Exactly a month ago, I posted my last ride report. I have been ninerless since as I’m waiting for a replacement for my second Air 9 Carbon frame. So, I missed out mountain biking one of the warmest and sunniest September months in recent history. But that wasn’t a bad thing, actually. Being without a big-wheeled bike got me to ride my Neilpryde Alize road bike more, making September a record month as far as total mileage ridden. I was able to collect a whopping 560 kilometers and climb an impressive yet inaccurate 20’000 meters. All in all, I spent over 25 hours biking during a September without the Niner.
Yesterday, I got up to a sunny, blue sky an opted to cover a nice distance with lots of steep climbing on foot. While sipping coffee I checked the train schedule, then hiked through town to the train station to travel a short distance to La Heutte. Train fare, full price, one way - 4.20 francs. From La Heutte’s tiny train stop (I wouldn’t even call it a station), I hiked westwards to go through Hell’s Gate. Shortly after, I left the fire road and hiked a narrow trail through the valley. I was looking for a small trail to the right, that would bring me into the very steep and rocky side of the mountain. Marked only with a few rocks stacked on each other, I quickly found it.
It went up steep, first across a talus below the mountain cliffs, then it continued below, around and above the vertical limestone cliffs. I pulled myself up holding onto ropes or chains and kept a hand firmly on a steel cable whenever I didn’t need both to climb. This is an area far off limits to bikes. I thought I knew my backyard mountains and trails pretty well, but after hiking in such places I realize that the area has a lot of hidden secrets a biker will never discover. The Schilt is one such treasure.
Once at the top I followed the crest to the west and was continuously amazed at the beauty of the country. The views, the early fall colors, the roughness and the wilderness; all just a short trip from home. To my further astonishment, there was barely anyone else out there. A half dozen hikers, one single mountain biker and four rock climbers were the only people I met. I would have thought that a couple of bikers would pass me hiking down Goatback, but I saw no one. This is a hike I’ll probably repeat once or twice a year, preferably in the spring or fall.
Back to biking. While I left La Heutte, I kept an eye on the hillsides north of the village as this is a place I’m dying to explore on wheels once I get Air 9 Carbon #3. It should be rideable up to the Van (1’114m) and looks pretty exciting. A ride report will follow as soon as I can explore it. No ETA on the Niner though, so it might not be happening all that soon. Sure hope that #3 will last me longer than 6 months. I tend to ride bikes a long time. My oldest still on active duty bike has the respectable age of 11 years. While an Air 9 Carbon will probably never reach such an age, I’d sure hope to get at least half that. We’ll see. Anyway, having now had a whole month to criss-cross the Jura, I’ve been thinking to add a cross-bike to my stable. There’s a vast network of gravel trails for which neither a road bike nor a mountain bike are the ideal rigs. Sure, it can be ridden with a mountain bike, but a mountain bike to me is a tool for singletrails, rough and/or technical terrain. It’s not a bike that belongs on gravel or pavement. A cross-bike on the other hand would be the happy medium between asphalt rocket and trail bomber. Time to get one built.
| Distance: | 20.0km (12.5 miles) |
| Elevation: | 2’016m (6’615 feet) |
| Time: | 03:05:45 |
| Avg Pace: | 09:16 min/km (14:54 min/mile) |
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