To Chambéry

May 19, 2025

Another fast post, with just the bullet points about our ride to Chambéry. We meet at Suzanne's hotel at 9:30, earlier than planned. We thought it would be later so she had time to go to the police station to report the loss of her wallet, credit cards, passports and cash; but then she found them hiding under her bed last night. Hooray!

János is driving, which works well for the rest of us because he's our sag wagon - he can carry our panniers so we can ride light, and pick up any dropouts along the way.

We're following a route Suzanne picked and I approved of, but Susan doesn't think much of it. She thinks we should climb back up to the Col at Leschaux and drop down from there instead, but we've picked this route because it looks reasonable in our assessment, is several miles shorter, and involves less climbing. Susan's right though - it's got about four pretty crappy, stressful miles on D1201, a shoulderless secondary highway that we're all happy to escape unscathed. Not a recommended route!

That's not where the spill happens though. That's at a pretty innocuous spot about four miles into the ride when Rachael goes down when her wheel caches the lip on the curb cut when she's leaving the bikepath for the road. She's only going about 1 mph and only suffers a small scrape to her knee, but she lands hard enough that she bruises her right knee and shoulder. she soldiers on through the scary part of the ride, but when János meets up with us at our noonsesbreak (a neologism I take credit for - we're too late for elevenses) she's happy to get a ride the rest of the way.

I feel badly for Rachael's fall of course, but I feel responsible also. She was biking behind me at the time and I pulled off the bike path onto the road at short notice, I called back to warn her about the slight lip to the curb cut, but she either didn't hear me or didn't have time to react. No one should ever follow too close behind me. I'm dangerous!

It's too bad she fell because of the injury of course (which of course could have been much worse, so we're grateful for that) but also because she missed easily the best part of the ride, along the western end of Lake Bourget. Beyond that, Suzanne takes a different route the rest of the way in than I did, because I apparently mismapped my version of her route when I created it for myself. I'm ahead at the time because the others stopped for photos and didn't realize Suzanne wasn't following any longer until Susan caught up and let me know.

She and I rode together the rest of the way, on a route that was fine enough but not as pleasant as Suzanne's choice, on the bike path that follows the Leysse River (up the Leysse River - sounds like a song). And our route includes a Route Barre with two problem spots: the first is a collapsed portion of the roadbed that's easily skirted by bike - but we never see the second one because a woman riding the other way indicates that it's at least questionable if we can get around. Since we're not far past an alternative route, we just backtrack to it.

The biggest scare comes a mile later when a sports car squeals through a 90 degree bend at a lighted intersection, racing to beat the cross traffic just as the light changes. He's racing fast enough that smoke is coming off his tires and two of them leave the pavement, and I'm wondering if I need to be heading for the ditch in case he really loses control. A minute later we hear a siren and a police car races past in hot pursuit. Exciting!

Leaving our home in Annecy for the last time. the apartment itself was fine, but I won't miss the elevator.

Assembling for the ride in front of Suzanne's hotel.

First photo stop: the church of Saint-Martin, at Seynod.

Second photo-stop: At a wash house in Entrelacs.

Action shot! That grey blur to the right of Suzanne that looks like a flying saucer is a common buzzard. It flew across the road almost directly in front of her, close enough that from my perspective I thought she might hit it.

It's noon. While Susan and Suzanne bike on to the nearest cafe to wait for us, we're sitting here waiting for the call from our AirBnB host in Bari to arrange payment for the shipment of our suitcases.

Loading Rachael's bike onto the car so she and her bruised shoulder and scraped and swollen knee can get a ride the rest of the way to Chambéry. Good choice!

Looking across Lake Bourget at Le Chat and one of the most notorious hill climbs in the region. We're content to look up and imagine, but don't feel tempted.

The view west along Lake Bourget. Chambéry Is about seven miles beyond the end of the lake.

The lake again. The sky is taking an interesting turn. It's good we didn't get a later start.

Where the swans hang out. We're looking at three of about a dozen milling around and pecking at the grass. Grass-fed swans! I wonder why we never see that on a French menu.

I'm sure about the poppy, unsure about the grain - wheat or rye? - and am at a loss on the yellow stuff.

Rhinanthus (yellow rattle). I spotted this flower and just kept biking, but gradually realized it was different and finally stopped after a few hundred yards and circled back for it.

Susan and I are pleased to see that the Route Barre sign doesn't prevent bikes from skirting past this spot. The second spot another quarter mile on is a different story though.

Wow. We're looking here through the gap west of Chambéry to the high alps. If we're lucky with weather when we leave here, that's our route to Grenoble.

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 750 miles (1,207 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	8
Comment on this entry	Comment	0