Dombes Lakes Easy Scenic
A 285 km loop
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Why this ride
A rider’s loop: clean exit, memorable middle, calm return. 285 km round from Saint-André-de-Corcy - plan on about 5 h 54 of riding. It goes by way of near Eyzin-Pinet, Scenic stretch near Mornant, Sorbiers and near Le Perréon.
Roadbook
- Fuel stop in Saint-André-de-Corcy
fuel
Fuel at 0 km.
- Photo stop near Eyzin-Pinet
swim
Photo stop near Eyzin-Pinet comes up 41 km in.
- Scenic stretch near Mornant
swim
Two thousand years ago, engineers from Lugdunum ran an aqueduct through these hills to carry water from the Gier valley to the Roman city, a channel some eighty kilometres long that bridged valleys on stone arches. Around Mornant, sections of those arches still stand in the fields, weathered and patched with ivy, and stumbling upon them on a back road is one of the quiet pleasures of riding in the Monts du Lyonnais.
Mornant itself is a small market town on the eastern slopes of the hills, with a medieval core, a fortified church and a lively square. The countryside around it is a patchwork of orchards, meadows and woods, and the area is known for its cherries, sold at roadside stands in early summer. From the higher roads, the views stretch across the Rhône valley to the Pilat and, on clear days, all the way to the Alps.
The riding is the main reason to come. The roads through the Monts du Lyonnais are an endless succession of bends, climbs and descents, with small villages and changing scenery. They are close enough to Lyon to be popular on weekends, so expect other bikes, cyclists and families out for a drive. Surfaces are generally good, but watch for gravel and for farm traffic. In autumn, the orchards turn red and gold, and the light is wonderful.
Mornant keeps riders supplied with fuel, groceries and meals, making it a convenient stop for a top-up or a meal. Bakeries offer local pastries, including the praline tart that Lyon is famous for, pink and sticky. The roads south towards Saint-Chamond and the Pilat or east to the Rhône both make good continuations, depending on how much time you have.
- Sorbiers, on the way back
swim
Saint-Étienne made France's guns, bicycles and ribbons, and dug its coal from under its own streets. Sorbiers lies just north-east of the city, in the Jarez valley, where the industrial past gives way to green hills and small farms. The Monts du Lyonnais rise to the north, the Pilat to the south, and the city sprawls in the valley between.
The mining heritage is everywhere. The Puits Couriot, a former coal mine in the city, is now a museum, with the headframe and the slag heaps still standing. The Manufrance company, which made guns and bicycles and sold them through a famous catalogue, was a symbol of the city for a century. And the football club, AS Saint-Étienne, plays at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, known as the Chaudron, the cauldron, for its passionate atmosphere.
Swimming nearby is limited. South of the city, the Furan valley holds the Gouffre d'Enfer dam, one of the first large masonry dams in France, built in the nineteenth century to supply water to the city, but swimming is not allowed. Further afield, the Loire gorges and lakes offer options, and the municipal pools are a reliable choice.
The riding around Saint-Étienne is far better than its grimy reputation suggests. The Col de la République, on the old road to Bourg-Argental, was the first mountain pass ever climbed in the Tour de France, in 1903, and it remains a fine, steady climb through pine forest. Beyond it the Pilat opens up a whole network of smaller roads, with tight bends, steep ramps and sudden views east over the Rhône valley to the Alps. North of Sorbiers, the lanes into the Monts du Lyonnais are quieter still, threading through hamlets and pasture on surfaces that range from fresh to frankly agricultural.
Sorbiers and its neighbour La Talaudière cover fuel and shopping without fuss. If you go into the city, try a plate of râpée, the local potato pancake, or a bowl of the creamy, nutty Fourme cheese from the Forez hills, and remember that people here are proud, funny and rarely impressed by anything from Lyon.
- Food stop near Le Perréon
food
Food at 163 km, roughly 3 hours into the riding.
- High point in Gleizé
swim
High point in Gleizé comes up 204 km in.
- Chasselay
finish
In June 1940, as the German army swept south, a unit of Senegalese tirailleurs fighting for France defended the approaches to Lyon at Chasselay. After they surrendered, many of the African soldiers were separated from their white comrades and massacred. Two years later, a cemetery was built for them in the style of a West African tata, a walled enclosure of red earth, with gates and pointed towers. It stands on the edge of the village today, one of the most moving war memorials in France.
Chasselay itself is a quiet village on the northern slopes of the Monts d'Or, with stone houses, vineyards and views over the Saône valley. The Azergues valley, to the west, leads into the Beaujolais, and the golden-stone villages begin a few kilometres north.
This finish brings you back from the Dombes, the plateau of ponds east of the Saône, where you may have seen herons, egrets and storks among the reeds. The final stretch crosses the river and climbs into the hills, with roads that are narrow and winding.
There is a bakery in the village, and Neuville, a few minutes east, takes care of fuel. Whatever the time, give the Tata ten minutes before you go home. The red walls, the rows of graves, the silence on a summer evening: it is a short stop, and it stays with you for a long time.
- Back to Dombes Lakes Easy
finish
Saint-André-de-Corcy is a village on the southern edge of the Dombes, a flat plateau of clay and water north of Lyon that is unlike anywhere else in France. Over the centuries, monks and landowners dug a thousand or so shallow ponds, called étangs, across the clay to raise fish, and the whole landscape is a patchwork of water, reeds, meadows and little woods, with farmhouses built of brick and timber. The dot lies at the southern edge of this strange country, with Mionnay just beside it.
The ponds work on a long cycle. In the autumn or winter the farmers drain the water through a sluice, harvest the carp, tench and pike that have grown there for several years, and leave the bed dry for a season to grow oats or to rest. Then the pond is flooded again, and the cycle repeats. The result is a landscape that looks wild but is in fact tended by hand, and it is rich in wildlife. Herons, black-necked grebes, kingfishers and migrating waders find food here, and the Parc des Oiseaux at Villars-les-Dombes, a few kilometres north, has a large collection of birds from around the world.
For a rider, the Dombes are an easy day. The roads are flat and straight, running between ponds and woods, with long views and little traffic. They are best taken slowly, with a stop to watch the birds, and the light is lovely at dawn and dusk, when mist rises from the water. Sandy patches and fallen leaves can make the surface slippery in autumn. In summer, mosquitoes and heat make the afternoon less pleasant, and the high season is spring and early autumn.
The local cooking reflects the landscape. Carp, fried or in a stew, and frogs' legs are the classic dishes, and the village restaurants serve them with butter, garlic and parsley. Mionnay is known to food lovers as a place with a long tradition of excellent restaurants, and a table here is worth booking in advance.
Fuel is easy in Saint-André-de-Corcy, with stations on the main road and a small supermarket. Lyon is half an hour away.