Weekend Ride Report
Taking advantage of the fantastic fall weather currently coddling Switzerland, the past weekend turned out to be a busy cycling weekend where I managed to spend over 180 kilometers in the saddle.
Friday afternoon, I took all my gear to work to take off on a night ride right from the office. I climbed the paved road up to the Montagne de Romont for the first time as it was getting dark, then crossed over to the Stierenberg in complete darkness. I found my way without getting lost, then rode down the north side to reach Péry. Bad idea. Coming out of the forest the road in front of me was covered with a sparkling layer of frost and temperatures were several degrees lower than than on the south side I climbed. With no cellular network, this cold, deserted valley all of a sudden didn’t seem like a good place to find yourself at such a time. Once in Péry, I cut my ride short and hopped onto the highway back to Biel.
Saturday morning, the sun was already poking through the hazy sky early, so I left for a cyclocross ride to the Chasseral.
Sunday morning I met with two friends for a mountain bike loop to the Chasseral. It was the first time back on the Niner. We met around 9AM and took off under a sunny sky. It was a chilly morning but only until we jumped into the first climb. From Biel we headed west in the forest above the lake and zig-zagged our way up to Magglingen, then crossed over to the Twannberg. As we dropped into Lamboing, we had a clear view of the Chasseral towering far above us. The tall striped antenna was our goal. We went around the westside of the Mont Sujet and peacefully approached the Métairie de Prêles. At times we enjoyed a few sun rays while crossing open pastures but often we rode over already frozen ground in the dark shadow of the Mont Sujet. From the Métairie we took the easier and paved climb to the Place Centrale and continued to the Métairie du Bois Raiguel. We were looking for a place to have a small bite. This usually busy restaurant seemed abandoned for the winter. Instead of making a U-turn, we crossed an open gate to the left that leads to a sweet single trail parallel to the boring, wide gravel road. Playtime, the narrow trail offered mud holes, roots and sharply-cut, wheel-killing branches. Fun and too short. It dropped us out onto the gravel road at its end, which we immediately left to navigate straight to the Métairie du Milieu de Bienne. These guys welcomed guests with a sign apologizing that they’ll only be open Saturdays and Sundays through the winter. We got a table outside, had a beverage and plum pie to re-energize our bodies for the last few hundred meters of elevation we had to climb. With did those no problem. The way back home took us along the crest back to the Place Centrale and further to the Cabane du Jura. There, we descended to Les Près d’Orvin where we shot across the street to land at the old launch pad into the Spaghetti Trail. Jorat and Evilard were the last two control points on our way back into Biel. We had an awesome day out on the trails. Trails that I, as the local guy, can call the fastest trails of all year. Never throughout the whole year have the trails up in the Jura been as grippy and as fast. If we don’t get any rain or snow, November might well end as the month with the sweetest trails.
