29in·CH+

After two visits to the Chasseral I was looking for something a little different today. So I followed the Dinosaur Traces from last year, but then continued straight to Sonceboz where I started the climb of the Pierre Pertuis pass. The wide trail up to the top of the pass was easy, all on hardpack and not very steep. But things changed from there. The marked mountain bike route #44 follows a steep forest trail. On a geared bike you would drop into a small gear and start patiently spinning until the trail spits you out onto a small paved road 200 meters higher. On my singlespeed it was an exercise in turning the cranks in slow motion trying the best not to stall. Back on the road the legs went back to pushing the cranks faster. I was worried about the next section of trail, though. A rough uphill trail with loose gravel waited around the next turn. Well, it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. Soon I reached the Métairie de Werdt from where the trail stayed pretty much at the same elevation for the journey across the Montoz. It’s quite nice up there; awesome views in every direction and lots of mountain restaurants if one feels a little hungry. As far as mountain biking it’s a rather boring adventure. It’s all gravel. No singletrack far and wide. The Montoz’s really a better destination for a cyclocross bike. I continued eastwards until I got to the Obere Bürenberg, where I started looking for the entrance to the so-called “Schmugglerwägli” - the Smuggler’s Trail. I had no trouble finding it and dropped into this narrow, technical trail. It’s nice, has a bunch of steep, rooty and rocky sections and a few places where you’re better off walking. Is it worth heading out there? For a “seen it - done it” sort of trip - yes. To do on a regular basis - not really. Next I climbed from the Wäsmeli along the Stützliweg to the Montagne de Romont. This trail’s fun. It climbs on forest ground spiked with lots of the typical Jura limestone. On a singlespeed there are two sections you need to power through if you don’t want to get tossed off the bike. A grassy trail brought me to the Montagne de Romont where I had to look hard for the trail down to Vauffelin. No trail in sight, I rode through tall grass until I spotted a yellow trail marker. The trail to Vauffelin is steep, narrow and too darn straight. Leaves cover loose rocks and broken branches, so forget about going fast. In short: a trail that kills elevation fast without being overly exciting. I crossed the small village of Vauffelin to climb the north side of the Bözingenberg. The first half of the climb is a typical forest service road. But it leads to a fun uphill singletrack that’s always a joy to take. Once at the top, I headed to the so-so downhill that ends just above the Tierpark. I walked through this one, then crossed the bridge across the Taubenlochschlucht to head back home. A fun day out on the bike, but not a loop I need to repeat on my Niner. The Montoz is cyclocross material.

Distance:	49.7 km (30.9 miles)
Elevation:	2’122 m (6’962 feet)
Time:	03:49:39
Speed (avg/max):	13.0/55.0 kph (8.0/34.2 mph)

★ collideous

Looking for a longer loop to the Chasseral with a nice amount of climbing? Look no further! Today’s loop across the Twannberg adds a couple more miles to yesterday’s loop while requiring about the same 6600 feet of climbing. I left a little late this morning because the Biocentic BB needed attention. On yesterday’s loop in creaked badly. No surprise there. The Niner BB’s famous for that. I took it apart, cleaned it and then reassembled it before heading out. It creaked at the beginning, then went silent for the first climb only to start creaking again for the remainder of the ride. I think if you own a Niner with an EBB you just have to try to live with it. It’s not great, but there’s no proven fix. I tuned it out and had a good ride. On my way back, I passed two groups of bikers. When I passed the second, someone greeted me saying: “The TwentyNiner forum is out on the trails”. Nice that folks know the forum and recognize you out on the trail. I need to apologize though, I didn’t stay with the group for long as I was on a mission to get home.

Distance:	65.6 km (40.8 miles)
Elevation:	2’017 m (6’617 feet)
Time:	04:57:37
Speed (avg/max):	13.2/53.2 kph (8.2/33.0 mph)

★ collideous

After yesterday’s cycling break on Fivefingers, it was time to roll out the bike again and hit a loop in the local hills. I followed the same trails as on Wednesday only this time under a sunny sky. The Bise was blowing and kept temperatures in check; perfect riding conditions that a lot of other two-wheeled folks enjoyed as well. Three days ago I missed a really great spot - an overlook at 1352 meters with a fantastic view of the Combe Grède. With the dense fog that day I wouldn’t have seen anything. Today on the other hand was spectacular. The vista point makes an ideal place for a short break before hitting the last climbs to reach the Chasseral and that’s just what I did. Once at the antenna, I followed the crest and took the mandatory Spaghetti Trail to head home. Interesting observation: On my way up to the Chasseral, I did neither pass nor cross a single cyclist. On the way from the antenna eastwards along the crest I passed more than thirty bikers. Where did they come from and how did they get there?

