Collet du Linge and Petit Ballon 71 km

Nice cycling trip on both sides of the Munster valley, with two cols (Collet du Linge and Col du Petit Ballon. Great views, woods, vineyards, quiet valleys, and mountain scenery. See profiles on climbfinder.com (https://climbfinder.com/en/climbs/collet-du-linge-weiermatten and https://climbfinder.com/en/climbs/petit-ballon-munster) and cyclingcols.com (https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Linge and https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/PetitBallon). You can find something to eat and drink in Metzeral, Munster, Hohrodberg, Trois Épis and on the climb to Col du Petit Ballon.
The start of the route is close to the holiday house we were staying in Metzeral. From here, you follow a cycling route through the valley on roads with moderate quality asphalt and cycling paths. In Munster you take a little touristic tour through the center, including cobblestones, and you follow the cycling route through the valley of La Petite Fecht to Weier. Here starts the climb of the Collet Linge, 9.4 km at an average of 6.1 %. This is a beautiful climb on good quality asphalt, with little traffic, hairpins, good views and the quiet villages Hohrod and Hohrodberg. In Hohrodberg you take a shortcut on a small but steeper road through the village. Near the top you arrive at the German cemetery of Hohrod. You take a left to finish for the last few hundred meters to the top of the Collet du Linge, where there is a museum dedicated to remembering the First World War. You return to the cemetery and then follow the D11.6 to Trois Épis. This road slowly descends through forests with hardly any climb, and keeps you at the mountain ridge. In Trois Épis you have a great view across the Rhine valley towards Switzerland, and then you descend on a winding and good road to Turckheim. Here, you follow the D10 through the Munster valley, cycling past vineyards. In Gunsbach, you follow a cycling route to and past Munster. A bit before Luttenbach-Près-Munster the climb to Petit Ballon starts. This is not the official start, the first part is much steeper on a road with mediocre paving. After 700 meter you join the official climb. This climb is 8.6 km from here with 701 meter ascent, an average 8.2%. This is the most difficult of three variants to the top. The quality of the asphalt is not good, but ok for climbing (less good for descending). To Le Ried the climb is through forests with little view. At Le Ried and about 1.4 km thereafter, the views open up to the top and the surrounding mountain scenery. The views at the top are great. The descent is on reasonable paving, but also with some holes so pay attention. The views are good. You descend to Sondernach and join the D10 where left the climb to Platzerwasel starts. You further descend to Metzeral.