Le Vaudioux to La Cure: 37km and 846m climb
Today we departed our hotel at the crack of dawn, hoping that the legs along the busy N5 would be quiet on a Sunday morning. Indeed the road was less busy than yesterday but we faced a steady climb of 900m over 35km trying to hug the hard shoulder and avoid debris of glass and gravel. We still made good progress but by mid morning the traffic was building. Both Google maps and our cycling app suggested an alternative so we turned off the main road – only to find a steep gravel track. We managed to push our bikes up the rough terrain, crossing a small stream and skidding back down a few times before we joined a proper road. From there it was a lovely trip through the forest making a steady ascent to Les Rousses.
The trip had taken less time than expected so we stopped in Les Rousses. The village is a ski resort but at only 1200m it must have a limited season. In the summer it is full of cyclists, all racing past at high speed on their carbon bikes. Still there were lots of restaurants so we stopped for a marvellous lunch. Unfortunately, almost immediately after we left, and with only 3.5km to our hotel, we could see storm clouds approaching. We barely had time to don our waterproofs before the heavens opened – with thunder, lightning, lashing rain and hail.
We’ve now made it to our hotel in La Cure, a typical mountain chalet straddling the French/Swiss border. We entered the lobby looking like drowned rats and dripping huge pools of water onto the tiled floor. We had to wring out our cycle shoes and we’re now trying to dry out our clothes on every available hook. Hopefully our trip down the mountain to Lac Leman tomorrow will be a bit dryer.
