South and west of Bourgoin-Jallieu, the flat valley of the Bourbre gives way to a tangle of low hills, and these are the high points of the Bas-Dauphiné: rounded ridges, small woods of oak and chestnut, walnut orchards and farms with pebble walls. Further south they become the Terres Froides, the cold lands, a name that sounds harsh until you ride there in June and find nothing colder than a breeze across the hay meadows.
None of this is mountain country, but the ridges give honest views. North-east, the Bugey and the first ridges of the Jura line the horizon; east, the Chartreuse and Belledonne stand up sharp and grey; on a really clear morning Mont Blanc itself appears as a pale tooth beyond them. That glimpse of the high Alps from a modest hill is one of the quiet pleasures of riding in Nord-Isère.
The roads are a delight for anyone who likes rhythm. They roll and twist over the crests and down into small valleys, rarely straight for long, with good sightlines on the open ridges and tighter, shaded sections in the woods. Surfaces are mostly fine but patched in places, and farm traffic is common. The main roads around Bourgoin carry commuter traffic towards Lyon, so a mid-morning start is kinder.
Hector Berlioz was born in La Côte-Saint-André, in the Bièvre plain a little to the south, and the house where he grew up is now a museum devoted to him. It is a reminder that this unassuming country produced one of the great romantic composers. Fuel, food and coffee are all a few minutes away in Bourgoin-Jallieu or L'Isle-d'Abeau.