I'm an aussie guy and I have just accepted a job and I will be based in Nyon, I will be arriving mid April.
I am a mountain biker, and will be looking to get into the local riding scene on arrival. I ride DH and XC, and will have a bike for both, and during the Summer will be spending plenty of weekends up in the Portes du Soleil and other bike parks.
I am just wondering if there is much of biking scene around Nyon/Geneva. Is there good DH or XC trails in the local region?
It would be great to make some locally based friends and getting into some riding groups for morning/afternoon/weekend sessions on the local trails.
I've got a road bike too, and always up for a some good rides up into the hills...
I organise group rides in Zurich and sometimes in other areas of the country. At the moment we are trying to get the first group ride in the Geneva area up and running. Check out this site and register for the facebook group. There is a discussion on the wall there about setting up a group ride in the very near future in the Geneva region. Hopefully it will be become a semi-regular event and at least it will allow you to meet people with the same interest.
hey mate, any specifics of the trails in the mountains behing Nyon?
I know the bike parks well, but what I am looking for is where I can ride on a day to day basis. Like places I can get to and back from for a spin before or after work without having to drive anywhere...
I don't mountain bike myself so I don't know the specifics. Up in the Juras you could just catch a train to La Givrine or La Cure and go exploring from there.
At Saleve just catch the Telepherique to the top and follow some other mountain bikers (it's a very popular spot). The route takes you back to the bottom of the lift.
I would also recommend you join glocals and watch out for events organised by other mountain bikers in the area.
You probably wont find any good weekday mountain bike rides around Nyon. However I live in Lausanne and could be wrong. There simply isn't any mountains you can get to in say less than 10km or so. You might find some dirt roads through farms or community forests, click the sections button on this site
Nyon and this region around La Côte is relatively flat riding...However, if you head towards the Jura & St. Cergue in the foothills, it'd be a better workout probably...Plus, that route is actually quite popular for cyclists in the area
When the days get longer and daylight saving hits, we try and get out occasionally for a weeknight ride. St Cergue is great for this. Just ride up (or take the train) and explore. Lots of great trails.
Wait for forum member PTKate to get back from her latest adventure and she can fill you in on the trails up there - but beware, she does prefer the climbs rather than downhill
The Jura behind Nyon is just perfect- you'll love it. Up to the Marchairuz and the Vallée de Joux - miles upon miles. Enjoy. Mountain biking is VTT (vélo tout terrain) in French, so just google VTT region Nyon- plenty of stuff there.
sounds like there is some great riding in Jura within cycling distance from Nyon, and a few of year to hook up a ride with
i guess part the reason i am sussing all this out now is to make sure i choose an appropriate place to live. I want to be close to Nyon for easing commuting to/from work, but need to make sure i can be riding day to day as well.
so as well as trail recommendations, any suggestions for which towns around Nyon area are nice to live, or even better anyone who knows of anything on the market, or anyone looking for a house mate. then i am interested to hear about it...
I live in St Cergue (directly up the hill from Nyon) and mtn and road bike a bit. Personally am not a fan of the slippy limestone around here but will no doubt adapt eventually. We picked St Cergue as its affordable and the outdoor stuff is immediately outside the front door. I bike up and down the hill to and from Nyon by road and mtn bike regularly - it's quick going down and slower coming back up and we head to the bigger mtns at the weekend. The local stuff is great for short blocks of time. Lausanne and Geneva offer more social opportunties and Morges is another potential town to look at. it really just depends on your priorities.
Trail ride happening in Geneva so that people who like to ride living in Romandie can get together. A few of us may be making the trip from Zurich for it.
I plan to live in Nyon, or very close by, so it would be great to have someone to go for a ride with and show me the local trails.
On arrival I'll just have my road bike, but I will be buying an XC bike as soon as possible, and I'll always be up for a morning cruise in the hills before work
How long does it take to ride up to St Cergue by road?
and once you are up there you can go for 100s of kms on the flatish top (Cretes) of the Jura towards lac de Joux, Lac St Point, and beyond. I can assure you you won't be disappointed. (pop in for coffee!).
Mount Mourex is just a warm-up away from Nyon and pretty nice!
I'll try to get started with some longer (+4 h) running and/or MTB-sessions in a couple of weeks. I got hold of some orienteering maps over St Cergue yesterday (since I've heard it's really beautiful - I'm new down here, arrived in February). If you don't mind I might join in (I'll get a perfect warmup from Ferney), it would be great with some guidance to the best singletracks or most astonishing views...
Regarding bike-buddying I have plenty of time since I am a "house-spouse" without kids, so while my girlfriend is working I try to stay busy biking, running or similar all day long.
on arrival I will just be armed with my road bike and my 6" travel enduro bike, but intend to buy a hardtail XC asap as thats what I reckon I'll get the most value out of in the local area - and I've been living in Ireland 9 months without doing any cycling - I need to ride km's and get back into shape!
i will also be adding a DH bike to the collection, hopefully in time for the opening of the portes du soleil...
would be keen on doing some events during the Summer. Does anyone on here do any racing?