Lötschberg–Jura

Nestled gently in the Table Jura landscape lies the village of Boncourt. With around 1200 inhabitants, it’s not particularly small for the Jura region. After only a short while, you reach the French border. Signs provide information about the route and the usual border formalities. The somewhat sleepy small town of Delle dates back to the Gallo-Romanic period. The “Maison à Tourelle” with its round tower was built in 1590. It’s just one of a number of fascinating buildings here.

Many houses fly the French flag. This mainly flat, leisurely stage is on surfaced cycle paths. Things only get a little tight when a group of racing cyclists zoom towards you. “Bonjour!” – some seem to be former professionals with their Tour-de-France leader t-shirts. Thiancourt is a “village fleuri” (village in bloom). Another sign indicates an “arbre remarquable” (noteworthy tree), in this case a particularly fine sycamore. The EuroVelo 6 long-distance cycle route, which runs from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, also passes here. It’s a truly relaxing area.

The strip of land between the Vosges and the Jura is known as the “Trouée de Belfort” or Belfort Gap. It connects the Rhine and Rhone basins as well as the French Departements of Alsace and Franche-Comté. The St. Martin Church stands proudly in Grandvillars. The Allaine river flows though Morvillars; later, you cross the Rhone-Rhine canal. Today’s stage crosses a lot of rivers. Meroux train station somehow feels similar to a planned town. The TGV stops here, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Between Sevenans and Andelnans, you briefly glimpse the Haute-Saône canal. At one time, the Rhone-Rhine canal was to be linked to it but the project was never completed.

“Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” (liberty, equality, fraternity) stands on the front of the Collège Mozart high school, just a few kilometres from Belfort. You reach the historic town centre cycling along the Savoureuse river. The citadel and the Lion of Belfort – a monumental stone sculpture and the symbol of the city – tower over the garrison city. “Savoir vivre” dominates around the Saint Christophe cathedral. This classical-style house of worship was built of red sandstone in the first half of the 18th century. In short, it’s definitely worth rounding off the leisurely cycling tour with a glass of wine or an espresso in the historic centre of Belfort.