Pure Joy
Last week we ran our very first Women’s Tour. I’m handing over this week’s blog to Jagoda, our amazing guide, to tell you all about it.
Pure taste.
Pure joy.
Apple cinnamon bars were our favorite snack, and their slogan became an ultimate internal joke that speaks for itself.
It was pure joy to lead a group of women cyclists for four proper summer days, riding the long way around Lac Leman. The by-women and for-women concept created a supportive, family-like space enabling every rider to face their challenges, overcome fears, and shed some tears of joy, pure joy, of course.
The route and perfect weather ("we're lucky with the weather" was the most popular phrase) made these four days special. Each day varied in terms of the landscape, profile, and difficulties.
Day 1 took us from Geneva to Samoëns. Riding through Vallée Verte didn't disappoint, and Saxel served as a gateway to the adventure. Gentle 5% slopes prepared the legs for the subsequent efforts and opened a door to the steeper parts. Finishing the day right at the big "borne" indicating "Joux Plane" prepared everyone for the next day's focused start.
We started again with a collective decision to warm up the legs with a 15-minute flat spin ahead of hitting the climb. Winding 8% and 9% roads were a proper wake-up call for the legs. It was good to have it off the list as the first col of the day, and we celebrated it with a coffee on top.
The vision of Col du Corbier as our plat du jour was motivating, and even though half as long as Joux Plane, the road didn't ease up as we wanted. Amazing wraps on the top and a well-deserved lunch break were just what we needed to refuel. "What's next?" I kept hearing.
A false flat after descending, a long, slow drag towards the Swiss border is what was next. "It's not really a climb, well, not classified, but yeah, it goes uphill". Long straight from Abondance towards Châtel greeted us with a supportive tailwind. Pas de Morgins was the last challenge for the day. The never-ending (in a good way) descent to Monthey was a great time to reflect on the most challenging day of the tour. "Can we please arrive :-)?" I heard on the way to Aigle.
It was a long, hot day in the saddle. Massage was all we wanted. The second day had a decent impact on our starting-to-get-tired bodies. Well done to us!
Day 3 offered a change in the landscape. "Get ready for the lakeview, " I told the girls as I knew we were moving towards the northeastern part of Lac Leman. No need to improvise a flat warm-up this time; we started with a 30km spin towards and passed Vevey. We knew it would climb up as quickly as we took the right turn off the main tour du lac road. But no one expected this gradient! "No, it cannot be this way," I said when I saw a cobbled uphill reaching 18%. I have a good eye for %, and my sight could see that consistently continuing for quite a while. No, we don't regret that. Would I prefer the main, less steep road instead? Nah. The lake view stunned our eyes, and either or we had to get off the bikes - to walk, or take some photos. "It's almost there, just the last stretch". Lavaux can be a synonym for "very steep", without hesitation. And beauty.
After rejoining the road and shaking the quads, we rolled towards Puidoux for a quick coffee and then to a beautiful lunch stop by L'Abbaye de Montheron. New roads for all of us! Rolling terrain helped us stay together and battle the headwind.
The last challenge for the day was Col du Mollendruz. It was not steep, but on a not-much-is-happening-here road, meaning a straight and bigger route that never seemed to end, especially in the afternoon heat. What kept us going was the thought of a lake swim, in Lac de Joux, just by the hotel we stayed at. It was a rewarding few km descent and a well-deserved chill.
Knowing that day 4 is mainly to celebrate, without any cols, apart from Col de la Faucille (which we arrived at instead of climbing it), was a good moment to cherish what we all accomplished. Three days, each different, had passed so quickly, and all our fears were overcome with outstanding individual and collective efforts. Kudos to us, and let's have fun tomorrow.
The route on day 4 was fun. Rolling 50km towards Faucille, our last lunch break was great, pacing and using the leftover energy we still had.
It wasn't easy to return to reality, especially knowing that Geneva was soaking in the city's heat. Hey, let's enjoy the fast descent to Gex, and we regroup at the roundabout. I never get bored with that 9.7km. It's poetry in motion, especially if not much traffic. That's why I love cycling.
We kept pace, rolling back to Geneva and had celebratory drinks at Le Reposoir.
And that's it! We shared our emotions and favorite moments, hugged multiple times, and did not say goodbye, as we will see each other sooner or later. We created something beautiful, and as I'm writing this the day after, I miss you girls. You were my family, and I was happy to be yours. It was great energy, and I am proud of you and us collectively. Women rock, and I am confident we just made the first step of something beautiful to continue.