France, Swiss Normandy, day 1
Saturday 20th June 2009
I was late leaving Brussels. Having been up half the night talking to a visiting friend, I crawled out of bed around 7.30am, and found myself not having done any other packing than a few items collected in a corner, and bags prepared. Me and my friend not being able to stop talking, departure got even more delayed. Amazingly enough, I wasn't too stressed ... but being tired definitely affects my driving skills. Having gotten off the ring off Caen, the main road to my destination took me through the center of Thury-Harcourt, and I spotted the Tourist Office on my left so I popped in to purchase the official mountain bike map. I reached my acommodation, exhausted but in one piece, so I was grateful. The mountain bike map turned out to be a disappointment: it is not topographic, and with a scale 1:400,000. Suddenly I regretted not having purchased my usual high-scale topographic maps; I was trying to not be so anal about travel preparation. And so here we were.
France, Swiss Normandy, day 2
Sunday 21st June 2009
I decided to ride to my starting point of today. I mean, how hard could it be? Say no more ...
I hooked up with GR36 just around the corner from my landlord's. Nice off-road section, steep tarmac downhill, very interesting winding uphill (off-road!), and finally I ended up in small village Cantepie, my bearings all confused. After first going to the right, then back-tracking, crossing the local bridge, I turned left, and further up the hill (tarmac) I found trails 18, 17, 15, 14 and 9. All except trail number 9 turned left into where I had come from. Following trail number 9, I hit a loong, steeeeeeeeeeep uphill. Grazing goats were alarmed by my passing-by. This uphill, which may be unclimbable to even a strong rider, may be done by following the road as well (hence allowing the majority, including the world's Minnas, to stay up on their bikes). A left turn from that road shortly thereafter gave a levelled doubletrack, with a beautifully colourful view of the landscape. After that, a way too short singletrack section, which turned into a verrrrrrry steep downhill. A right-hand turn, tarmac climbing, then a split between trails 9 and 10.
I was still on my way to my destination.
Trail number 10 continued on tarmac. At a tarmac intersection (which turned out to be interconnecting trails 4 and 5), I crossed to do a tarmac downhill, then a levelled doubletrack, then a rocky downhill ... and not until here did I realise that I had connected with the intended destination trail number 4. So BACK we went, UP the rocky downhill, the levelled doubletrack, and UP the tarmac downhill. argh
Trails number 5 and 4 took me down (on tarmac) to the main road. I crossed it, and I continued on tarmac. I crossed a bridge, and so I ran into the split of trails number 4 and 5.
Where had all my time gone? And I was running out of water. I could get a fill-up in one of the villages, but my promise to myself had been, not out more than 4 hours every day. I hesitated. I struggled. And I decided.
Struggling to trust the mountain bike map, I slowly trail-explored for the GR36, which would take me shortest way back to my accommodation. It turned out you need to follow trail number 5 for a while to get to it. Go left when the road splits! There is no liaison sign until further up. This is a beautiful, easy doubletrack riding along the river Orne. A short while later I reached tarmac and turned left, meeting trails number 18, 15, 14 and Tour de la Suisse Normande (132k loop).
Today's conclusion: that was a slight miscalculation! *GRIN Trail number 9, "How hard can it be?", has a name: Le Circuit du Grand Prix VTT! RIGHT!
France, Swiss Normandy, day 3
Monday 22nd June 2009
Eeek ... ticks! First time in x number of years of biking! Three of them! EEK!
I started late (the story of my life these days), after a tai chi session, and after having borrowed a ruler and scissors from the landlord's daughter, and after having plastified today's maps.
Yesterday's destination was also today's destination. Trail-exploring new areas can be extremely slow and time-consuming, so I enjoyed flaming down yesterday's liaison section; it was even more enjoyable today! Hooking up with trail number 4 from the south, just west of the main road from Thury- Harcourt, there was some gentle hollow climbing, then a doubletrack downhill, then tarmac climbing to the right, which grew into loooong steepish gravel road climbing up to La Vigne. Here, in addition to enjoying the view of the landscape, I also enviously admired a hiking trail (GR!) to the right, while the trail itself continued straight on, on levelled gravel road. *sigh To make things worse, that gravel road quickly turned into a tarmac (!) descent, painfully reminding me of my trip to French Vosges in 2007 (gravel climbing, tarmac descending).
