In Dijon: The Val Suzon loop - Three Seasons Around France: Spring - CycleBlaze

May 21, 2022

In Dijon: The Val Suzon loop

Our first shared layover day, and we haven’t discussed yet how we want to spend it.  After our difficulty biking into central Dijon yesterday Rachael’s not sure about a day ride and looks at walking possibilities.  I’d like to bike anyway since the weather looks favorable so I decide to just come up with a route and broadcast it for takers.

There’s no obvious ride from town other than the route south we entered from and the one we’ll leave on tomorrow, so I check in with Kormoot to see what others recommend.  Their top 20 rides are all versions of yesterday and tomorrow though, so I give up on them and take my best shot.  I come up with a loop through the empty expanse to the nort that technically looks promising - roughly 40 miles with moderate climbs that are nicely front loaded.  It begins with a gradual ride up the Val Suzon and then returns by a long drop back to the Burgundy Canal.

Good enough.  I toss it in the water to see if I get any nibbles, and two take the bait.  Susan, Rocky and the I gear up for departure out front of the hotel while Suzanne looks on and offers encouraging words.  We’re off.

A friendly face in France.
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For a ride cobbled together from nothing more than map reading experience and instinct, it’s a rousing success.  The ride is brilliant, one of the best of the last two months.  It’s obviously one of the best rides around because we see other day riders coming and going all day long - all the locals are well aware of it obviously, even if Kormoot hasn’t got the word yet.

A ride I’d be happy to revisit if we’re back this way, but seeing it now with the poppies in bloom it’s out of this world.

After about two miles through Dijon’s northern neighborhoods suddenly we’re out in the country again. It’s mostly grain, but beans are coming up also.
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I’ll have what she’s having.
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The cupboard was bare.
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Well, this is very nice.
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We’ve seen fields like this before, but somehow it’s always a shock to come across one unexpectedly.
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No caption required.
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The poppies I’m pretty sure of, but not the grain. I was just pleased that the wind backed off long enough for a focused shot.
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Steve Miller/GrampiesBarley, we think. Mainly used in beer making, and probably exported largely to Germany, Austria, Czech, for beer production.
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2 years ago
Flower mill.
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Up the lazy Suzon.
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In Val-Suzon.
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In Val-Suzon.
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Image not found :(
In Val-Suzon.
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Cornflower?
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Bill ShaneyfeltLooks like it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_montana
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2 years ago
The view at the top.
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Approaching Pasques and our stop for lunch.
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Dropping toward the Ouche - freewheeling for the next five miles.
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In Plombières-lès-Dijon.
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The Ouche River, Plombières-lès-Dijon.
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Say what?
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We’ll allow him the last word: Ribbit!
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Steve Miller/GrampiesHey Rachael, give him a kiss and check for his being a secret Prince.
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2 years ago
Rachael AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesI wish I would have thought of that!
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2 years ago
Bill ShaneyfeltMarsh frog?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_frog
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltLooks like. I found a video with a sound track also. Looks and sounds like the same guys we’ve been seeing and hearing all along.
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2 years ago

Video sound track: Carioca, by the Bud Shank Quartet

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Ride stats today: 39 miles, 2,000’; for the tour: 1,953 miles, 100,200’

Rocky round-up miles today: 4; for the tour: 24

Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 1,981 miles (3,188 km)

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