May 19, 2025
To Chambéry
Today was moving day, we were all leaving Annecy for the town of Chambéry. Janos had decided to drive rather than ride so we were able to stash all the panniers in the car – yeah for unloaded rides! The plan was to follow a Komoot ride that Suzanne had shared with us all – Janos would be able to track us and even might surprise us somewhere along the route. The weather had turned cloudy, but we all set off in good spirits a little past ten.
The route out of Annecy was a bit traffic clogged, with lots of time spent waiting at red lights. We soon turned off and headed south onto D5, a busy road with a (mostly) bicycle path. There were a few road bumps along the way as we climbed to Vieugy, including a rear fender adjustment on Rachael’s bike. Of greater concern was the fall Rachael took while navigating a curb. Soothing words and band-aids appeared, but she assured us all was fine and we carried on.
After Vieugy, the D5 bike lane disappeared and there were about four downhill miles until we joined D1201 - the road from hell. Traffic was heavy and fast moving, with large trucks and buses zooming past as we went down, up, and down again. There was nothing to do except stay focused, keep pedaling, and hope that it wouldn’t be like this all the way to Chambéry. Twelve miles into an unpleasant start, relief came at Saint-Félix when we turned onto a small local road for an enjoyable six miles to the outskirts of Grésy-sur-Aix.
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Shortly before reaching Grésy-sur-Aix, Scott and Rachael pulled off the road for a noon-time call about the luggage shipment from Bari. Suzanne and I rode ahead and found a pizza place with outdoor tables – we ordered a drink, grabbed a spot, and waited for TA to round the bend. They arrived shortly with the news that the call went well, but Rachael was not so good – the fall was taking its toll and she was experiencing swelling and pain down her right side. Rachael is as brave and tough as anyone and was game to continue, but when Janos arrived she gladly accepted a lift into Chambéry.
So now we were three. We crossed Le Sierroz River, skirted through Aix-les-Bains and were soon taking a leisurely roll along the eastern shore of Lac du Bourget, stopping often for birds and/or photo-ops. At the south end of the lake, our routes diverged as Suzanne took the V63 route to Chambéry along the canal while I followed Scott’s track into town.
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I soon caught up with Scott who had stopped for pictures of poppies blowing in the breeze. We crossed our old nemesis D1201 near Voglans and were cruising along a nice quiet lane when we encountered a series of the dreaded “Route Barrée.” We breezed past the first sign and arrived at a barrier stretching across the road. A very large section of asphalt had washed away but it was possible to carefully walk our bikes past the barrier and emerge out the other side. We also ignored the second sign, until I spoke with a cyclist coming towards us who had been turned back at the barrier. When pressed, she acknowledged that it was possible we could pass, but we deferred and took the deviation – a bike lane along a busy road.
Scott and I arrived at the hotel shortly after 3 pm, with Suzanne pulling in just a few minutes later. It was clear she'd ridden the nicer track. There was a bit of check-in chaos sorting out the bags and moving the bikes upstairs to their very own meeting room, but soon most everyone and everything was in place.
We met up for dinner at a restaurant across the street where I indulged in a char-grilled cheeseburger, fries and salad. And a bit of chocolate mousse ladled from a big bowl. Back in my room, I collapsed feeling stuffed, tired, and looking forward to a rest day tomorrow.
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1 week ago
Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 500 miles (805 km)
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