West of Lyon, the land rises into soft hills, and the city's suburbs dissolve into villages, orchards and woods. To the north lie the vineyards of the Beaujolais, and on clear days you can see the Alps, even Mont Blanc, far to the east across the plain.
The Monts du Lyonnais are farming country, with dairy cattle, fruit orchards and small fields divided by hedges and woods. The villages have stone churches and old farmhouses, and the roads wind gently through them, climbing to small cols with views over the hills. The Col de la Luère, above Pollionnay, is well known to Lyon's cyclists and is a pleasant climb on a bike with an engine, with tight bends through the forest and a view over the city from the top. To the north, the Pierres Dorées area of the southern Beaujolais has villages built of golden limestone that glow in the evening sun, such as Oingt, perched on a hill above the vines.
This point serves as a finish for two long rides. The Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux day is a huge undertaking, combining the twenty-one hairpins of the Alpe d'Huez with the bare, windswept summit of the Giant of Provence, and returning here after such a day feels like a homecoming. The Route Napoléon weekend follows the road taken by Napoleon on his return from Elba in 1815, from the Riviera through Grasse, Castellane and Digne to Grenoble. Both are long and demanding, and the gentle hills around Lentilly are a fine place to wind down.
The roads near Lyon can be busy at rush hour, especially the routes leading into the city, and the A89 and the N7 carry heavy traffic. The country roads, however, are quieter and pleasant, though narrow and sometimes bumpy, with farm traffic and cyclists. In summer the heat can be intense, while autumn brings fog in the valleys and colourful woods.
Lentilly has fuel, shops and a few places to eat, and there are larger supermarkets and services in the western suburbs of Lyon. After a long ride, a glass of Beaujolais and a plate of local charcuterie in a village bistro is a fitting reward.