Where I run: Le Flon, Lausanne
As runners, our relationship with our surroundings is often defined by the routes we choose on a regular basis. Running the same route over and over give us a sense of place, and to some extent all trail runners living near cities have to deal with issue creatively, often piecing together trail after trail with the least amount of concrete possible to create the nicest most aesthically pleasing route. For no particular reason other than I enjoy it and would like to recommend it to other (lost) trail running souls who find themselves in Lausanne, below is my (extremely detailed) account of my most common route: Le Flon loop between Bois de Sauvebelin and Chalet-a-Gobet area.
Warning: I took a lot of pictures and know this route like the back of my hand. I wrote most of this post before going out to take pictures on an absurdly pleasant Sunday afternoon run. This is a loooooong post.
This route starts for me outside my door in the Mon Repos area. My route to the start of the Bois de Sauvebelin has been purpose-honed over an entire year to minimize the possibility of having to stop at a crosswalk. I almost always succeeding in doing so.
I run over the Pont (bridge) Bessieres past the over
one thousand year old church and its many visiting tourists through the upper portion of old town and across the street from the restaurant Via Veneto and turn up where the route actually begins. If Lausanne hadn't diverted, drained, buried and otherwise forgotten this river the bridge would constitute the first crossing of Le Flon. I highly recommend taking this route. From my place (1 km from actual trail) it’s about 11 miles with 1100 ft of vertical. My directions are below.
Run 10m uphill past the fountain near the roundabout at Rue du Valion and Rue de la Barre, past the sign exhorting drivers to slow down for the kids on their way to school, and turn up the driveway with the yellow pedestrian sign, (barely) visible in the photo above.
After 100m take a hard left back up (not really shown above) and to left on the bark chip double track. The path forward and up to the left has stairs which are not good for running. There are lots of lazy dog walkers in this area, watch your step. Follow the double track switchback until a small singletrack shortcut leads under an elm tree making friends with a Yew. Take this and veer right onto the gravel path past the Hermitage. After the staired trail comes up to meet your path from the right, cross 5 m of pavement and turn right up the hill on the side of the field.
The center of this path is often rutted, consider the left or right side for better footing.
At the intersection take a right and make a mostly level but slightly uphill traverse on the side slope. You’ll next come to a Y-shaped fork in the road (location 1). I like to take a different path to/from Le Flon through the Bois de Sauvebelin each time. Going, I opt for the extra vertical by taking the left at the fork. Leap over (or go around) the tree stump feature and at the road take a left.
Go 20 m uphill on the paved road (bathrooms here if needed) and cut diagonally across the parking lot. Ignoring the yellow pedestrian sign which suggests the paved road up just to left (where the crowd is above), instead cut behind the park bench halfway down to find a nice ascent on trail. Veer left at the paved road on top and at the next intersection turn back hard right back onto trail. Ignore the first left for now, but its also well worth taking and will lead you just as easily to the proper drop off the ridge (think of a rectangle and you'll get the idea).
This trail, easily some of the nicest in the Bois de Sauvebelin, will make an ‘L’ which will leave you traversing along the top of a 100 ft ridge. Acorns everywhere, this is a great place to be in fall (or spring, or summer or fall).
Ignore options emanating from / leading to the left and instead find a hard right drop straight down the now more gentle slope, through metal gates and across two paved roads.
Now on a gravel road, take the last left past the fort of branches someone has built. If you successfuly navigate this section you will not descend a set of paved stairs to the right-ish but instead drop a bit down and up out of a gully, then down again over tree roots.
Finally a right turn straight down a rooty technical descent, at the bottom of which you will make a left, come back up, look both ways and cross the (sometimes busy) road straight. Don’t climb the gravel road up and to the left.
Pass the parking lot to the racquet club and near the entrance to the reptile museum you will take a right downhill. Without crossing the bridge over Le Flon, take a left and follow the river upstream past the Vivarium on your left. Watch for weird exotic frog escapees trying to make their ways out of the vivarium, across trail and down to Le Flon to the right. It's like a real-life version of Frogger, only you're the bad guy.
Depending on the season the knotweed can be thick alongside the banks of Le Flon in this area.
Re-cross the stream to the right. If you've got enough brain power to handle multiple, this control point is a good place to take a split.
Follow the trail up the poorly built and already circumvented stairs which were put in this summer (July 2011), and at the top with the yellow pedestrian signs take a left,descend on a sidehill slanted gravel road and re-cross Le Flon for the 2nd time.
