This is the industrial southern edge of Lyon, where the Gier valley meets the Rhône at Givors, a town of eighteen thousand people with a working past. Givors was once a centre of glassmaking, with a large factory that produced bottles for the wine trade, and a canal built in the eighteenth century linked it to the coalfields and ironworks of Rive-de-Gier, carrying coal to Lyon. The canal has largely disappeared, but its line can still be traced in the streets, and a few locks and old warehouses survive beside the river. The town has a slightly worn, honest look, with tall chimneys and river wharves.
Behind Givors, the hills rise quickly. Chassagny and Montagny sit on the slopes above the valley, with views over the Rhône and the long trains and barges that pass below. Orchards and small vineyards cling to the terraces, and the first spurs of the Pilat massif rise to the south, covered in woodland. It is a quiet and unglamorous corner of the region, rarely visited by tourists, which gives it a certain authenticity.
For a ride called Drôme Provençale, the end of the day here feels like a descent from the sunny south back into practical France. The roads south of Lyon along the Rhône are straightforward and fast, though busy with lorries, and the climbs into the hills offer more fun, with tight bends and views over the valley. Surfaces are generally good, but watch for gravel on the smaller lanes. Fuel is plentiful in Givors, with several stations and big supermarkets, so there is no need to worry.
If you have a few minutes, take the small road up to one of the viewpoints and watch the sun go down over the Rhône. The river is wide and slow here, and the light on the water turns it a dark gold. Behind you, the hills smell of pine and warm stone, a faint echo of Provence.