L'Isle-d'Abeau is a town that was planned on paper. In the 1970s, it was chosen as one of the new towns designed to absorb the growth of big French cities, in this case Lyon, and its neighbourhoods were built around the old village on the hills between Lyon and Grenoble. The result is a mix of modern housing, business parks and green spaces, practical rather than beautiful, but surrounded by countryside that is much more appealing.
The Nord-Isère hills around the town are gentle and green, with woods, meadows and small lakes. The area was once a marshy plain, drained over the centuries, and the remnants of wetlands still attract birds. To the north lies the Isle Crémieu, a limestone plateau with ponds, caves and the medieval town of Crémieu, with its huge covered market and fortified gates. To the east, the land rises towards the Alps, with the Chartreuse and Bugey on the horizon.
The riding here is a mix of busy main roads and quieter rural lanes. The A43 motorway runs past, linking Lyon with Chambéry and the Alps, and the roads around the town can be congested at rush hour. But head north or east, and the roads quickly become quieter and more winding, with views over the hills and the plain.
L'Isle-d'Abeau and neighbouring Bourgoin-Jallieu have plenty of fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, making this a convenient stop. Bourgoin is known for its rugby club and its textile heritage. Onward, the way heads towards the Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France, with its balcony roads and views over the water to the mountains.