Avoid the giant boulder in the middle of the trail and make an attempt and eroded pathway/stair combination. At the top, again with more yellow pedestrian signs, take a hard right to traverse along the dusty hot exposed road. If you find yourself in the middle of logging mill you have gone awry, turn back before you find yourself in the middle of a shooting range. I've been there before. Multiple times.
After 500m the exposed and often hot and dusty dirt road comes to an orange house. Two cats live here, pet either for bonus point and good trail karma. Avoid however, at all costs, attempting to pet either of their bellies. It’s a trap! I've also been there before. Multiple times.
20 meters after the house the road forks. Ignore the yellow pedestrian signs which suggest you stay low to the right and instead veer left up the rocky road.
The rocks are quite coarse here, I generally prefer staying on the lower left side of the road, unless it’s rained recently, in which case this side channels water.
Dip down to cross the creek at the stream-aligned logs. They are often slippery from the terrible terrible mud section up next.
I’ve run this route all year, no matter how dry or wet it’s been recently, this next 20 meters is always muddy, there is no good line through. Did I mention how terrible this section this? Extra terrible.
The short hump past the mud section needs to be widened and often needs to be brushed. I've never, never seen or heard of a trail work party in Switzerland. How sad :( Here you will often find your first taste of nettles or blackberries (photo above recently brushed by city workers? I'd love to help out y'all!). On the small descent from the short bump you will find the trail to be of much better quality. Note the subsequent small and circumventable mud patch, this almost seems to a be a faint and failed attempt at a rolling grade reversal.
Next traverse up the slope slightly to the washed out crossing of the small creek (looking downstream above). Use caution and consider holding on to an exposed tree route.
Following this you will find two extremely entertaining tree route features, both of which will result in a one to two step change in elevation of over a meter.
The yellow pedestrian path now joins back up from the right. Hop over any tree trunk which may have been layed across your (better) path by previous parties.
Climb up the extremetly technical and root exposed section to the switchback. On the way back this descent is extremely fun.
Switchback to the left on the exposed centerline gully and find the least worst line.
At the top switchback back up to the right (the first, not the second) avoid any overgrown Nettles and blackberry and skirt the field. Nice view, right? This trail forms a series of elongated figure 8's. I prefer the wooded lower right options on the way out, since the open field view on the way back presents an enticing sight line (pictured above).
You've come to an important junction (location #1). I often split this in the 41 to 42 minute range. The signed yellow pedestrian downhill to the hard right is a mediocre alternative, take it once and discard it forever. You'll instead turn left uphill on the paved road.
Avoid the path which runs straightish across the paved road and skirts sheep pastures on either side. It's narrow, its gulleyed, its often muddy and/or overgrown and there is both electric fence and barbed wire just waiting to eat you up in case of the slightest misstep. It's also the most intuitive line to your next intermediate destination. A cat couldn't walk straight on this path.
After the short ascent on the paved path take the first driveway/spur road right to find a nice section of singletrack. Watch for overgrown Nettle and retired mushroom pickers. Hang a right at the end of the single track on the dirt road. You'll come to a campsite and left turn. If you know this part well you can avoid dancing you way through the wooden posts to take the left, followed by another left and find yourself along a nice section of singletrack often overgrown with Nettles. In 200m hang a hard awkward right at the triangular junction, followed by another left.
This turn will take you down a dirt road. Note the Swiss foresters attention to detail. Not to worry, the next train you take will be on time. Guaranteed.
If you're really good you can navigate the next hard right by avoiding both wooden stiles. Watch for blackberries. Was it worth it? Follow this nice section of single track down past the house with the barking dog to the next control point.
Ahead of you past the intersection to the right is a nice bit of singletrack worth exploring in the future. At your 11 o'clock is a greyhound nursery, 10 o'clock is a horse jumping whatever. You'll instead take a right (4 o'clock) on the gravel road.
After 300m take a left uphill through the wood stiles. Confused yet? There's 2 dozen of these gates around here, each one looks just like the other. This section runs like an underground dungeon from the Legend of Zelda, NES version of course. The only way to nail it is to not nail it at least a dozen times. Good news is that there are many nice routes to taken in here. If the previous/next mile feels a bit contrived it's because I've designed this route to maximize quality single track, not to get from point A to B, unless A is 'before running' and B is 'trail bliss'. In that case you're in good hands.
This section of single track is a gem. Long sightlines of slightly swervy singletrack. Trail bliss.
Take a right when your bliss finally ends and meet gravel double track. Hang a left when this gravel road T's into another. You should see a yellow pedestrian sign pointing every which way except the way you came.
In 1 km you will reach a fountain. There are often beers cooling in it. This is your turnaround point so take a split. Fill up if you've single baby bottled and hang a right. Stay on the road side of the railing since the inside is a mud trap.
