In Annecy, day 4: Col du Marais

May 7, 2022

There’s riding to be done on our last day in Annecy, but first we have to think through an issue that Rachael surfaced - tomorrow’s meal plan. Ever alert to the risk of going hungry, she fortunately thought to check out what’s open for dinner tomorrow night in our next stopover, Yenne. Yenne’s a small place and she didn’t find much. Maybe a pizzeria? Maybe a take-out pizza place? Maybe nothing at all.

She chastises us (well, me) for not thinking to check this out before booking ourselves in such a small town on a Sunday night, and a national holiday to boot - tomorrow is Victory in Europe Day. We check out our restaurant hotel and give them a call to be sure before confirming that Sunday is their quiet day - but at least we confirm that breakfast Monday AM will be available. I remind Rachael of how we eased into this situation, by shifting our bookings so that we could add a day to our stay in Annecy, and she allows that those are extenuating circumstances and let’s me off of the blame hook - this time.

We’ll do some calling around later in the day, but there’s not much we can do at the moment so we head off for our ride - the alternative option we reviewed yesterday, to Col du Marais over on the east side. it’s still chilly when we leave the room, but dry for the moment - and is forecast to stay dry as long as we make to back to town by around three.

After a mile or two of weaving through the Saturday morning throng around the lake we round its north end and start working our way up behind Mount Baron, the formation that rises straight up from the lake opposite from Annecy.

Looking down Lake Annecy from its northern end. The slopes of Mount Baron spill down to the water on the left.

Behind Mount Baron we channel up alongside the Fier River rushing down from its origins behind La Tournette, the highest formation in the wall that forms the east side of the lake. Fier is an odd river - it seems like it would be bound to empty into Lake Annecy, but it just misses. Wrapping around the north end of the lake it’s separated by a low rise and continues dropping to the west, destined to empty into the Rhone.

For three or four miles we gradually climb up the Fier on D6, a busy road but with a a good bike shoulder, the cliffs rising sharply on both sides of the highway as we gain elevation. Rachael’s gotten ahead as usual but after a few miles I find her waiting for me at a junction on the opposite side of the road, on a bridge crossing the river.

Rounding the north shore of the lake, we gradually gain elevation biking up the Fier. It feels like we’re deep in the mountains already but we’re only a mile or so from the lake.

On D6, a busy road that fortunately includes a generous shoulder marked for bikes. Dramatic scenery, but the road is a bit too busy to fully enjoy it.

Looking up the Fier River. We’re only about fifteen miles from its headwaters but already it’s got a considerable flow.

Rachael’s waiting here for me because she’s misread the Garmin and thinks this is our turnoff. It’s not what we have mapped, but while we’re stopped here a couple of other bikes pull off and start biking up this road, the back road to Thones. It’s a much quieter road than the D6, so I study the map, see that it will eventually converge back with our mapped route in about the same distance, so we decide we might as well go this way and avoid the traffic.

It’s an excellent ride and surely a much better cycling option than the D6, so it’s a mystery why RideWithGPS marks the one as a bike route and not the other. Clearly all the locals know this, and we pass many weekend riders in the coming miles. We’re really not far at all from the high Alps here - the cols of Aravis and Columbier are close enough that a strong rider could make a day ride of either of them starting from Annecy.

On the Route to Thones, an excellent cycling road. This is the first time we’ve biked back behind the formations that line the east side of the lake, and we’re impressed. There’s such diversity in the cycling options here!

Image not found :( — On the Route to Thones. This is a spectacular time to be here, with snow on the peaks and the creeks and rivers full with spring runoff.

At Thones our quiet road ends and we merge back in with the D6. It’s only briefly though, and soon we cross the Fier onto another quiet road on its opposite side and continue climbing. In a few easy miles we come to the high point of the ride at the modest Col du Marais. When I arrive Rachael’s standing expectantly by the side of the road, posed for her hard-earned trophy shot. Who am I to deny her?

Back on the D6 again, looking back north after passing through Thones.

The back side of La Tournette carries quite a bit more snow than you see from the lake.

At this point our work is mostly done for the day. we stop for lunch It’s mostly downhill for the next fifteen miles until we reach the lake. We’re uncertain about the weather, which now that we’ve crossed the divide looks like it could rain. When we stop for a quick snack in Saint-Fereol Rachael checks the weather report and sees that it’s allegedly raining back in Annecy so we’re anticipating a sloppy ride back up the lake; but nothing comes of it and we bike home dry. Just another beautiful day in Annecy, but sadly our last - for now, at least.

When we get back we have a bit of time before dinner and return to the burning question of today - tomorrow’s food plan. We make some calls and confirm there’s nothing open in the evening tomorrow in Yenne but we do find a decent sounding bistro open for lunch from noon to two. So we have a plan - early to bed, early to rise, and we’ll get an early enough start in the morning to roll in to Yenne in time for lunch.