Jerome knows what he can do; he doesn't have to prove anything to us or to himself. He would much rather share his enthusiasm for his home trails with us. And the joy he radiates during the tours we go on with him is infectious. Is that the reason why I'm surprisingly successful in keeping the gap between Jerome's rear wheel and my front wheel from getting too big? Or is it because Jerome is such a nice, polite person? Or am I riding a class above today? We were only too happy to accept Jerome's invitation when he suggested showing us the best trails in his home country. For a few days we are now on the road with Jerome and his girlfriend Pauline, who is also an excellent biker. Their friends, Vosges locals Thierry and Matthieu, spontaneously join them. The weather was also perfect; perfect conditions for a few great days of mountain biking.
After an entertaining, but comparatively leisurely roll-in tour from the idyllic winegrowing village of Andlau, today's program includes a real challenge in terms of fitness and scenery: the almost 60 km long round trip over 2300 metres in altitude from the picturesque wine village of Kaysersberg over the famous lakes Lac Blanc and Lac Noir and from there over the battlefields of the First World War to the pilgrimage site of Trois Epis and down to Ammerschwihr in the Rhine valley.
Early in the morning, we meet up with Jerome and his mountain bike friends Matthieu, Robin and Thierry in Kaysersberg, which lies at the foot of the Vosges mountains: Old town, castle, vineyards and the mountains in the background - pure Vosges romance. Our eyes and stomachs are still a little heavy from the previous evening. Our Alsatian friends didn't miss the opportunity to show us the best sides of their homeland, even off the trails. They spontaneously whisked us off to one of the famous Alsatian food temples in Obernai. Our start is correspondingly slow, but fortunately the first section is fairly flat. We cycle leisurely through the alleyways of the spruced-up winegrowing town. The long 900-metre ascent, which runs mainly through shady forests, is completed quickly without too much sweat thanks to the wide tracks. Our reward is a first fine descent to Bonhomme, which takes us through beautiful landscapes straight out of a (Vosges) picture book: Cows graze on flower meadows and excellent trails literally nestle into the gently sloping meadow slopes. Hairpin bend after hairpin bend. We quickly realize why the Vosges are the perfect training ground for Jerome, because they offer everything a mountain biker could wish for: Steep climbs, descents in the best enduro style, freeride trails and even bike parks. And all these wishes are fulfilled over the course of the following 40 kilometers of trail. However, you have to pedal hard - and above all persistently - to achieve this. But thanks to perfect guiding and entertaining anecdotes from Jerome and his friends, we are only too happy to do so. And even the tough climb in the midday sun from Bonhomme to Lac Blanc goes by relatively quickly. As Jerome tells stories of his adventurous victories and participation in the legendary Megavalanche downhill race, the meters of elevation gain and lose. And then this climb is over too, even if the stories couldn't prevent the drops of sweat from flowing in large quantities this time.
At Lac Blanc, we encounter mass tourism à la Vosgienne for the first time: the many freeride bolides that the nationally renowned bike park of the ski resort of the same name attracts and the numerous hikers, motorcyclists and car tourists that populate the Route de Crete high road do not allow for a contemplative stop on this Whit Sunday. And so we linger only briefly and gratefully turn into the racy single trail to the lakes Lac Blanc and Lac Noir.
In addition to the stunning scenery and excellent trails, the Vosges offer another big plus for bikers with an interest in food (which you inevitably are after this long tour): the outstanding quality of the local gastronomy. Whether rustic and simple in one of the many Ferme Auberges, which mainly sell home-made food, or starred restaurants. You should never suffer from persistent hunger pangs here, but always head for the nearest auberge. Another advantage of exploring by bike is that you can stop off much more often than usual: Tarte flambée and Munster-Kas may not quite be able to compete with the various energy rules in terms of functionality, but they are clearly superior in terms of taste. But today, even at Lac Noir, the excursionists clearly have the upper hand and so we only stop there for a little refreshment and continue on our way, where the trails are almost all ours even on this day in high season. We still have almost 25 km and almost 1500 vertical meters of descent ahead of us. Through magical landscapes across flowering high pastures, dark forests and racy trails, we approach the Rhenish lowlands, where our last long downhill of the day will take us.
The eventful and sometimes sad history of Alsace and the Vosges as a power-political bone of contention between the German and French empires is evidenced by the bilingualism of many Alsatians: older people in particular speak Alsatian, which is a kind of French-influenced German dialect, as well as French. Our trail, which runs over the Col du Wettstein and the Linge, where the front between France and Germany during the First World War froze into a trench war, also confronts us with history: huge military cemeteries from the First World War line our path several times. And just a few minutes after passing the cemetery for the French fallen, we pass the cemetery for the German dead. Today, the huge rows of graves have become memorials to reconciliation and friendship between the former enemies. And so it doesn't seem irreverent that our colorful Franco-German bike group is whizzing down the paths laid out by the former enemies during the First World War (the same applies to today's Route de Crete tourist route). Any gloomy thoughts are blown away by the increasingly fierce wind, as the downhill trail towards the pilgrimage site of Trois Epis is so good that it drives away any overly sad thoughts.
Trois Epis is a bizarre place: a collection of chapels and unattractive little churches as well as an oversized hospital and the bric-a-brac stores exude a strange flair: a mixture of miracle healing business à la Lourdes and Black Forest kitsch à la Titisee. Let's get out of here. And thanks to the special class trail that leads from Trois Epis to Ammerschwihr, you can do just that.
With an ultra-wide, satisfied grin on our faces, we roll back through the vineyards to Kaysersberg. Tarte flambée and Munster cheese await us there. And after the endurance ride, we enjoy - not yet again - one of the highly recommended Riesling wines, but one of the equally good local beers from Alsace. Because we have also learned that the Alsatians are not only excellent mountain bikers, but also brew really good beers that even some Bavarians would be proud of (even if this ability is generally denied to the French by the Germans). And one thing is undoubtedly clear today: after this super round, everyone feels like an enduro champion. At least a little bit...
PS: Thanks to Jerome, Pauline and the Elass bikers from Team Thannenwald for the cool days and the even cooler trails! PPS: Thanks to Stefan for the cool photos!
