A quick trip between lakes and mountains.
After riding fixed gear for years exclusively in the city , I've been more recently inclined to go explore more and more into the wild. Just for some fresh air or as a personal challenge, I find it extremely rewarding to travel with one bike, one gear and enjoy myself wherever I end up riding.
A few weeks ago we took the opportunity of a job meeting outside of Paris, to go explore Lake Annecy and the mountains surrounding it. For a starter we were travelling with a van and knowing where you’re gonna sleep every night might sound like a big deal, but is in fact actually pretty easy. There are some apps to find a good camp spots with reviews and warnings from previous users, so you know what you’re getting into. I thought I was clever finding a nice spot with 5 stars on the first try... but little did I know… And so we started our night drive! I knew it was on one of the beautiful mountains surrounding the Annecy lake, but I somehow failed to notice that it was on top of it. While climbing we started to see some little patches of snow along the road not thinking much about it. “Yes, it’s mid February, it probably snowed recently.” But things got interesting when our surroundings got fully covered in white and a snow groomer crossed our path. That’s when we thought: “Wait a minute, we’ve been climbing for a while now...” And just like that we were already 1600 meters above sea level with no winter cloth or any kind of sub zero temperature gears. But this is where I shine! I had the good idea to bring the thickest blanket cover possible. Perfect to transform yourself into a flaming hot burrito. And that’s how we got a perfect night, even at -6C.
How to describe the incredible experience of waking up to a sunrise like this. An amazing point of view to Mt Blanc right in front of us and the Alps all around it. Even if waking up at 5:30 am is a hassle for you, trust me , it is worth every minute! I don’t have that many pictures of the sunrise itself since I only had 200 ISO films on me and no tripod, but you get the idea.
Just enough time to take a nice breakfast and we were on our way down to Lake Annecy. Apparently it’s not the biggest in the area, but definitely the one with the nicest mountain range surrounding it. As long as scenery goes, you’re in for a treat! Arriving early morning, you could feel the calm vibe of such a big body of water when nothing is disturbing it. A relaxing and peaceful feeling that makes you wish you could see it every morning.
Time for some cycling! And the obvious road was of course to go around that lake at least once. Since 90% of the road has its own dedicated cycle path, it creates the ideal conditions if you want to have a chill ride and enjoy the area. Even if it’s only 40km you’ll find a nice hill in the middle for you to break a sweat and maybe stop for a snack. You can see below a Strava route, really similar to the one we did. Honestly, anyone can do it, and if you’re riding fixed gear, make sure to have a reasonable gear ratio since some hills are pretty steep. Having the lake in sight is also really something! I was truly amazed by the color of the water, blue and even turquoise at some places. Almost like a lagoon stuck between snow peaks.
As you can see I was again with my trusty Mash work fitted for some road action. Drops, SPD pedals and a nice pair of 404s to fit the local style since there are a lot of road bikes around the lakes and cycling on those mountain paths.
In the end it was just the good amount of fresh air and we came back home with some serious ideas for our next trips. A big thank you to @ellaellad for the pictures since I’m usually the one behind the camera 📷
