October 17, 2022
To Geneva: Completing the circle
Five weeks ago we arrived in Geneva and began our cycle tour to Switzerland, Italy and France. Today was our last day of riding and we returned back to Switzerland where it all began. The weather continues to be unseasonably warm during the day, but it was cool in the morning as we began our ride.
We carried our bags down the three flights of stairs from our room. Going down was easier than the trip up, but the smooth, worn stone stairs felt slippery, especially with a steel cleats on the bottom of your shoes. We cycled to a nearby store and bought some fruit and yogurt to have for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning as we sat on a bench by the lake and watched the people go about their daily lives.
The first 25kms of our ride was generally going uphill and the last 25 kms were generally going downhill. We knew that today was not going to be a completely easy ride as finding your way into larger cities can be tricky to navigate. As well, Annecy is a fairly large town too, and it will take a few kilometres to move beyond its limits. Initially we started on a straight road with a marked bike route and then we closely followed the GPS route through a series of well marked gyrations that took us around a thick network of roads and highways and over a river. Finally, free of the twists and turns of getting out of town, we followed quiet suburban roads up into the hills.
The ride was quite enjoyable as we left Annecy but about 15 kms along we began to ride the busier D1201 - Route de Geneve. This is marked as a cycle route and for the most part it had a separated shoulder, but it was still not ideal. After 5kms we happily left it and began our last climb up to Saint-Blaise where we stopped for lunch in a small town square.
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After lunch it was all downhill but not before we rejoined the D1201 for a fast 3km downhill after which, we were able to take a small country backroad.
Crossing the border felt much like going down a side street and if it were not for a few signs, you would miss it all together. We left France and were now back in Switzerland. The riding became trickier the closer we got into Geneva. Traffic picked up and the roads expanded to multi lane along with light rail in places. It was a bit nerve racking! We followed the planned route closely but decided to give up on it as some smaller, more familiar roads led us down to the lake. Back on familiar territory, we decided to return to the lovely little "Cottage Café" in the park where we had tapas at the start of the tour. Here we sat in the sun and soaked in the fact that our tour had come full circle and was now complete.
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2 years ago
The last 3kms were uphill away from the lake to our hotel. We had dinner in the mall next door and Scott put the bikes back in their suitcases. Using Geneva as our base and this hotel near the airport has worked out well and we will consider it again for a future tour. Tomorrow, we will catch a mid day flight to begin the long journey back to our home in Canada - Geneva - Montreal - Vancouver!
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 1,219 km (757 miles)
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2 years ago