May 19, 2025
Day 6: Annecy - Chambéry
Time to move on. Susan, Rachael and Scott meet us at our hotel at 9:30. The plan is that Janos will drive, taking our panniers, while the four of us cycle.
I take the lead ouf of the city, no wrong turns with everyone following me thank goodness. The bike route alternated between a dedicated bike path separate from the road, a painted lane on the road and sharing the road. At one point the curb between the bike path and the road tapered off to just a ridge and as Rachael cycled over it her tire caught on the edge and she was thrown off balance. I was standing next to her and saw she hit the ground hard. After cleaning up her scraped knee, she got back on her bike and said she was fine to ride. She's a trooper.
Then the ride got hairy. The route looked good enough on the map but I wish we had followed Susan's suggestion to ride over Col de Leschaux. The traffic was fast and dense with plenty of trucks on the biggest climb. It seemed like 100 km before we could leave the D1201 onto a quieter country road. Susan was way ahead and the Andersons were out of sight behind me. I began wondering if I was on the wrong road. I took an exit and made a double check on the route and saw that there were no alternatives. Finally at St. Félix we had the kind of road you expect in rural France.
Rachael and Scott had to stop en route and wait for an important phone call so Susan and I sped ahead and found a little outdoor cafe where we could wait. I also gave Janos a call to come and join us. He wasn't far. The Andersons arrived and Rachael came limping to our table. The tumble from her bike left her with a very sore leg and shoulder. It took just a bit of coaxing to persuade her to ride in the car with Janos the rest of the way to Chambéry.
Too bad Rachael missed the best part of the day. The ride along the shore of the Lac du Bourget was lovely with views over the lake and a wide bike path. We took our time and stopped frequently for pictures.
At the southern end of the lake I took a right and expected Susan would do the same. Scott was gone in the distance. However Susan took a left and I figured she wasn't paying attention to the route so I waited for her to backtrack to where I was waiting. Which she did but showed me that I was the one who was making a mistake. It took us a few minutes to see that the routes on our phones weren't identical. I was stubborn and wanted to continue on my original route, Susan rode the other way to catch up with Scott. Often enough my stubbornness doesn't pay off but this time it did. My ride into Chanbéry was great. I enjoy riding with friends, I enjoy riding just with Janos, and I also enjoy riding alone. Now I savored that feeling of freedom I get when I ride alone.
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When I got into Chambéry my planned route stopped at the Palais de Justice. I had neglected to plan it to our hotel. But a phone is such a great device. I soon located the hotel and was there in no time.
In the meantime Scott and Susan had arrived at the hotel as well as Janos and Rachael. It was a good but tiring day. A bit of chaos ensued when sorting out our bags which were in a heap in the hotel lobby but we got that straightened out. The bike storage room is one flight up and without even being asked the young man at the reception carried our heavy bikes up to the room for us. Loveee!
Enjoyable dinner around the corner and early to bed.
Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 124 km (77 miles)
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I can totally relate to you loving to bike with friends, bike with just you and Janos, and to bike alone. I have that same feeling, and having just now finished a ride with a few friends, I will be ready for a solo ride next.
1 week ago