If any of you reading this are bike riders, you surely know there are various rider shapes. For climbing, one has better to be fit, small and lightweight.

I’m none of this. Albeit female, I’m built like a tank. Losing some weight would help somewhat, but, I still have the DNA. Anyway, because I love riding in the mountains, I ride there anyway. But very slowly. And to add some more pain, I use to carry 7-8kg of extra weight.

Food, water and clothes are responsible for 3kg I guess, the other things are camera gears and a drone. Yes, I must have masochist DNA also.

As usual, I started riding really early, at 6 a.m.. The worst parts being eating at 5 when a stomach wants nothing and no coffee available.

I started from Grimentz and my destination was the Lona lake, near the Lona pass. People riding the Grand Raid competition know this part well, as it’s the arrival of the race.

The climb was about 13km long and 1400m positive elevation, starting at 1600m and ending up at 2800m.

The first part of the climb was the Moiry road, which reaches the Moiry dam. An impressive view on the morning.

Morning view

Quickly thereafter, while heading to the Basset de Lona, I was granted with the sunrise over the Moiry glacier. I stopped a lot to enjoy the scenery.

View over the glaciers

Of course, my sherpa self and altitude has nothing to do with the countless stops.

The road to the lake de Lona isn’t particularly steep, but being over 2400m, well, pushing the bike seemed a darn good idea, but a tight timing prevented that. Even then, it took me a ridiculous long time to reach that lake.

Dreaming of an electric bike.

What a used to be lake #excuse nb 22367 to stop.

Lac de Lona

Eventually, when turning back I thought I would enjoy a great downhill.

Moiry dam and lake.

But no, there was a lot of stones, and not exactly the kind of technical, all flow and fun downhill. More like; wait until it passes.