After village Saint Martin de Sallen there was a short tarmac climb, then some gentle, quite enjoyable doubletrack climbing, and then I arrived at Le Chapelle St Joseph. The view from here is probably stunning, were it not for all the trees. From here, the first singletrack of this trip quickly turned into an übertechnical downhill (possibly there was a more rideable trail from behind the chapel) ... but after that a short fantastic singletrack section, and field riding. Tarmac, then left turn ... fantastic gravel descent, ending into an even more FANTASTIC, technical and rocky descent into Thury Harcourt, where I located the official start.
Having run out of water, food and muscle power, I decided to head back home on tarmac road 166 (paralel to the big road), noticing that the old railway possibly was open to railbike, which looked like a great ride along river Orne. I raced the liaison section back home for some food, sunbathing and a late-afternoon tai chi session.
France, Swiss Normandy, day 4
Tuesday 23rd June 2009
Not sure what happened today. I thought I was following the signs for red trail number 16. And then the signs stopped. I trailed back. I could only find one possible solution, so I headed along a GR route, which took me down and into some spectacular winding and rooty singletrack. At the bottom, no signs. I started trailing left, knowing I should be going left, but it was so steep, basically taking me UP the section I had just gone DOWN, and I was not so happy about it. Vegetation was so dense, I felt completely lost and in the middle of nowhere. The only thing that kept me relatively calm was that I had the river on my left when I finally decided to stick to the safe bet and follow the doubletrack to the right, hopefully taking me up on the road close to Pont d'Ouilly. This took me AGES, and I cursed the lack of topographic details on the mountain bike maps, and I cursed myself for not having been as anal as before in my pre-trip planning. Did I learn my lesson or not!
I finally hit tarmac, and then later the main road, which brought me back to where signs had first gone missing! I trailed back yet another time, pondered at the place where I found the last sign, reflected on how signs were put at inconsistent distances: here, signs for a liaison section was just a metre a part, and pointing both straight forward as to the left (while the map showed only ONE liaison section). My head simply did not compute right then, but back at the cottage I realised one of the sign poles had probably been moved from further down the road. And that that's where my left turn for trail number 16 was. ARGH!
I find it vital that mountain bike maps are topographic with a high scaling. It is damn important in cases when getting lost in the woods. There is no way mountain bike centres can guarantee that signs have not been moved, lost in vegetation or simply removed completely.
Now going in the direction of trails number 15 and 18, I blasted down the long tarmac hill I had climbed just hours earlier, into minuscule village La Lande. It was a long one: I even got bored going downhill! Another Vosges recall! I continued on tarmac to the official starting point in Clécy, an area with kayak and terrace opportunities.
I was utterly disappointed. I was strongly contemplating leaving, going back to Brussels. Thursday had rain coming according to the weather forecast. Hang in there, ride Wednesday as well, then head back?
My legs were hurting from the massive amount of climbing, just like in Vosges, so I hoped to have gained muscle strength and fitness, if nothing else. If I have to choose between Vosges and Normandy, I would say the trails are similar but more varying here, which takes down the boredom factor. But please note, *I* was still bored!
France, Swiss Normandy, day 5
Wednesday 24th June 2009
Today I started out on blue trail number 14, passing by my accommodation. My plan was to hook up after that with green trail number 12, making today's ride an easy one after 3 days of a lot of climbing.
Off we went. On tarmac. Climb on tarmac. I stopped and started swearing. I got back up on the bike and continued. Ah, finally off-road! Climbing, but I didn't care, it was off-road! Be thankful for the small things, although .... it would have been interesting going the other direction, but FINE. Please, please, pleeeez give me a nice descent now? ON TARMAC! THAT'S IT! THAT'S BLOODY IT! The next off-road section did not pacify my temper. I continued. Tarmac, then continued tarmac into Clécy. A short section of singletrack in between gardens.
