It was the third day of our bikepacking trip. I woke up feeling much better than the morning before despite the absence of air conditioning in the hotel room in Annecy. My body must have gotten used to the physical effort as it did not ache as much. We aimed to start off the last leg as early as possible as the temperatures were expected to reach 38°C like the previous day. In addition, we wanted to arrive in time to catch the regional train at Montmélian to return to Grenoble.
Bikepacking Snapshot
Day 1: Grenoble (Isère) – Chambéry (Savoie); 70 km, 350 m elevation gain
Day 3: Annecy (Haute-Savoie) – Albertville (Savoir) – Montmélian (Savoir); 85 km, 142 m elevation gain
Early Dawn in Annecy
The alarm woke us up at 6.30 a.m. We went out to search for breakfast at the nearest boulangerie. Compared to the throngs on the streets the day before, Annecy seemed hardly awake. The streets consisted of little more than lumpers unloading produce from delivery trucks and shopkeepers arranging their storefronts. A few early-bird joggers were out and about too. At slightly past seven, the boulangerie wasn’t completely ready to face the day: not all the baked goods were out on display yet. The staff had to bring our order of two pains au chocolat and one croissant from the kitchen. We enjoyed these freshly baked pastries in our room with the hotel’s complimentary instant coffee. By 8.00 a.m., we were all packed and checked out.
It was supposed to be an easy ride. We would cover a distance of 85 km with hardly any climb (less than 150 m in total elevation gain). Even though it was 15 km farther than Day 1, the elevation gain was lower. Compared to Day 2, the elevation gain was almost negligible. In addition, we would be mostly on La Belle Via, a path for cyclists.
The Runner's Trap
Unlike my husband, I am not a cycling enthusiast. I ride from time to time (a couple of weekends a year) and occasionally during the holidays. However, I run frequently. That is why, I think, I couldn’t help adopting my usual running mindset while cycling. On long road runs, I know the pace that I can maintain to the end. During those runs, there should be no valid reason for me to slow down, or, worse, to stop running. It’s all mental. Slowing down or stopping can only be justified when I run on a rugged or undulating terrain (mostly during trail runs), or when I really don’t feel well.
Paying for the Pace
So, my running mentality took over when I was rolling along the mostly flat bicycle lane. I knew from my limited cycling experience that I could maintain at least 20 km/h on flat ground without pushing too hard. With this figure in mind, I tried to pace myself over the 85 km.
However, despite the lack of hills, the constant pushing and pulling on the pedals was not easy on the body. My whole body ached: quads, arms, upper back, and of course, my butt. The unaccustomed mechanical motion required to maintain the speed most likely compounded my fatigue. Besides, my fitness had undoubtedly suffered because of a more sedentary lifestyle over the summer holidays (a month’s stay in Singapore followed by a week in the Drôme Provençale). On top of that, the last time I had done a tough, long-distance ride was eight years ago.
The Albertville Resupply
Four hours of continuous exposure to the sun did not help with the exhaustion. It was the hottest day of the trip to boot. My other half decided to take an early 30-minute lunch break in Albertville, a big city two hours into the ride, as he wasn’t sure when the next convenient stop would be. I wasn’t hungry at the time and wouldn’t have minded continuing farther. However, I was glad that we had stopped; it was only when I sat down and took the first bite of my bagel that I realised that my energy was actually tanking.
Through the Valley to the "15-Metre Mountain"
After the much-needed replenishment of ice-cold Coca-Cola and the so-called bagels with salmon (the bread was more like buttery soft brioche than the dense, chewy bagels), we got back to La Belle Via. The grinding continued on the asphalt as the late-summer alpine valley landscape rolled past: clear blue lakes with bathers making merry, fields of corn interspersed with sunflowers, and hamlets dotting the slopes. The rugged Bauges limestone range always remained in sight.
Just as I thought our tribulations were coming to an end as we entered Montmélian, we were greeted with a 15 m climb up to a roundabout that we needed to pass before reaching the train station. A mere 15 m ascent at 5% gradient, yet the molehill transformed into a mountain before my eyes. I was panting as I clung tightly to the handlebars and pushed up the mountain. In the end, we reached our station with more than an hour to spare.
Finishing Lines and La Rentrée
Our second multi-day bikepacking trip has come to an end. Travelling on two wheels is undeniably a more fulfilling way to explore France, uncovering a side of the country that standard sightseeing has no access to. Much like our shorter bike trips and mountain backpacking trips, this journey has given us the opportunity to push past our own perceived limits.
On a lighter note: use my brains rather than my heart to pack my bikebags in future trips. Thinking that I would save the invaluable memories in my sketchbook and my journal, I packed both for the trip. In the end, both got a partial “free ride (a pun I heard recently from other bikepackers)” as I only used them once. Even though they were not heavy, they took up precious space in the bags. Moreover, when one is already physically tired, any extra weight, even an ounce, could increase fatigue.
La rentrée (new school year) is just around the corner. What adventures will the new school year bring? Sleeping under the stars with our bikes? Catch our next adventure on this blog!
