (+2hr lunch)

Author:   Mervyn Powell, faithful member of the peloton and frequent lanterne rouge.

At the picturesque spot of  Chavannes de Bogis, seven adventurous bikers gathered at the renowned Everness hotel (to GIN bikers at least). Their mission: to embark on an exhilarating ride along the old train track leading to Gex onwards to Versancy, Bonmont and finally Founex for lunch. Little did they know that this journey would be filled with unexpected turns, lost companions, and tales to be shared over a memorable lunch.

With hearts brimming with excitement, the group set off from the Everness hotel, their bikes gliding along the old train track. The promise of scenic vistas and the thrill of exploration lay before them, beckoning them to embrace the open road.

As the bikers approached the charming town of Versancy, their bodies yearning for refreshment, they stumbled upon a delightful surprise. Ivan, our eighth companion, welcomed us having sneaked up through Divonne. Thereafter most of us  indulged in a delightful selection of alcoholic delights. Amidst laughter and camaraderie, Richard offered to pick up the tab which was much appreciated.

As the sun approached its zenith, the bikers set their sights on the renowned Bonmont hill. Alas, for some, fate had a different plan in store. Nathaniel,  inadvertently veered off course and vanished from sight. Concerned but undeterred, the majority of the group, led by Peter and Mervyn, chose to proceed after stopping to observe a rather beautiful field of poppies.

Following the floral intake most of the group decided to conquer the reverse Bonmont route, some without the assistance of electric power. Meanwhile, Paul opted for the thrill of the mountain route, and was not seen again until lunch. Peter T, desiring a less challenging path, ventured towards the easy route, meeting up at the traditional Bonmont photo op location.

Amidst breathtaking views (of trees) atop Bonmont, the group celebrated a significant milestone: capturing the 500^th (or so) photo of the group.

With spirits soaring, they began their descent down the hill, opting for the most direct route towards their well-deserved destination—the Founex Tennis Centre, where a delicious lunch awaited them. Along the way, they passed God’s Crossroads, a symbolic reminder of the serendipitous encounters that colored their adventure.

Seated around a table laden with large beers, the bikers engaged in lively conversations that spanned an array of topics. Tales were shared, including humorous anecdotes of waterlogged water boots while serving in the fire brigade and humorous accounts of Peter T’s driving skills as attested by his car (much to the amusement of his wife who already new about this). While the food was generally satisfying, the frites drew a bit of critique, inspiring laughter and banter among the riders. Amidst the laughter and camaraderie, Peter D promised to provide a route for their next outing, fueled by the hope of keeping their missing companion, Nathaniel, (not to mention Paul) with the group.

As lunch drew to a close, the bikers reflected upon the incredible journey from Everness to Gex and beyond. They marveled at the unexpected turns, the bonds forged through shared experiences, and the enduring spirit of adventure that united them. They eagerly anticipated their next outing, with hopes of uncovering the whereabouts of Nathaniel and creating new memories that would enrich their friendship and love for exploration.

18 May 2023

The wind had died down from the horrors of the previous day when we took shelter in the Founex Auberge for a GINClub lunch. PeterD organised this outing – a prize to him for 2 days in a row !

A new member attended (for the second day in a row), Richard Flett, or E-Richard as our BOOT-bound BLeader would call him, with connections to South Africa. Welcome Richard.

Attending – PeterD, PeterT, Paul, MikeM, Mervyn, Mark2ts and RichardF. Three e-bikes and four pushers.

We set off slightly into the wind on an anticlockwise circuit cunningly designed to have the wind behind us on the worst uphill section (Vesancy Hill). Tracking past Lac Divonne, skirting round Crassier in France, up to La Rippe and glancing at the Bonmont Hill before turning left for the traverse to Vesancy under the Jura forests.

An almost good weather day which turned a bit chilly, and was slightly marred by the coffee stop in Vesancy being closed for Ascension.

So, we trekked on down to Gex before heading back up and across through Echenevex to Maison Blanche, avoiding the down-the-field approach.

Lunch was served at a fine circular linen-laid table – this is how golfers expect to dine. Mark had celebrated becoming Swiss the day before, and he was keen to buy the beers. Affligem from Belgium went down well but a second glass was needed to verify its excellence.

Conversation seemed to settle around religion, atheism, Dawkins, UK non-resident banking (Barclays is throwing us out), Darwin, memes and memeplexes (religion again), natural selection and mortality. Paul’s excellent new book on Wallace’s unheralded but vitally essential bird-collecting Indonesian assistant, Ali, is coming out shortly.

Paul tells us that he believes we have all must have had an “Ali” in our lives, getting us through to where we are today. Something for us all to ponder..

We drank the health of our absent BLeader, resting up at home.

The nems were excellent as were the burgers and triple fried chips. We actually met a couple of GIN members (well at least one – Werner) who had come in from their golf round.

All too soon it was time to take off back home via an interesting riverside path below Gex with a bike staircase, before saying farewell to Paul and exiting Gex on the beloved bike path to Divonne, as we pondered on “who was my Ali ?”.

I made it 49km and 479m from Coppet.

With our honourable BLeader incapacitated – perhaps for the summer – Peter T and Peter D have taken control of biking Thursdays for the interim til Stephen is back on 2 wheels.

With a number of apologies, some sound and others more flimsy, four of us turned out at the Evenness at 10am on the morning of a really fine and warm day, shorts weather!

Attending – Mervyn, Ivan, PeterD, PeterT

PeterT had booked a table at Gilly on their sunny terrace for 12.30pm. The plan then was Bonmont (not the full top), Gingins, Givrins, Genolier, Le Muids, Bassins, Le Vaud, Burtigny, Gilly and home. This is quite a challenging ride for 4 non-E bikes and sadly it did not allow time for coffee stops at some of the watering holes we passed along the way.

There were many agricultural vehicles out and about, some very large. We were overtaken near God’s Crossing by a large muck spreader. One comment was that it was like being overtaken by the Daily Mail. There were quite a number of bikers about, many of whom were on racing road bikes and who had little problem overtaking us.

All went well until Ivan stopped to pick up what might have been his brake block but found it was a spurious reflector. He then missed the junction at Givrins and we needed to reassemble at Genolier after guiding him back by phone.

The hill of La Joie Clinique is (after Bonmont) the “low” point of this ride and it is pushed back into dark recesses of one’s memory. But having passed it we were up in the fresh spring air as the day started to warm up.

We had fabulous views out over the Lake to the Alps on the road from Burtigny before dropping down to Gilly. Altogether the riding was brilliant as was the weather and the scenery even if our legs were a bit sore after all the climbing.

An excellent and refreshing lunch was devoured at around chf25 for three courses and some fine beer and great service, al fresco on the terrace. I was glad that I had remembered to bring a sun hat, and we all carried factor 50 cream.

All too soon it was nearly time to be off, so we called ahead to our BLeader who had spent the morning at Nyon hospital and was now at home. He invited us to call in at Arnex to check out his new BOOT and sample his home brew in return for our commiserations and moral support. We ambled back at a leisurely pace with some fabulous views to Mt Blanc. Sure enough the BOOT was real and the ale was too. Stephen seemed in good cheer, as was Kate. We shall have to help ensure this stays that way over the coming months. Merci for the fine beer Stephen.

I logged 63km and 780m denivellation from Coppet.