Hitting tarmac again, I didn't bother any longer.
The loop indicated right. *I* continued uphill, into the centre of Clécy, then through, and down towards the official starting point of yesterday's ride. I had an ice-cream, sat down on a bench, pondered my options. Go home? Home home? Brussels? All of a sudden I was home-sick, missing my precious Lasne trails. Dry Lasne trails. Trails where I would feel my bike work under me, where boredom was out of the question. Tarmac kept to a minimum.
I biked back to my accommodation, grabbed a book and enjoyed the sun, enjoyed good cooking ... still thinking of heading home. Going to bed, thinking of home.
France, Swiss Normandy, day 6
Thursday 25th June 2009
My landlord seemed shocked that I was leaving early, having paid for accommodation until Saturday. I was friendly, but adamant, and as I hit the highway I felt a surge of energy. I had the next trip just around the bend. But now home for a quick touchdown!
France, Vosges mountains, day 1
Sunday 3rd June 2007
La Bresse blue trail number 1 and Gérardmer red trail number 2
As the Tourist office had JUST closed when we arrived yesterday, and is not open Sundays (except for during school holidays), we were off biking based on my three-year-old-or-so maps once provided by Hugo. So we started out on La Bresse blue trail number 1, just around the corner from our gîte in La Basse des Feignes. Easy blue? I found the looong climbing on loose rocks on the northern part much tougher than anything on the Gérardmer red trail number 2 (red=difficult) that we later hooked up with. But maybe I was tired as we rode the northern part last, and -- considering I had another five days of riding to go -- I bailed out at the shortcut (not waymarked, although indicated on the map), while my travelling company continued the last 3 kilometres or so before making the full loop. A little more climbing, and then a killer downhill were the only bits left, I was told afterwards.
As far as the Gérardmer trail, lots of climbing from Col de Grosse Pierre where we hooked up from. Nothing technical really, maybe one or two odd sections, all rideable. Everything was to 99 % wide. A couple of tarmac sections. Shortly before the possibility to cut the trail short (just before Grouvelin) there was an interesting section, where I deliberately sought out the big stones to ride over ... laughing! Reminded me of Spain! The next fun spot did not turn up until before the second teleski: descending past le Biazot. After that, very wet climbing with roots. And then the northern part of the La Bresse blue trail ...
France, Vosges mountains, day 2
Monday 4th June 2007
Fresse-sur-Moselle black trail number 14 and blue trail number 3
We had been lucky according to the landlord: it had basically rained until we arrived. So quickly, it might rain later in the week again: we headed out for the most difficult trail (rated black) in Fresse-sur-Moselle. HAH! 6.5k of WIDE FOREST TRACK climbing! Minna BORED! At Croix de Fresse (where Napoleon forces succumbed fighting off the Cozacks in 1814), interconnecting trails number 3 (blue) and 4 (red) start out together. First bit was severely damaged by forestry work. As of their official starting point La Lochère my travelling company buzzed off at a speed much more to his fitness level (finally!), to ride the 18k-long number 4 while I settled for the 10k-long number 3. Looong climbing, sometimes as wide as a BLOODY boulevard! Rocky, and wet as it started raining. Boored. Got off my bike and walked: time for some mental digestion in the middle of being disappointed with the trails. Back at the interconnection I waited for my travelling company. A good three quarters before he turned up (luckily I had earlier taken a 20-minute break at Col de Rochelotte). By that time fog had collected and I had a creepy feeling about being all alone in the middle of what felt like nowhere (village Bussang just 2k down the hill). From there it was mainly downhill ... on wide trails. Conclusion: colour grading must be according to amount of climbing (what I call hill factor!), not according to amount of technical (what I call INTERESTING) riding. Do I want to ride tomorrow? In a way I wish I had opted only for a long weekend, not a whole week. Waste of time being here any longer?
