In Annecy: day two

May 17, 2025

First of all, I want to thank all of you who offered your condolences and words of encouragement over our decision to cut our tour short. Your support is really heart-warming and uplifting to both of us. I especially enjoyed hearing of all the reports of successful knee replacement outcomes. This isn't what was planned of course, but we're both feeling upbeat about the decision and are surprised to find how much we're looking forward to staying put for a while. It would probably have been better to schedule this a year or more ago, but one good thing about having put it off for so long is that it's so obviously time now that there won't be any second guessing.

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I open up the iPad at first light and check the inbox. As hoped, we've heard back from Suzanne with a favorable response - Janos is fine with leaving at 7 AM to drive us to the Lyon airport. It's also a curious response from Suzanne, which we'll get back to later. It's all I need to do now is book our flight home, which I do after discussion with Rachael once we're both caffeinated to hold a coherent conversation.

It's another split day. Rachael is hiking up the ridge east of town that overlooks the lake, while Susan and I are riding a loop lower on the ridge to a high point at Col de Leschaux. Suzanne and Janos had planned to join us, but after sleeping on it and studying the elevation profile they decided it was more ambitious than they were interested in. In retrospect it's too bad they didn't join us, because it was really an outstanding ride, among other reasons.

We all left at the same time, partly so Rachael and I could frisk each other to make sure neither of us was forgetting anything critical and partly so Rachael could help me wrestle the bike into the elevator. It's actually not that bad though, now that I've got the technique down. It's definitely an easier space to fit the bike into than that hellhole back in Nice.

The first few miles of the ride are along the bike path that extends along the entire southern edge of the lake. It's an excellent bike path, but not surprisingly it's heavily used - Especially on a weekend with exceptional weather like we have today. For Susan this is a repeat, since it's the way she rode with Suzanne and János yesterday. It's a repeat for me too, but not from this year. I've probably ridden along here four or five times in previous visits, and in fact I've ridden the climb to today's Col twice before, both times on my way to the still much higher summit at Semnoz.

After two miles fighting the crowds along the lake we come to our turnoff to the pass, and immediately we leave nearly all of the traffic behind. We don't quite have the road to ourselves for the eight mile climb to the summit, but it's quiet enough to be able to relax and enjoy the experience. And for an eight mile climb it's really pretty easy one, keeping a steady 3-5% grade all the way to the top. It's just right as a training ride for both of us, given our respective health issues.

The climb starts here. If you read the fine print you'll see that Col de Leschaux is described as a beginner climb. Continuing up to Semnoz is a much different story though.

It's also a pretty peaceful climb, if not a partuicularly dramatic one because most of the time we're surrounded by trees. The few times when we come to a large enough gap to see the lake and surrounding mountains give us an excuse to stop, break out the cameras, and take a breather.

The few views of the lakes and mountains during the climb are inspiring but limited, to get the really spectacular views you have to continue on up to Semnoz, but neither of us has the legs or wind for that today.

The scene at the summit is as you'd expect on a day like this - a crowded scene with riders coming and going constantly. We stop long enough to admire the views to the east, and while Susan practices her French I keep my eye on a magpie out in the field, hoping it will hop his way closer to me and give me a better shot.

At the pass. The tough guys in the distance are leaving for the climb to Semnoz. I suggest to Susan that we really should go too as long as we're so close, but she's doesn't encourage the idea.

Also while we're staring at the views Susan casually asks why we decided to stay an extra night at Pont-en-Royans before flying home. Huh? I insist she's wrong, but then I mentally count out the days and see that she's right. Our last night there is the 27th, but I asked Suzanne for a ride to the airport on the 29th; and after getting a green light I booked a flight - for the wrong day.

Susan knows of this because Suzanne told her. Later I'll chide Suzanne for telling Susan we were leaving on the wrong day but not me. She said she assumed I knew what I was doing and we had our reasons, silly woman. So that's an issue to be addressed when we get back - we certainly don't want our friends to stay an extra day themselves just to give us a ride to the airport!

But that's a problem that can wait a couple of hours to deal with. For now, let's ride. Ahead is a descent down the opposite side of the narrow canyon we followed on our way up, once we get to the top that is. First there's a short but annoying climb up above the pass, annoying because it's the steepest climb of the day.

After that though the descent is glorious as we drop toward the lake with one spectacular view in our faces after another all the way to the bottom. First it's some stunning view of the lake, and then it's the peaks to its east, and then it's a field blanketed in buttercups and then it's some interesting mountain village and then it's a crazy switchback as our road doubles back on itself into the canyon. It's a ride that keeps on giving for the next eight miles, all the way to the bottom.

We enjoy one stunning view of the lake or the mountains after another. Around nearly every bend we come to another jaw-dropper.

Sound track: Milestones, by Miles Davis

Eventually we're back by the lake again and ride the bikepath for the next five miles until nearing the center of town. Rachael is still a mile or two away, so I decide to hang out by the side of the lake and wait for her while Susan continues on back to her hotel. While I wait I check out the bird scene and adjust my brakes, which really have gotten in need of attention - it held me back on the descent and it's the reason Susan's so far in the distance in the video most of the time.

When she returns Rachael tells me about her hike and how she got some fine views of the lake from a different perspective than Susan and I did. I don't have the same reaction to this one as I did to yesterday's though after she talks about how steep and difficult it was, over 25% in spots. Even with bionic knees I imagine it's going to be awhile until a hike like that works for me again.

Once we're both back in the room, item one for me is to cancel our flight, which fortunately can be done without penalty for the first 24 hours. While I'm doing that Rachael's attentpding to her own item one, a trip to the gelateria. After she's back I explain the situation to her nd we both have a good chuckle at my latest mishap. And then we just hang out until dinner with friends.

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Kirsten KaarsooI remember when Lyle and I cycled this. We had a beautiful day and the views as you say were spectacular. It was nice to go down memory lane.
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