Distance:	58.4 km (36.3 miles)
Elevation:	2’036 m (6’680 feet)
Time:	04:38:13
Speed (avg/max):	12.6/54.3 kph (7.8/33.7 mph)
GPS Track:	GPSies.com

★ collideous

My last mountain bike ride dates back to April 9th. I haven’t been lazy, though. I’ve logged a lots of miles since then, but exclusively on the road bike and the cyclocrosser. Today I had something different in mind. I wanted to head out and enjoy the warm yet cloudy spring day, have fun on big wheels and doing so also collect a good amount of climbing meters. The day started with the fun part. First I popped onto a narrow trail following the Suze river thinking I’d be able to cross the river farther up. Well, that trail, as much fun as it was, dead-ended soon after. I turned around and went back onto the official hiking trail. To find some fun I got off the gravel trail and rode a cement wall that separates the trail from the Suze river ten feet below. Funny how a decently wide wall only has one single difficulty - knowing that falling off wouldn’t be pleasant experience. The experiment didn’t end with a bath in the river and shortly after, the trail started to point upwards. After some climbing and a good amount of singletrack my next destination was the Creux de Glace. Unfortunately, it was closed off due the a high risk of rockslides. I continued to the Combe Grède in heavy fog and occasional rain, then climbed to the Chasseral. It wasn’t pretty today, but that extra loop is totally worth the effort on a dry, sunny day. I stopped at the Chasseral antenna for a few pictures, then followed the crest eastwards to get back home. The past couple of rains have turned this trail segment into a mudfest. The bike and I soon carried a couple of pounds of mud, which I hosed off in the backyard as soon as I got home.

Distance:	58.7 km (36.5 miles)
Elevation:	1’993 m (6’539 feet)
Time:	04:53:32
Speed (avg/max):	12.0/49.4 kph (7.5/30.7 mph)

★ collideous

Sometimes you work on your bike, get it clean and shiny and get the whole drivetrain perfectly dialed, then you’re out on the trail with mis-shifts and chain-skips. It all shifted smoothly in the work-stand and shifted smoothly the first couple of miles. As soon as the trail steepened, cog number nine on the already used 10-speed Shimano cassette didn’t want to be friends with the new SRAM chain. I tried a few trail-side derailleur adjustments to no avail. 15 kilometers into the ride, I turned around to head back home. I swapped the Dura-Ace cassette with another lightly used Ultegra cassette and then hammered back and forth on my street to check the transmission. Cassette and chain worked together. There was a hole in the sky that let the sun through, so I decided to head back out for a second ride. This time, I rode to the Twannberg where I would decide the next leg of the route based on the weather conditions. When I got up there, a pretty heavy downpour was quickly approaching from the Chasseral. I turned right to ride away from it, but about 15 minutes later it caught up to me. First it drizzled, and soon enough it was just pouring. The cool thing about those moments is that you just don’t care about getting soaked. The water runs down your face and has that deliciously salted taste. Arms and legs get coated with a liquid glaze and look even more pronounced than they already are. You look at your legs spinning the pedals and you push even harder. The heavy downpour was over almost as soon as it started. I shot back into town, rode into the backyard and hosed down the bike. After only 32 kilometers it had collected a good amount of dirt that is more easily removed as long as it’s still moist.

★ collideous

Today I got off a late start and the afternoon looked very much the same as the past couple of days. I wanted to reach the Colisses-du-Haut and then head eastwards. When I approached the Twannberg, it started to drizzle and the Chasseral was wrapped in clouds. I continued on and decided that the ride would only be cut short if conditions got worse. Well, it didn’t take too long and the rain ceased. Just above Nods, my rear tire picked up a nail and I had to stop to replace the tube. A while later, I turned into the long, steady climb to the Colisses-du-Haut at 1’325 meters above sea. The gravel-road was wet and extremely soft. Not much later, much of the forest floor was white, covered with a thin layer of fresh snow. From the Colisses-du-Haut, I turned eastwards with the idea of hitting the famous Geissrücken trail. The entire way there was super muddy and wet. The Geissrücken (goatback) wet - no, that wouldn’t be a very good nor smart idea. I checked it out anyway and found a totally dry descent. I rode as much as I could on my rigid Niner, without ever risking too much being alone up there. I wondered if I’d do any better on a bike like the Quarterhorse. Well, in a few months I should know.

