Yes, I am still here. I know I haven’t posted in a long time. Sorry. I am still riding. But for various reasons this year it’s been mainly from home.
Wooohoo! A fabulous ride in the dark freezing cold to see the sunrise with my great friends Richard and Tim.
A good sunrise ride requires an unimpeded view towards the sunrise. The goal is always to arrive at least 10 minutes before the sunrise to enjoy the changing sky. It was cold and windy so we were heavily dressed and all had bike lights ready for this lovely 12.7 kilometre climb on a quiet Jura mountain forest road.
The climb to La Barillette is the 3rd highest paved road in the Juras. There is a Swisscom communication tower and a Skyguide aviation radar tower at the top. It has an unimpeded summit view south: directly below is Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) and in the distance the Alps. Perfect!
We cheerfully climbed this lovely road, chatted a little, breathed heavily a lot. The effort kept us warm.
There was a strong Bise (north wind) at the summit and we were cold once we stopped pedalling so we were impatient for the sun to rise. But what a great view: Mont Blanc was so clear in the distance, high above the clouds. And an orange glow.
And then the sun peeked over the Alps. I wish I was a better photographer and knew how to fully capture the bright lighting, etc. But the first few seconds of the sun was glorious. Tim was a perfect model and allowed me to yell at him as he rode posed.
It’s wonderful when a crazy idea works out so well. Thanks for the great company. This is my fourth sunrise ride with Tim, and my second with Richard. We have already begun brainstorming a good candidate for next year.
For other sunrise rides see:
- Cime de la Bonette
- Grand Colombier
- Mont Ventoux
- Mont Salève
- Col du Galibier
Ventoux
Bonette
Grand Colombier
Grand Colombier
Galibier
Mont Salève