France, Vosges mountains, day 3
Tuesday 5th June 2007
Thank God my travelling company wears earplugs at night: I could rummage in the kitchen at any hour, abusing the small convection oven even for making breakfast (by God, I miss having an oven ... can't wait to get a new kitchen at my place!).
Gérardmer red trail number 10, surely that would be a piece of cake for today's "rest day"? And surely I could do also the second half of blue trail number 14 afterwards (the part not overlapping with trail number 10) before my travelling company hooked up with me at the parking? HAH! Please let me revise yesterday's words. What I saw on trail number 10 was BY FAR the most technical riding I've done so far in the area. This loop should have been rated black ... but since it isn't, I am now scared of riding any more black trails. I surprised myself riding wet rocky uphills, bike going from one side to another, and me balancing on top without stopping (or falling off!). Where did that come from?? A different Minna! I was stunned speechless by one technical downhill after the other. In the beginning rocky, rooty, then big steps and big rocks in the middle of it all. I walked? Oh yes. But with a grin on my face! THIS is what I had been longing for! FANTASTIC. The same pattern, but now going uphill. Unclimbable! Going through a fenced-in area made me anxious: where were the wild cows I don't trust?? Steep, looong grassy singletracky stony and rooty uphill. A second gate. Phew. Glad to be out of there, whatever they were trying to keep in. Hang on, maybe that was the OUTSIDE, and I was really NOW on the INSIDE? iiih Tarmac climbing up to the observatorium Tête de Mérelle. I conquered my fear of heights on the second attempt. A German family applauded once they saw me at the top. Hang on, now they were leaving. Me alone up here! iiih ... No, I was fine. Extremely shaky once back on terra firma, but fine. Some gravel road next, my shaky legs were grateful. A couple of more singletracky technical downhills without steps (just rocky and wet, what else could I possibly ask for??) ... and a possibility to connect with mountain bike trails of neighbouring Vagney. After that a loong, in this case ENJOYABLE, gravel road section, winding in the forest, and after crossing the busy D486 I conquered another steep rocky uphill (did I reaLLLLLy ride that one?? Wohaa!) before I found myself back at the parking. HAPPY. Never bored!
A trail I would gladly ride again, although ... could we do some of the unclimbable uphills the reverse direction? *smile
France, Vosges mountains, day 4
Wednesday 6th June 2007
St-Maurice-sur-Moselle black trail number 14 and blue trail number 16.
What a superb day! But what a disappointing trail! Having received updated plastified maps of the trails in St-Maurice-sur-Moselle (from the Tourist Office in La Bresse) I had noticed that five (!) new trails had been set up, including a black one (number 14)! AHA! Challenge! My travelling company was more into climbing, and chose (new) trail number 15. The first 9k or so was in common. After some initial tarmac, a grassy field run (that we missed at first due to signage being ambiguous, us ending up doing an extra climb). Another tarmac section, then another grassy field section, which ended into an UNCLIMBABLE stony section with water running down it! A rocky singletrack section, and a rocky rocky downhill ... and a steep off-road climb. And this was still on the easy blue trail number 12 as well. Hm. A short (downhill!) tarmac section before number 12 split off. Some tarmac climbing that turned into steeep gravel road WIDE climbing. This lasted until I had some 8.5k on the bike computer! 8.5k!! Boooooooooring. Passing brooks. Small ones. Big ones. At the top of the hill, number 14 and 15 splitted, and I was "on my own". I saw waterfalls. Small ones. Bigger ones. (No Niagara though. *smile) The constant purling of water accompanied me althrough the ride. That, and the disappointed SCREAMING AND SWEARING when the trail blasted me downhill ... on gravel road and tarmac! Then a bit of a forest track, and ... I had to stop and double-check, the trail FINALLY pointed to the more interesting one of two paths, and YES, one short technical rocky and wet downhill that made me smile! It ended abrubtly around the corner because of a more complex stream crossing: I took my slippery bike shoes off and threw them over, and walked over in my socks with my bike. Socks that were still dry when I got to the other side! *smile Several more, smaller, brook crossings and some more technical forest track climbing before I hit a shorter tarmac section (downhill of course!). Gravel road with some splendid views, but by now I was not appreciating it. A short rocky technical uphill that I rode aggressively, out of pure frustration. Tarmac uphill at a fairly easy angle, only to AGAIN take me CURSING AND CRYING down on a loooong GRAVEL road to the level of St-Maurice. One extra bit into the woods. A few metres of enjoyable rocks and roots ... and then I hit a fence. OH no. Not wild cows again? Turned out to be (only female) sheep. *relieved Both fences I had to lift my bike over, no easy way of opening/closing, and then tarmac the last bit. What a waste of time.
