20 years ago today - Day 74

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Thursday May 16th - Villefranche to Nantua, 3562 km

It has been a rough start for me this morning. I've had two large dumps but my digestive system is crampy and acidic. My energy is sluggish too, and I have had almost nothing to eat this morning except a couple pieces of bread and two small cups of yogurt. I know nothing else will digest. It's just my luck that there is an easterly head wind on the day we need to head east.

We are climbing out of the valley of the Rhone into the Haute Savoie. Our destination is the town of Nantua. Instead of waiting for me at various points. Mike tells me that he is going to ride ahead alone. I don't blame him as my mood is never pleasant and I am not very fast under these conditions. He arranges to meet me at on the main square in Nantua. Since he is not waiting for me, we use different routes. I have purchased more detailed maps that include smaller, quieter routes. I cross Saone River and follow it downstream 5 km before heading east on Rte D-4, which passes through a rolling landscape dotted with lakes before reaching Perouges, a historic, medieval town on a bluff west of the Ain River.

My digestive system hasn't improved. If anything, it is worse as the day progresses. At least it is only cramps and sourness. I don't stay long in Perouges. It is a national monument, beautifully restored, but it's touristy and most of the stores are closed for lunch. I take a few pictures and set off again. The skies are threatening rain and I have a long way to go to Nantua in Haute Savoie, on the far side of the first foothills of the Alps.

I follow a small road, D-984, north on the west side of the Ain, fighting a strong headwind. I am moving so slow I am beginning to wonder if I can reach Nantua before dark. When I reach Neuville-sur-Ain, where the Gorge de l’Ain begins, I cross the river and continue north along the east side along an unnumbered side road. At Serrieres-sur-Ain, Hwy D979 crosses the river and begins a 510m climb over the mountains to the east. I follow it, creeping up the steep grade, which is never less than 10% for the first 400 vertical metres. The view over the gorge below, which includes a large oxbow bend in the river, in incredible, and it motivates me to keep climbing.

I have presumed up to this point that Mike is far ahead of me, but on the upper part of this climb he catches up to me. He has followed D979 from Neuville, which is a longer route. My irritableness has been replaced by a dogged determination to conquer the hill, so I suppose someone would presume I am in a better mood. For the remainder of the day he waits for me at frequent intervals.

After three kilometres of climbing, the road turns away from the gorge, still climbing at a gentler grade to the Col de Berthiand at a height of 790m. “Ready for some fun?” Mike asks as he dons his sweater for the breezy downhill ride. I am laughing for the first time today, just for having made it to the top. I am definitely ready for my reward, a 3 km glide downhill, a drop of 320m.

From the bottom of the hill, it is slightly more than 4 km to reach Nantua Lake and
another 2 km to the far end to reach the town itself.
There is a traffic circle in the town that keeps us moving in a circle looking for the tourist information office. We never find it. We eventually spot the two-star Hotel du Lac, which has a room for only 135F. It has no shower but we can live with that by using the bide for a sponge bath.

Nantua is a small, scenic town nestled at the east end of the lake between two high ridges of mountains that rise 300m on either side. There isn’t much here beyond the lake and a few streets. We eat in a small, simple restaurant and then retire to our room for a well-deserved rest. We covered 120 km today. My digestion is still a bit off, but I have ended the day better than I started.


PHOTO 1: Perouges steeple
PHOTO 2: street in Perouges
PHOTO 3: Perouges tourist shops
PHOTO 4: Neuville
PHOTO 5: Pont de Serrieres
PHOTO 6: oxbow in the River Ain as I climb to the pass
PHOTO 7: road beside Nantua Lake
PHOTO 8: Nantua