At Annecy: A loop through the Bornes Massif

May 25, 2015

I could definitely live in Annecy for awhile. Justly famous as one of the loveliest smaller towns in France, it draws you in quickly with its beautiful, well preserved core, it's attractive mountain-rimmed lake, and it's lively atmosphere. The two nights we spent here went by to quickly and left us wanting to stay longer. It is a great base for cyclists in particular. It is surrounded by quiet roads and passes up into the mountains, and the town has really extended themselves to welcome bikers - it is latticed with a well-marked and vary well used network of bike lanes and paths, and paved greenways extend for miles along both the east and west banks of Lake Annecy.

Today almost qualified as a rest day. It began with a cruise down the essentially flat greenway that extends south for over 20 miles, extending beyond the southern reach of the lake. At the northern end and near the city, the path is a mob scene of bikers and skateboarders idling or whizzing by in both directions. It takes a fair amount of attention to safely navigate between families with novice cyclists wobbling along, oldsters taking their sweet time and enjoying the views, and club cyclists whizzing by in packs. Further south the traffic thins out considerably and becomes quite peaceful. Along the whole route the scenery is outstanding.

A quiet spell on the Lake Annecy greenway

One of a steady stream of paragliders descending from Col de la Forclaz on the other side of the lake.

Chateau de Ruphy, on the shore of Lake Annecy near Duingt

After rounding the south end of the lake we Turned eastward and thenheaded north, stopping soon in Saint Ferreol for lunch - tasty ham and cheese baguettes that we had picked up at a bakery in town this morning. From there we crossed over Col du Marais, a minor pass that gradually climbs through the depression that separates La Tournette from the next range of mountains to the east. From the summit we coasted down to Thones, a beautiful little mountain village, Before steering westward toward Annecy.

In Saint Ferreol, our lunch stop for the day

The big climb for the day - 6 miles, 6% maximum grade - perfect for a rest day.

In Serreval, on the climb to Col de Marais

La Tournette, the highest of the mountains surrounding Lake Annecy, towers above our climb.

From Thones we coasted downhill for several miles beside the Thiers River on busy, at times unpleasant D16. Once we turned off by Alex onto minor D909 though, we found the finest stretch of today's ride. We enjoyed breathtaking views of surrounding mountains to the east and west, and then a great look at elegantly turreted Chateau du Menthon, one of the prettiest small castles I can recall - it looks like it was lifted straight from a fairy tale.

Approaching the lake, we had one last surprise for the day - a brief cloudburst that sent us and everyone else scrambling for whatever shelter we could manage. The worst of it passed by in a few minutes but the remaining few miles into town remained wet. As we approached the outskirts of town, the bike path was mobbed by hundreds of people scurrying across it from the lakeside park to their cars underneath umbrellas or jackets draped over their heads.

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 100 miles (161 km)

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