Yesterday was all about doing a quality ride. Miles didn’t matter and neither did time. A cool eastern wind was cleansing the air and the sun was warming the southern-facing hill sides. Although I was up around 6AM and went to the bakery at 8AM, I left home only around noon for some great climbing on the borrowed Niner Jet 9. Being on a geared bike, I climbed across the small village of Evilard and steered the bike to the foot of the “Chemin du Haut des Roches”, a steep long climb up to 1200 meters above sea that starts just east of Orvin. This climb is a total killer on my singlespeed and generally throws me off two-thirds of the way. The trail has a rideable, constant grade. The second half of the trail though, is covered with leafs all year round (a few inches in the spring, a good foot in the fall). Add loose rocks to the mix and you’ll most likely lose the battle on a rigid singlespeed.
The Jet 9 on the other hand is the perfect machine to motor up that trail. Gears and a rear suspension that keeps the rear tire glued to the ground are a huge advantage on such terrain. Now that I had just covered a couple of awesome uphill miles, it was time to throw a couple of serious downhill miles at this full suspension bike. Well, not far from this spectacular climb is one of the best downhill trails the region has to offer - the “Geissrücken” in English the back of a goat - and it rides just about like that. This rocky downhill with a lot of tight switchbacks is always gnarly. Riding it alone, I took this one easy and got off the bike at the most dangerous places. One mistake and a lonely rider would not be found up there. The Jet 9 handled it bravely and we both returned home in one piece.
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★ collideous