Distance:	44.3 km (27.5 mi)
Elevation:	1’512 m (4’961 ft)
Time:	03:44:33
Speed (avg/max):	11.8/52.8 kph (7.3/32.8 mph)

★ collideous

On Saturday, Biel woke up under a grey veil just as it did the day before. The wooden floor on our balcony was not in its usual grey but a shiny brown. It must have rained during the night. Looking south the sky looked threateningly dark. The Jura in the north however was engulfed in a friendly looking haze. It seemed safe enough to spend a couple of hours on the bike so I left for the Mont Sujet, which I had not visited yet this year. Standing slightly south-east of the taller Chasseral, the Mont Sujet seems to have his own climate that generally dictates a longer winter than anything else in proximity. I decided to take the easy western approach to climb the mountain and found it entirely free of snow. The ground though, clearly showed that the snow had only melted very recently. I had to be back home around 1PM, so I turned into the Noir Combe (the Black Canyon) to jump into a downhill trail ending at the Métairie de Prêles. Both canyon and downhill still had some snow. The rocky downhill was extremely wet and challenging. At the Métairie I stopped to see my mom and have a cup of coffee. I couldn’t stay long. A few things needed to be done at home. I took the shortest offroad way to reach the Spaghetti Trail and dropped to the Jorat. The trail had dried quite a bit in just a day and this time the tires remained in their trajectory through the trail’s rocky sections. On a wet day like yesterday, they slip all over the place. I was back in town in no time to take care of my list of house chores.

Distance:	39.5 km (24.5 mi)
Elevation:	1’404 m (4’606 ft)
Time:	02:55:54
Speed (avg/max):	13.5/53.1 kph (8.4/33.0 mph)

★ collideous

While a lot of folks escaped south for the Easter weekend in search of a couple sunny days, we avoided the gridlock on the highways and stayed home. It’s been foggy and wet outside but it hasn’t been raining. In other words the day offered itself for a nice mountain bike ride across deserted trails. I chose the Rondchâtel climb, as it’s a good climb in any type of weather. The forest in the lower part of the climb is currently filled with a delicious smell of wild garlic. The whole ground is covered with this flavorsome herb. As I gained altitude, visibility got shorter and shorter. Trees were dripping water in the thick fog and when I left the gravel road, I really had to pay attention to stay on course. I decided to follow the crest across Les Goules (goule = stream sink), where I had to climb across a half dozen fallen trees and had to battle an extremely slippery trail. While I was moving forward rather slowly, the Niner rolled through mud and across soapy limestone with bravery. At the Cabane du Jura I turned left to hit the downhill back home. The slippery descent required a bit more force on the brakes and a bit more attention the the trail. Back home, the bike got a quick shower in the backyard after which the chain got dried and oiled to be ready for another ride tomorrow.

Distance:	31.7 km (19.7 mi)
Elevation:	1’306 m (4’285 ft)
Time:	02:45:48
Speed (avg/max):	11.5/45.4 kph (7.1/28.2 mph)

★ collideous

Once in a while you ride a new trail and you come home saying you won’t need to do that one again. Today I picked two such trails. I started with heading up the Rondchâtel climb, then popped into a downhill I often passed by. It looked interesting on the map. It killed a lot of altitude, had a few switchbacks, but turned out to be a rather boring narrow hiking trail. Neither technical nor fast. A trail not worth bothering. The trail dropped me into La Heutte, where I crossed the main street to climb up the other side. I wanted to reach the Métairie de Werdt and knew that I’d be hiking the upper part of the way. To my surprise, I had to push the bike quite a bit to reach Le Van in the lower section of the ascent. The middle and longest section was an easy, gradual fire-road. Once the fire-road ended, a yellow sign pointed to the left, straight uphill. I put the bike on my shoulder and started climbing. Somewhere in the forest I lost sight of the trail and just went uphill the best I could. The bike often catching branches in that steep terrain, this was no easy adventure. At some point, I found the hiking trail again and made it to the Métairie. My initial plan was to head east to reach the Pré Richard from where I would have crossed over to the Stierenberg, but the large amount of snow still up there forced me to abandon that plan halfway. I rode by the Pré Ménori and then recognized the trail to the Pré la Patte. I hit the shortest way into Péry, then followed the hiking trail back to Frinvillier. A last climb to the Lysserbrunne took me back into town. While the Van and the Montoz are quite scenic places, I have yet to find a climb that is both rideable and fun to do. The ascent through the Van isn’t. Taking the hiking trail, it might be an interesting descent, though. 44 kilometers, 2200 climbing meters, sun and a bunch of spring flowers made it worthwhile despite the so-so trails.

Distance:	44.3 km (27.5 mi)
Elevation:	2’191 m (7’188 ft)
Time:	04:00:17
Speed (avg/max):	11.1/50.5 kph (6.9/31.4 mph)

★ collideous

When my wife returned from the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, she brought home a mean little flu virus that found a second host in me last Friday. She ended up with an additional pneumonia, a visit to the hospital and antibiotics to fight it. I had a bit more luck if one can call it that and ended up with a bad cough and an extremely weak and aching body. We’re starting to run low on certain things, so today will be the first time we’re leaving the house. Another visit to the doctor is required, a short stop at the pharmacy and a few groceries need to be made. The photo above is from March of last year. The weather so far this month has been as good as a year ago. But before I can think of swinging back on the saddle to enjoy the beginning of spring I need to get over this flu.

★ collideous