Balbigny is a small town on the Loire, at the northern end of the Forez plain, where the river leaves the open basin and enters the hills towards Roanne. It is a crossroads: the A89 and A72 motorways meet nearby, and old roads from Lyon to Clermont-Ferrand and from Saint-Étienne to Roanne pass through. For riders, it is a practical stop for fuel and food on the way across the region.
The town has a few points of interest, including an old bridge over the Loire and a church, but the main attractions lie nearby. A few kilometres south stands the Bastie d'Urfé, a Renaissance château with Italian-style gardens and a remarkable grotto decorated with shells and sand. It was the home of Honoré d'Urfé, whose long pastoral novel L'Astrée, set in the Forez, was a sensation in seventeenth-century France.
The surrounding landscape is varied. The Loire valley is broad and green, with fields and riverside woods, while to the east and west the land rises into the Monts du Lyonnais and the Monts de la Madeleine. The roads in the hills are winding and fun, with views over the river and the plain. North of Balbigny, the Loire flows into the long reservoir of Villerest, with gorges, castles and quiet roads along its banks.
Balbigny has pumps, groceries and restaurants, so it is a convenient place to stop. The motorway junctions bring traffic, but the minor roads quickly become quiet. From here, the route heads east towards the Beaujolais, through rolling hills and small villages, at its best in the soft light of early morning.