Isère Valley and Belledonne · part 3

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Photo stop near Sury-le-Comtal

   Sury-le-Comtal sits on the flat floor of the Forez plain, the broad basin of the Loire between the Monts du Forez and the Monts du Lyonnais. It is a small town with a big secret: its château, outwardly modest, holds some of the most remarkable seventeenth-century carved wooden interiors in France, with ceilings, panels and fireplaces carved in exuberant detail. Guided visits are possible on certain days.

   Read the complete Photo stop near Sury-le-Comtal write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Photo stop near Sury-le-Comtal is where the day begins. Next is Isère Valley and Belledonne checkpoint 8.

2. 2. Near Neuville-sur-Saône

   Neuville-sur-Saône sits in a bend of the river just north of Lyon, and this stop is up on the plateau east of it, between Montanay and Cailloux-sur-Fontaines. The land here is open farmland and new housing, a transition zone where the city thins out and the Dombes begins. It is not the place for scenery, but it is a sensible finish: close to the motorways, with easy access back into Lyon or out towards the Ain.

   Read the complete Near Neuville-sur-Saône write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Isère Valley and Belledonne checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is Back to Isère Valley.

3. 3. Back to Isère Valley

   Bourgoin-Jallieu and Domarin lie in the Nord-Isère, the broad rolling country between Lyon and Grenoble known as the Bas-Dauphiné, where the landscape is of low hills, maize fields, ponds and small woods. It is an unglamorous corner, a place that most people see only from the motorway, but it has its own quiet pleasures. Bourgoin-Jallieu is a town of about twenty-three thousand that grew rich on textile printing, and old mills and workers' housing still line some of its streets.

   Read the complete Isère Valley write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 176 km.