Lausanne – Haute Cime – Lausanne
(or: why ride 140 km and climb a 3,257 m peak on a random Saturday)
This is the story of an adventure led by the two stubborn women of the IAFL team.
The dream? Simple.
Climb Haute Cime, the highest summit of the Dents du Midi, starting directly from our doorstep in Lausanne.
No cars, no lifts — just bike + trail shoes + pure madness.
The Dents du Midi aren’t just any mountains — they’re my favorite mountain chain. Majestic. Timeless. I can’t get enough of watching them.
So one day I thought… what if we went to the top, all the way from home?
Spoiler: bedtime was missed.
The Plan
- 🚲 Bike from Lausanne to Champéry
- 🏃♀️ Run up to Haute Cime
- 🏃♀️ Run down
- 🚲 Bike back to Lausanne
We chose June 28th for a reason: late enough that the snow would be gone, close enough to the longest days of the year.
We were joined by Matthieu, Alex, and Raf for the full project.
Mika and Yannis would meet us in Champéry for the trail portion.
The Ride
6:05 am. My alarm rings.
“Why do I have ideas like this?”
“Why do others follow them?” I wonder.
We meet at EPFL’s sports center. A flat tire delays us slightly, but by 7:45 am, we’re rolling. Destination: Champéry.
The bike ride is the “easy” part — 70 km, 900 m of elevation. Watching the Dents du Midi grow closer with each pedal stroke is magic.
By the time we reach Champéry, the group has expanded — Mika and Yannis are waiting for us. Warm-up done. Time to trade cleats for trail shoes.
The Climb
The climb is absolutely unreal. The trail is straight out of a dream: waterfalls, rocky spines, glacier views, suspension bridge. Top 3 trail runs of my life, no hesitation.
But let’s talk about the 2,400 meters of vertical. It never ends. Ever. Especially the final stretch from Col de Susanfe to the summit — a moonscape of loose rocks and fading paths, far more technical than I expected. I’m moving like a tired goat.
But then — the summit. 3,257 meters.
Just enough room for the 7 of us to stand and be completely overwhelmed.
From Mont Blanc to Vevey, with the Matterhorn peeking out in between — this view is insanely gorgeous.
The Descent
The first part of the descent is rough. Technical, slow, more like dancing between ankle-breaking boulders than running.
But gradually, the trail smoothed out. Energy returned. Somehow. And I am actually feeling better and better.
We are back in Champéry — 8 hours after starting the trail. But we’re not done, yet.
The Ride Back
7:30 pm. Most sane people would stop here.
I ask:
“On a scale from 0 to 100, how motivated are you to bike back to Lausanne?”
Alex: “100.”
Matthieu: “99. I keep 1% in case a cow attacks us or something.”
Nathalie: “At least until Villeneuve.”
Good enough. Let’s go.
We fly down to Monthey — the downhill I’d been dreaming of all morning.
Then begins the long return. We take turns pulling. It’s getting darker, but I feel surprisingly alive. How does the body find fuel after 12+ hours? Mystery.
At Villeneuve, Nathalie is clearly hit by hypoglycemia. But she eats a bar, then looks at me with a quiet fire in her eyes — the kind that says “we’re finishing this.”
“I’m continuing.” she says.
I’m forever in AWE of her grit.
Let’s be honest — the final stretch is long. We are all pushing, each with our own silent suffering. But slowly, gently, Lausanne returns.
The End
We arrive just before 10:30 pm — and most beautifully, we made it all together!
15 hours. 170 km. +3,500 m.
One summit. Two wheels. Six friends.
And one beautiful, stupid, unforgettable idea.
Strava description:
“Insane, amazing, eternally long, but eternally wonderful.”
Cams
28.06.2025