We were slow off the mark this morning. We rationalized our 10:30 start with the thought that it is cooler in the mornings right now and it was a bit chillier today than lately. The weather is quite cloudy but the sun does have some opportunity to get through.
Our exit from Montreux was painless and fast as we went straight out the main street and connected with a major road. Saturday morning traffic was light and the separated cycle lane was good. About five kilometres out, we turned right and began to cycle a backroad along a wide delta of farmland. A number of people were out enjoying the morning in this natural area.
We located cycleroute 46 and 1 known as the Rhone route and tried to follow it for the next 70 kilometres. It was pretty well marked but sometimes we just lost it. Fortunately, we had a garmin route selected and available to help us out when things got confusing. Basically there are roads, tracks or cyclepaths on both sides of the Rhone. The trick is to be on the side of the river with the best pavement for that particular stretch as you weave back and forth over the multiple crossings.
Through a quiet wooded area toward the Rhone river.
One of multiple crossings that take us back and forth across. It seemed that both sides of the river work quite well for cycling but often one side may have a better surface.
The day is just beginning so the Alps photo opportunities are everywhere. Eventually the photographer became more selective at stopping the tour`s progress.
The first thirty kilometres were at a leisurely pace. The day was warming up and clouds were lifting. The cycling conditions were great as we rode upstream along the Rhone. As we reached our first town we decided to look for a coffee stop. Massongex had a nice cafe with outdoor seating area, but no mountain view. We moved on to try our luck at the next town. We left the cyclepath and rode along the shared highway to Saint Maurice. This small town had a number of cafes open, including one with views of the mountains, as well as a wonderful patisserie where we picked up some sandwiches for lunch.
Leaving Saint Maurice we stayed on the highway for the next few kilometres navigating some tricky highway exchanges. Again, the traffic was light and a well defined cycling lane was provided. We found our way back to the Rhone river paths and the quiet, stress free cycling. We began to feel a slight breeze and were pleased that it was to our backs.
Crossing the bridge to Massongex. A pretty area but not selected for a coffee stop.
There were a number of climbers on this wall. Some were quite high up to the left of this shot. It looked like a great place to work on your skills and technique.
About 20 kilometres from Sion we found a perfect spot to stop for lunch beside the cycle path. It really checked all the boxes including great views. The wind was really blowing strong now making the cycling super easy as it moved us along to our destination. Pat was thankful now that we were not heading downstream!
But eventually all good things must come to an end, or so it seems. Our path on the side of a canal just seemed to peter out and we found ourselves on a grass strip in an orchard. Did we miss a sign? Consulting garmin for options at this point showed there should be a path about 100 metres to our right. Worth a shot, we thought, as we rode between the rows of trees to a gravel path heading up a sharp incline to security fencing. Scott ran up the short hill, declared it passable and we were on our way again.
The tail end of a group of 30 - 40 cyclists that passed our lunch spot. They were ALL on big ebikes.
The last ten kilometres to Sion were very hit and miss with the cycle signs. Eventually we were forced to head to the streets and found a good, shared road through the industrial outskirts of Sion. Arriving into the town feeling a bit bewildered and in need of a beer we stumbled on to a full on street party. It was a celebration of the local wine industry and there were many tents set up at which you could buy some food or the wine. We`re sure it was all excellent but unfortunately a beer was necessary to quench our thirsts.
Our hotel was easy to locate on the main road but the bike parking located three levels underground took us a few tries to figure out. Dinner was at a Thai restaurant and was the perfect finish to a great day of cycling.
Nothing better than arriving in town and finding ourselves in the middle of a festival! This was a wine tasting event that was in full swing at 5:00 and continued well into the night!
