Yesterday was too nice of a day not to saddle up and head out into the Jura. Still battling a cold, I only left midday to hit my Rondchâtel Loop and climb to the Chasseral. I was taking it easy, never hammering, just keeping an easy pace trying to make it up every climb. When I approached the top of the “hors categorie” climb out of Rondchâtel, I reached for my sun glasses on an open stretch of fire road, only to realize that there were no glasses on my helmet. Rats, did I lose my nice pair of Specialized glasses somewhere? I had stopped to adjust my front brake and to take a picture, but I was pretty sure I would have noticed them falling out. I was about to turn around when it crossed my mind to check the photos I had taken before to see if I had those glasses with me to begin with. Well, they weren’t on the photos so there was no point to turning around. I finished the first climb, then had a few flat miles before the trail made a sharp lefthand turn and gently climbed up back to the forest-line. Right as the trail enters the forest, it gains a couple of percentage points to make you suffer on a singlespeed. When I’m at 100% it’s doable. Recovering from a cold I was riding at maybe 60% of my capacity and stayed on the bike for as long as I could, but I didn’t make it this time. I had to get off the bike and push the last 20 meters to where the trail has less of an incline. A couple of miles across pastures, a steep pitch to hike-a-bike then lots of single-track along the crest heading west followed.
Once I arrived at the Place Centrale I opted for the easy route on the wide fire road to approach the Chasseral. Mostly flat or gently climbing I turned it up a notch only to pay for it later on the paved climb across the Petit Chasseral. I was done. Running nose, heavy head and constantly popping ears I skipped the last climb to the top of the Chasseral and instead took an easier uphill shortcut back to the crest for more fun single-track. First though, I stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the incredible view of the Alps. The sky had an amazing blue and far away the Alps drew a white line across the horizon. Sadly, such views also mark the end of the summer. At the peak of the summer, it’s usually impossible to make out the snow covered mountains. In the fall and winter the optical effects of sun and air change and the Alps grow taller and closer. I single-tracked back east and dropped into my favorite downhill - the Spaghetti Trail. Now was the time to see what the Bronson could do. In only a few miles the trail offers everything from soft to hard dirt, loose rocks, roots and solid rock. The Bronson was excellent. WTB didn’t put knobs onto this tire but teeth, teeth that bite with deadly precision. In dry conditions, this is a tire you have to worry about gripping too much. Crossing over to Evilard, I stopped once more. This time for blackberries. They were just too tempting. Much smaller than the ones I’m used to from California or the local grocery, but mighty tasty nonetheless. It would be worth heading out there just for them as they currently ripen all over the place.
| Distance: | 47km (29 miles) |
| Total Climb: | 1600m (5240 feet) |
| Moving Time: | a feverish 4 hours |
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