My travelling company had already passed by after trail number 15, and had left for trail number 13. I complemented the note on the windshield with my next mission: the short blue trail number 16. My body still felt fresh. Steepish tarmac beginning. Fine, it is an easy blue after all. Funny signs started turning up: "Road bombed. Drive on one wheel only!" and yes, with a car it must be bumpy. Then I arrived at what almost looked like a small village of funny buildings and houses of ... different architecture indeed! (One building had "little house of the prairies" written on it.) I hurried along onto a grassy climb, which turned into a steeeep rocky climb. At the top, a wet forest track had been completely demolished by forest machinery. Funny enough, I enjoyed mastering my bike over it: the best way of keeping your feet dry! *smile Thereafter, a short gravel downhill where I found a step or two to ride over ... to give me just a hint of Spain again! Hereabouts I think you should be able to hook up with Fresse-sur-Moselle green trail number 1, but I saw nothing indicated this out on the trail. Instead, we joined green trail number 11 for some tarmac climbing and a loop around an area called Presles. Gravel road downhill, a bit of a field riding (with two white horses grazing ... on the other side of the fence!) ... and ... not sure I would rate the collection of roots in one place and the collection of rocks in combination with a small brook crossing as very easy (green rating). A bridge crossing a stream, and back to gravel road, and then tarmac. I didn't bother to go the extra bit to say hello to the sheep again, instead blasted back to the car, where my travelling company had arrived just five minutes earlier!
Boring black one. St-Maurice must have looked at the black trail of Fresse-sur-Moselle and thought "We can do that". Yes, they could. Just like with Fresse, I will not bother to come back here again!
France, Vosges mountains, day 5
Thursday 7th June 2007
La Bresse red trail number 12 and Xonrupt green trail number 21.
When at the Tourist Office in La Bresse the other day, I didn't react when they said they were having the map re-printed, and only had grey-scale copies of the new one. I thought they had only run out of copies, so I told my travelling company to take one ... as *I* already had a one of the original coloured ones (from three years ago, blondie!!!). I did not for a second reflect that they were having the maps reprinted because of having changed the loops! Or one loop in particular. THE loop I took this very morning! Argh. The 18k-long red loop number 12 had been *extended* to 22k! And, poor as I am at map-reading, I struggled well over an hour with continuous stops and worries about where I was, and whether the black clouds in the distance would come my way, and how much time I had if they did! Some flattish winding forest track from the ski lifts to start out with (Chemin du Tour des Roches). When green trail number 11 split off, going up on tarmac to the left, the signage got extremely confusing ... and, I think, wrong! You ARE supposed to take the forest track to the right to continue trails number 12 and 13, to get to some steady climbing on switchback-like gravel road (not at any extreme angle: quite nice in the sunshine). I finally started to be sure about where I was on the map, and it wasn't according to my (old) map! Finally we went off the boulevard trail, and hit some nice undulating and dippy forest trail with rocks and roots, criss-crossing to avoid big puddles of water. Ideal to find small steps to ride: nice! In overall, the trail was dryish, so when the opportunity came to ride a rocky stream-line, I grabbed it, welcomed it without hesitation or hint of fear -- very much to my own astonishment! Wide trails past forest gîte les Champis confirmed where I was (having now hooked up with the old loop), and then a left turn onto a hiking path: faster and faster downhill with gravel and loose rocks ... steadddddddd-dy ... awesome! From here I started on a circular loop by gîte Collet de l'Etang. I passed a couple of hikers on the stony gravel road, then hit some wettish and quite fun forest track that made me ride more aggressively. I climbed up to the highest point of the ride (1,151 metres), but my legs did not complain: I had THAT much fun! All forest around me, I had no reference points as to height. The trail turned almost unrideable: forest work again! Looping back on speedy gravel road (oh no) I met the hikers for the second time. I sped on until a 45 degree right turn, where I climbed (steep this time) back up to Collet de l'Etang ... only to blast down again on wide gravel road! argh Two more moderate climbs (another change of the loop), ending up on tarmac D34c, and thus completing the circle.
