Clermont-Ferrand is a city of black stone. Its cathedral, built of dark volcanic lava from nearby Volvic, rises over the old centre like a ship in a storm, and the Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-du-Port, one of the finest in the Auvergne, stands nearby, with a carved doorway and a warm, honey-coloured interior. The city's other great monument is rubber: the Michelin tyre company was founded here in the nineteenth century, and its headquarters and its small museum still shape the town. Blaise Pascal, the mathematician and philosopher, was born here in 1623.
What makes it a place for riders is the landscape just west of the city. The Chaîne des Puys is a line of dormant volcanoes, about eighty of them, which rise from the plateau in neat green cones, some with craters you can walk around, and the whole chain has been listed by UNESCO. The tallest of them, the Puy de Dôme, stands at 1,465 metres, and its summit is reached today by a cog railway or on foot rather than by road. The roads around its base are among the best in central France, with long sweeps, tight bends and views of cones in all directions.
Clermont-Ferrand has about 139,000 people, and fuel and food are easy to find. The centre is dense, with one-way streets, tram lines and cobbles, and it is best to park outside and walk. The weather can change quickly on the high ground, and a warm morning may turn cold and windy by noon, so carry a layer. Winters bring snow to the volcanoes, and some roads may be icy.
The food of the Auvergne is hearty, built on cheese, sausage, lentils and potatoes. Saint-Nectaire, Cantal and the blue Fourme d'Ambert are the classics, and a dish of aligot, mashed potato stretched with cheese until it hangs in ribbons, is a fine reward after a day on the volcanic roads.