Why this ride
From Saint-Étienne it runs 629 km to Vienne; allow about 9 h 25 of riding. It goes by way of Monts d’Ardèche roads, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop and Ardèche swim window. Col de l’Oeillon ridge is the high point.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Lyon · Ardèche Gorges Long Day + Lyon · Pilat Ridge and Rhône Balcony
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 629 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 25
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Saint-Étienne fuel gate
Saint-Étienne wears its history in layers of coal, iron and cloth, and from the ring roads on the north side you can see how a city spread across a series of ridges, with the hills of the Pilat to the south and the mining basin of the Gier to the east. This is the second time the rides use it as a base, and it makes sense: with nearly a hundred and seventy-six thousand people, it has fuel on every approach, early bakeries and a tram that runs through the centre. The suburbs of Saint-Genest-Lerpt and Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, each with about six thousand people, climb the hills on the north side and make the quickest exit onto quieter roads.
Read the complete Food stop in Saint-Étienne write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Saint-Étienne is where the day begins. Next is Monts d’Ardèche roads.
2. Monts d’Ardèche roads
The Monts d'Ardèche are not tall, but they are steep, and that is what makes them interesting. Around the valley of the Eyrieux, between Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut, Le Cheylard and Privas, the land is a tangle of narrow ridges and deep, wooded gorges, falling from the high plateau toward the Rhône. Chestnut woods cover most of the slopes, and on the lower ground the old terraces, built by hand to hold soil on the hillsides, still step down in grey stone walls, many of them abandoned and overgrown.
Read the complete Monts d’Ardèche roads write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monts d’Ardèche roads comes up 67 km in. Next is Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop.
3. Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop
The first sight of the Pont d'Arc is the sort of thing that makes you stop without being asked. A single arch of pale limestone, about sixty metres wide, spans the Ardèche river like a doorway cut by water, with the river running through and canoes drifting in the shade. It is a natural bridge, shaped over a very long time as the river found a shortcut through a narrow meander, and the little town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc sits close beside it, full of campsites, bakeries and shops that sell kayaks and ice cream in about equal numbers.
Read the complete Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
133 km in you reach Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop. Next is Ardèche swim window.
4. Ardèche swim window
Sometimes the best reason to stop is simply that it is hot. The Ardèche river just downstream of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is a broad, shallow, clear stretch of water over pale stones, with small gravel beaches along the banks, and in summer it is the natural place to cool off. The label says swim window, and that is accurate: for an hour in the middle of the day, the heat of the gorge makes the river feel like a gift, and riders in boots and jackets quickly start thinking about paddling.
Read the complete Ardèche swim window write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ardèche swim window, about halfway. Next is Back to Saint-Étienne.
5. Back to Saint-Étienne
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Food stop in Saint-Étienne write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Back to Saint-Étienne. That is the ride. Next is Vienne.
6. Vienne fuel gate
Vienne has been a city for two thousand years and it still shows it. On the east bank of the Rhône, about thirty kilometres south of Lyon, the Romans built a prosperous colony here, and the temple of Augustus and Livia still stands in the centre, as complete as when it was built, with its Corinthian columns facing a small square of cafés. Nearby a Roman theatre climbs the hillside, and every July it fills with music for a jazz festival that has become one of the best known in Europe.
Read the complete Photo stop near Vienne write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The day opens at Vienne. Next is Col de l’Oeillon ridge.
7. Col de l’Oeillon ridge
On the map the Pilat looks like a small bump south of Saint-Étienne, but on the ground it is a proper mountain massif, with a high ridge, deep forests and views down into the Rhône valley. The Col de l'Oeillon sits at around thirteen hundred metres, on the road that climbs from Pélussin up toward the main crest, and it is one of the best-known climbs for riders in the Lyon region. The highest point in the range, the Crêt de la Perdrix, is a short walk away at about fourteen hundred and thirty metres.
Read the complete Col de l’Oeillon ridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Pilat forest bends.
8. Pilat forest bends
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.
Read the complete Pilat forest bends write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pilat forest bends, late in the day. Next is Condrieu food by river.
9. Condrieu food by river
Condrieu is a small town on the right bank of the Rhône, and its fame rests on a grape. Viognier, a fragrant white variety with notes of apricot and blossom, was almost lost here in the twentieth century, when only a few hectares survived on the steep granite terraces above the town, and the wine from this tiny area has since become one of the most sought after in France. The vines cling to slopes so steep that they are held by dry-stone walls, and in autumn the terraces blaze yellow above the river.
Read the complete Condrieu food by river write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Condrieu food by river sits at 532 km, late in the day. Next is back to Vienne.
10. back to Vienne
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Photo stop near Vienne write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back to Vienne closes the day.
Leg by leg
Saint-Étienne fuel gate to Monts d’Ardèche roads
Saint-Étienne fuel gate → Monts d’Ardèche roads is 114 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Monts d’Ardèche roads to Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop
Monts d’Ardèche roads → Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop is 78 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ardèche swim window to Back to Saint-Étienne
Ardèche swim window → Back to Saint-Étienne is 193 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Back to Saint-Étienne to Vienne fuel gate
Back to Saint-Étienne → Vienne fuel gate is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vienne fuel gate to Col de l’Oeillon ridge
Vienne fuel gate → Col de l’Oeillon ridge is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Col de l’Oeillon ridge to Pilat forest bends
Col de l’Oeillon ridge → Pilat forest bends is 5 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pilat forest bends to Condrieu food by river
Pilat forest bends → Condrieu food by river is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Condrieu food by river to back to Vienne
Condrieu food by river → back to Vienne is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
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- Lyon · Pilat Ridge and Rhône Balcony · 93 km
- Jura Wine Roads and Cascades · part 2 · 118 km