Trans Vosges - Day 3

66km / 2072hm / 5h23min

Start: Col de la Schlucht / Hotel Le Collet to Thann

Fun, fun and more fun. The last stage was a sweet end to our 3 day mtb trip. We started off with a nice downhill down the road. It seemed like forever and my legs were in heaven!

Then we hit a long climb. By now we were used to pedal up long roads full of rocks and ditches. We were able to stop and enjoy a few moments staring at the numerous mini waterfalls along the trail.

After a nice descent into what seemed like a gorgeous hidden valley, we decided to stop and enjoy some of the delicious pastries we politely snagged at the breakfast buffet that morning.

With the sun shinning and our tummies satisfied we begun our last huge effort of the trip, a 12km climb with 1000m altitude.

We kept a slow and steady pace and tried to enjoy the scenic views as much as possible. The end was a bit steep and i had to force my feet to keep pushing down on the pedals despite what my body and brain were telling me.

When we reached the top we knew the rest was easy peasy. We enjoyed what seemed endless fast smooth trails many of which required no pedaling at all and saved our energy for the small short uphills now and then.

Towards the early afternoon we came across what looked like a nice family restaurant that over looked a valley. It seems the owners did not care for tourists nor mountain bikers and they refused to serve us on the terrace. We were even not allowed to order inside and take the food out ourselves. We shook our heads in dissaproval but gladly took our money elsewhere. Eventually we came across a small bistro that served omelettes which was more than good enough for us. We chowed down and enjoyed the sun.

After loading up on some protein and veggies, we made our final fast descent towards our last destination.

It was seriously fun and relaxing knowing there was nothing left to cllimb and we could just enjoy the breeze and the fast trails. After cruising through several small villages, for once we reached our destination in time, which was exactly at 5pm.

We were both tired, sore, smelly but extremely content. It was an experience that I will never forget and that I hope to have more of this year. Laurent always told me that I could do more on the bike that I thought I could and I always thought he was just spewing his dutiful husband speech to keep me on the bike. But standing there at the end of our trip I was amazed at how many km we rode and how much we climbed the last three days.

In numbers: 250km / 8113hm / 20h50min

This trip has really motivated me to ride a lot more this year and to plan some road bike trips together. There is nothing like riding gorgeous terrain all day long while pushing your limits at the same time.

I can't wait till our next adventure ride but I can say that it will be just as epic and humbling!