Cycling Loop B8 - The Lake Road

This is the bike loop of the XL triathlon in Gérardmer: 31.2 kilometers with a positive elevation gain of 623m, repeated 3 times during the main event. This course features long flat sections and false flats, interspersed with three "hills" that take you from one valley to another, from lake to lake.
Starting from Gérardmer, near the casino, you cross the town and then take a small forest road that leads you to the top of the first hill. You recover on the descent and on the flat along Lake Longemer. You continue to Lake Retournemer and ascend the Col des Feignes under Vologne, a 3km climb with sections over 7%. You skim just below 1000m altitude before plunging into the Chajoux Valley. The descent is fast, sheltered by the spruces that line this winding stretch. You will first follow Lake Lispach and then Lake Ténine. Two kilometers after this lake, at the Metty Bridge (about 2 km after Lake Lispach), you turn right onto the Route de la Courbe, very steep in places, with a section at 17%, which then allows you to reach the summit of the Col de Grosse Pierre. From there, you literally dive down to Bas-Rupts and then Gérardmer after crossing the short col of Haut de la Côte.