Sometimes it takes you over 20 years to find the perfect trail. I’ve been riding up to the Chasseral for as long as I’ve been mountain biking and I only stitched together the perfect mix of trails to this local summit yesterday. There are hundreds of possibilities to get up there, some technical, some grinders, some real hard ones and other easier ones. Yesterday’s loop started with a short bunny hop from Biel across the Lysserbrunnen to touch down in Frinvillier where I followed the fishing poles along the Suze creek. After I crossed the creek, I immediately turned off into the hiking trail on the left and rode up to the highway underpass. From there, the trail follows the highway for a short stretch and very quickly ends in the first long climb of the day.
I don’t know if many local riders use this ascent. I’ve yet to meet another human being on this climb. My guess is that the valley with its highway and the eye soring cement factory might be somewhat of a turn-off to many. The thing is, the climb follows the highway for not much more than two minutes and once you dive into the forest to make your way uphill, you don’t even know that a factory is sitting on the valley floor. Instead you’re treated to a wonderful and gradual climb in which your legs will never awfully burn. Quiet and peaceful, that’s how I’d label this ascent. At the top a couple of miles across grassy pastures with amazing views follows. Next on the menu are several miles of the finest singletrack the region has to offer. At the Place Centrale, I left the crest to the right to reach the Métairie du Milieu de Bienne. The straight shot to the Métairie can be tough at times, especially when the ground is moist, which wasn’t the case recently due to our very dry spring.
From the Métairie I continued to La Neuve on the hiking trail connecting the two. Well, there isn’t much of a trail to speak of. There’s a 20 centimeter wide dirt line through the grass. From La Neuve the remaining miles to the peak of the Chasseral are on pavement. As I got there yesterday, a single cloud sitting atop the mountain let a few rain drops fall. Just perfect for the last steep uphill pitch. It allowed me to hammer the sucker without overheating. The second part of the ride now included the remaining section of crest trail back to the Place Centrale. As always, this is a mountain biker’s paradise. Flowy, bouncy, rocky, technical, it’s got everything to make you work on the bike, especially on a rigid like mine. The return to Biel started at the Cabane du Jura, continued with more fun on the Spaghetti Trail, a quick shot through the Jorat and a last little uphill sprint to Evilard.
Yesterday, as I was riding by a stopped group of three, a rider noticed the big wheels and asked me about them and the bike. Riding 29 inch wheels since 2006 this was sort of a first. He’s planning to buy a full suspension bike and after talking to me he’s now not sure if he should opt for one with big wheels instead. Always a funny situation when people look at the Niner, first notice the rigid fork and then discover the lack of gears. It even happens occasionally that I get asked how I shift gears. In the Jura, I don’t miss them one bit. Getting rid of them a decade ago has made me a better rider and a more fit one as well. Lets keep it that way.
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