Oh yes, when I had started out in the morning, riding green trail number eleven from the huge parking at shooting range in la Ténine to hook up with the intended trail number 12, I ended up missing a right turn and going AROUND small lake Lispach (opposite direction of trails number 11 and 13). Once I hit tarmac it was, however, easy to trail back south and finally make the connection.
Back at the car I really didn't feel like re-tracking trail number 11 as originally planned, nor did I really feel like calling it a day: It was only noon, and the weather was splendid! Besides, the black clouds seemed to be lingering over in that direction. So, after some contemplation, I got into the car and drove up north to Xonrupt "just to have a look". Winding tarmac road with no speed limit, how it that possible?? I parked by the camping, just at the top of beautiful Lac de Longemer, and on the main road I found the first signs to take me to the official starting point: one steeeep tarmac climb later! Gravel road only, with the occasional tarmac secion. Extra green loop! *smile Very quiet, no traffic, maybe a good kids loop? A waterfall, a couple of tables for a break or two (one table just down by the stream Belbriette) ... but ... hm ... No, probably too much steady climbing on the first part of the ride to suit a kid, and at the end a steepish and fast downhill variant of a gravel road. Mountain bike trails of neighbouring Valtin seemed to run on parts of this loop ... Hmmmm ...
France, Vosges mountains, day 6
Friday 8th June 2007
La Bresse blue trail number 14 and Cornimont blue trail number 2.
Thunderstorms most of the evening before and last night. At 5am I watched the fog worsen over the 30 minutes I was up for breakfast. I chickened out on going back to Xonrupt (20k away) to do the red loop there, but instead I opted for a local ride, close to home in case weather changed rapidly.
I went past the Tourist Office to get one of those grey-scale copies of their maps being re-printed, and headed out on the (brand new) 18k-long blue loop. A tarmac section guided me through what seemed to be the local industrial area. Then on wide forest track through an outdoor activity area. Several interesting paths just down by the stream, but the trail stayed on the wide one. Another short tarmac stretch, and then a 45 degree turn back, and up up up on forest track past Etang de Sèchemer. A short down, and then round Lac de Corbeaux. This would be a perfect kids loop! Joggers, fishers ... and a restaurant! And, then ... tarmac aaaaaaaaaal-lll the way to Col du Brabant where you could either head back to the starting point, or conveniently hook up with Cornimont trails.
Red Cornimont trail number 2 is in reality a blue one! And green trail number 3 is also in reality blue ... with shorter variants of the same loop (numbered separately, but not mentioned on the old map, all according to my travelling company). I chose trail number 2, because it looked like the most amount of hiking paths, and indeed ... after a short tarmac section we went off-road. Grassy. Ooops. First danger sign. Ok. Cleared. Next danger sign was followed by a rocky downhill bend. Cool. And then a steeeeeep grassssssy looooong uphill. Caught my breath by a Jesus monument of some sort (I am such a cultural bastard!), overlooking Cornimont village. More steep climbing: rocky and wide. Then steep tarmac climbing. Boored. Then a beautiful forest track uphill with rocks and roots, only ... ONLY to blast me down gravel road AGAIN to Col du Brabant. *SIGH
I had already decided to NOT go out on the blue number 3, but instead go back on the La Bresse trail, get the car, and head over to Xonrupt for the red trail there.
But, blasting down the TARMAC I felt the first raindrops on my face, and I heard thunder in the distance. Darn. That was it? Last ride. Oh well. I had had a fair bit of biking these past couple of days ...