Follow the first dirt road that forks off to the right and be patient. You'll dip. You'll swerve. You'll pass a few promising looking intersections on either side. Woe be tide the runner who loses patience here and opts for any of them. Wait for pavement. Wait for it ... 200 m or so, uphill, then take a right on a dirt road.
This is one you want. Not the wood stiled ones 5 minutes before. It's called Avenue de Marc, as in the French kind of Mark.
This pleasant gravel roads dips, swerves, hesitates, then commits to a full drop and crossing of the nascent creek. If your training partner is wearing Hoka's now is the (first) time you'll get dropped. At the bottom feel the sand beneath your feet, listen the creek, you've just crossed the nascent Flon.
You'll follow the Flon along a true gem of trail for the next 1.5 miles, but first head uphill for 500 m and take the obvious left to regain it along a short drop of doubletrack. Gels. If you've got 'em, pop em. Strap yourself in, this is what you've come here for.
Jump over Le Flon as double track turns to single. The forest closes in. Curves get swoopy and tight. Make friends with Birches, they've been waiting for you.
You'll follow the incredibly entertaining and well worthwhile 'upper upper Le Flon' for a 1km until reaching an important 4 way junction / campsite. Up and to the left is an OK alternative that will take you to neighborhoods and road running. Back up to right across the Flon is a fun climb, definitely worth your time, but the recommended route is straight ahead on the left side of the creek: lets call it 'Chutes and Ladders'.
While 'Chutes and Ladders' at time suffers from a surfeit of structures: stairs, cribbing, and bridges, its also often the recipient of Lausanne's surplus bark chips. It's bouncy, its squishy, it's nice. It's one of the best trails in the area. Watch those bridges, they can be slick any time of year.
After 1 km drop along and over (how many times?) Le Flon, you'll come across a concrete shed/pumping station. Though the yellow pedestrian signs will suggest your path remains straight, I suggest a hard right stout climb. Slow down, this climb is a grunter, it doesn't get any easier. You'll cross a 4 way intersection which would take you back to location #1, but instead you'll forge on, continiung the climb until you jump over the perpindicular log. Have you got the gas to make this look good? Thats what it's all about right?
Hang a left at the intersection with the gravel road after jumping over the log, run uphill 100 yards past the campfire/3 way inteersection and take your next left on singletrack in 100 m. You'll now trake another left and descend sharply on paved road to find youself back at the open field. If you've timed it right the sun is now setting/rising. Nice view, right?
Come back the way you came, except stay up on the field instead of low in the forest off to the left. Switchback hard back to left, fall off the rooty drop, leap over the the two stump features, cross the washed out creek.
Pet tke kitties at the Orange House with the Bamboo and drop back over the Flon. Down the stairs, back over Le Flon. Get ur trail bliss on. This section feels so nice on the way back! Isn't it nice to be alive and running? You're body loves you right now.
As the trail opens back up past the Vivarium and invasive knotweed, make sure to hit the (Swiss-style) waterbars correctly. I prefer 1 and only 1 step on the inside. You've got 2 climbs left.
After crossing the street, you'll drop down on singletrack (2nd or 3rd time now any training partners wearing Hokas have dropped you, they'll wait up ... hopefully), and instead of ascending the first right as in the way you've descended, take the 3rd right. The 2nd is a terrible concrete staircase which will take you back up to right somewhere between here and there that you don't really want to be. If you had continued straight instead of taking the 3rd right on rocky double track you would soon discover what Lausanne has done to Le Flon. Buried, forgotten, forever. No one should ever see this. It's not a good look. No river should ever be buried or laid on a bed of concrete. Lets
take those dams out and live within Natures means.
Ascending this route, you'll want to stay up and to the left, dropping and crossing bridges to nowhere.. Avoid any routes leading you off to the left to a metro stop and instead take a right and quick left on single track back to the Y- shaped fork you initially reached. Drop through the field (awesome
view of La Dole sometimes) and duck under the Yew making friends with the Elm, back on (probably fresh chipped) double track. Catch a nice view of Dent d'Oche if it's rained recently. Second right takes you down the driveway back to Via Veneto. Though this fountain is quite nice, there are 1 or 2 more which offers better head dunking for less hamstring stretch. Runners are misers.
I make my way home through upper old town, past the cathedral (and many tourists) drop down Pont (Bridge) Bessiers and come down thru L'Etoile Blanche.
Friday nights can be hard to find the gap. But it's all well worth it. This is my favorite route. 100 m to home. Welcome to my world. I really enjoy this route. Hope you do too.
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