In Chambéry: through the Chat Tunnel

May 21, 2025

Yesterday was wet off and on and tomorrow looks like a complete washout, but we've got a respite today that we take advantage of. Suzanne and Janos are tied up on some business they have to attend to but Rachael plans a hike in the hills, pleased that the swelling in her knee has abated enough that she feels like she can chance it. That leaves Susan and I, who after some dithering over options settle on a ride through the famous Chat Tunnel.

The view from our room is much more promising this morning. I think that's the Chat grinning back at us in the distance.

Susan and I leave promptly at ten but don't get far - just two blocks, when I conclude that the battery in my Garmin is dead. I'm led to that by the fact that it goes black almost immediately after I activate it; and the battery icon has its glass completely empty look, a solid white line. I don't want to ride without a map again so I call Rachael and she agrees to bring our backup device down to the street - and while I watch the bikes Susan walks back to the hotel to meet her because she can walk about ten times as fast as I can.

While Susan is back at the hotel meeting with Rachael I stay behind to watch the rides and listening to the carrion crows carrying on in the canopy.

As soon as Rachael arrives she looks at my Garmin and quickly finds the problem - it's me. A solid white line in this case signifies a glass completely full, and it's actually charged to 100%. It's been blacking out because it got set to its battery save mode somehow. So I feel like an idiot (again), but a happy one since I've got a route to follow again.

Since we've got Rachael here now and she's starting off on her hike, let's segue from the bike ride and see what she brought back today. She got some fine views from the top, but I especially like seeing the town's famous elephant fountain. I can't believe we've stayed here twice now but I still haven't explored the town itself.

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Our ride begins with the seven mile descent down the Leysse River to Lake Bourget, a cruise I know well by now but is new to Susan.by the time we come to the lake Susan finds that it's time for refueling already so we stop at the snack stand at a miniature golf course for a nutritious repast of hot dogs with mustard. After that we continue on along the shore of the lake for a few more miles before coming to the big climb of the day, to the entrance to the Chat Tunnel.

Down the Leysse River. Susan, on an Invader quest, is elated after spotting an Invader or a counterfeit of one in the underpass. You'll have to ask her what an Invader is.

Looking down on the lake from a point near the entrance to the tunnel.

The Chat Tunnel is a remarkable piece of cycling infrastructure, and an example of why France is probably our favorite cycling destination. As I've said before, Chat mountain is an imposing formation and one of the stiffest cycling challenges around. To enable cyclists to get to the other side though and drop into the Rhone valley, a mile long tunnel was bored beneath the mountain, a completely separate tunnel for walkers and bikers from the much larger tunnel for motor traffic that it closely parallels.

It's an interesting experience biking through the tunnel. First off, it's long - roughly a mile - so you're in it for quite a while. For another, it's cold. A sign at the entrance warns that it's 7 Celsius inside, which I believe. I stopped to layer up almost immediately. And, the tunnel is lined with artworks - paintings of domestic scenes from the region. I should have kept track, but there must be at least fifty of them.

In the Chat Tunnel. I especially like the ones with a black cat walking the frame (chat means cat in French).

Exiting the tunnel is a delightful shock as you enter a world apart that's nothing like what surrounded you when you entered it. This side feels like a little Shangri-La, as the quiet balcony road we follow looks down across vineyards toward the Rhone Valley, while behind and above the slopes climb steeply up the flanks of the mountain you just passed through. It's a slow ride as we undulate northward until finally stopping at the point that the road begins the long descent toward the Rhone. It's an outstanding feeling for me personally as I bike this exceptional setting, and leaves me filled with gratitude. In spite of all the health and aging adversities I've worked through over the past months, I feel so fortunate to still be able to have experiences like this.

The ride back through the tunnel goes faster, as it's slightly downhill most of the way. Once we're out we soon come to a decision point - we could backtrack completely by dropping to the lake and climbing back up the Leysse again. Instead, brushing off Susan's gentle hint that it might be nice to ride along the river again, we stick with the route we've loaded - a higher route that maintains elevation most of the way back toward town.

The profile looked innocent enough when I drew this route, not noticing the series of short but steep climbs along the way. At the top of the first one, a 10 percenter that's surprisingly the most painful climb of the day, I blame her when I catch up with her at the top: "This is your fault, Susan! You should have tried harder to talk me into taking the low road". It wasn't really as bad as all that, but we're definitely ready when we finally come to the final descent into town.

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Today's ride: 31 miles (50 km)
Total: 804 miles (1,294 km)

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