Down in the forest on the southern and western flanks of the Pilat, the road forgets about views and concentrates on bends. This stretch, near Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette and Bourg-Argental, runs under big stands of beech and fir, with the light falling in patches on the tarmac and the air noticeably cooler and damper than anywhere on the Rhône side. If the high ridge is the postcard, this is the quiet backstage, and some riders will tell you it is the better ride.
The corners are tight and continuous, one after another, with few places to overtake and plenty of reasons not to try. The surface is mostly good but gets slippery under shade, particularly in autumn when wet leaves and moss lie in the apexes, and after rain a patch of mud from a forestry vehicle is not unusual. Mornings are the best time, as the forest is quiet, and wild animals such as deer sometimes cross the road. In winter, ice lingers in shaded bends long after the sun has warmed the fields.
This area also has a working history. The Pilat was once a centre of silk-throwing, the process of twisting raw silk into thread, and the mills in the valleys here, driven by fast little rivers, supplied the weavers of Lyon and Saint-Étienne. Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette takes its name partly from the mills, and old buildings from this period still stand beside streams in the area. Timber, too, has long mattered, with the forest managed for wood and the roads built to haul logs.
Practical matters need care. Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette is a village of just over a thousand people, and Bourg-Argental, a few kilometres further, is a small town with shops, cafés and basic services. Fuel is limited, so top up in Saint-Chamond or at a larger station before entering the forest section. Mobile reception is patchy in the valleys, and there are long stretches with no villages at all, which is part of the charm.