A Metric Century and A Hike to Jaman from Montreux

This weekend I went for two Meetup.com events. The first was a one hundred and twenty kilometre bike ride and the second was a one thousand four hundred metre climb from Montreux to the Dent De Jaman.

The Ride to Vuache

With the bike rides there was a choice of two rides. The first was to Hermance. The second was around the Vuache mountain. I chose the Vuache mountain because this ride was new to me. I have ridden into Geneva, but only once to Western Geneva, so for me this was an exploratory ride.

We were a small group. I think we were just seven or eight people. This is an advantage. With a small group we get to talk with everyone, but with a small group you also get to ride faster. With cycling I don’t necessarily like this though. By the end of the ride I could feel that my knees had been put under quite a bit of strain.

Having said this I enjoyed the ride and I have no doubt that I will do many more relaxed rides. The ride was around eighty kilometres. It’s because I cycle from Nyon to Geneva, do the ride, and then ride back that I had fourty or more kilometres to each ride.

I could feel that my knees were tired and that I was very close to overdoing it on Saturday. I was worried about the pain I felt but as I write this they feel okay.

Carrying Electrolytes

When I did the 130km loop I really regretted not taking eletrolyte tablets with me, so for the ride I did on Saturday I had a small pocket sized canister of them. I already had a tab in the second water bottle but I had spares.

When we got to the french border, near the end of the ride someone was having leg cramps, and I gave a tablet for her to dissolve in water. At that moment I decided that for every activity from now on, during summer, I will have tabs as part of an emergency kit.

The advantage of these tabs is that as soon as you feel the need you can dissolve it in the water you have remaining, or you can fill up your bottle with water, add a tab and you have an electrolyte drink. This is good to have when hiking, cycling, and enjoying other summer sports.

Two Options

From Saturday to Sunday I was really hesitating between a GoSocial hike and a Meetup hike. I woke up at 6am and thought I would make my mind up then. I looked at the conversation and thought “No way I want to be with the GoSocial group” so I went with the Meetup group. There are two reasons that made my mind up. The first is that I get no pleasure from hiking in a group of twenty four or more people. With such a large group the pace slows down, and the noise pollution goes up.

Mind made up

The comment that made the decision easy was “it is impossible to see Lake Geneva or Lake Neuchâtel. These lakes are within 45-50km distance.” The Vallée de Joux website has “Lorsque le ciel est dégagé, il est possible d’admirer jusqu’à huit lacs distincts : les lacs de Neuchâtel, Bienne et Morat, le lac Léman, les lacs Brenet et Ter, le lac de Joux et celui des Rousses en France voisine. La chaîne des Alpes et notamment le massif du Mont-Blanc complètent ce paysage idyllique.”

I have said, and written, more than once, that I am looking for superficial reasons to make deciding between two or more activities easier. This comment made my decision very easy.

The Challenge

The hike from Montreux to La Dent De Jaman is steep. It is one thousand four hundred meters of climbing in eight kilometres. In theory that’s an eighteen percent gradient. When I did this hike a few weeks ago it felt hard and my legs felt heavy. This time it felt easier but that’s because we stopped to regroup quite regularly and because I was walking with a group rather than at my own pace.

With a small group, I often walk at the back of the group. If I was walking at the front I would walk fast, and I would obligate those to speed up. By being at the back I have time to look at the landscape, take photos, and make a moderate effort. By being at the back of the group it allows me to appreciate the landscape in a way that I wouldn’t at the front.

Another reason for this appreciation of the views is that I know the route so the question isn’t whether I can make it. This gives me mental space to appreciate the landscape.

Some people don’t like to do the same hike more than once, but I think that to do the same hike more than once, allows us to appreciate how it changes with the seasons. I have done this hike in snow, in mud, and now much drier. This time I saw the narcisses flowers.

And Finally

I like to cycle on Saturday, and hike on Sunday. The issue is that because I leapt from riding fifty kilometres, to one hundred and twenty or more, the level of exertion rocketed up two Saturdays ago. This weekend my ride was slightly smaller but my knees hurt more. Sunday, they felt okay.

By hiking from Montreux to the Dent De Jaman I demonstrated that this model works. This can become my new routine. This summer will be sporty.