Isère Valley and Belledonne

A 518 km loop

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Why this ride

A proper escape from Lyon with roads worth waking up for. Out of Bourgoin-Jallieu and back again: 518 km, roughly 10 h 48 in the saddle. It goes by way of near Artemare, Scenic stretch near Beaujeu and Ambierle. The climb of the day is near Péronnas. The line favours views over speed.

Roadbook

1. Fuel stop in Bourgoin-Jallieu fuel

   Bourgoin-Jallieu is the main town of Nord-Isère, a working place on the old road from Lyon to Chambéry and Grenoble, and it makes a good, unfussy start to a ride. The two old villages of Bourgoin and Jallieu grew together in the nineteenth century around textile mills, and printing on cloth was the town's speciality. The museum in the centre has collections on the history of textile printing, and you can still see old mill buildings along the Bourbre river.

   The town has one literary curiosity: Jean-Jacques Rousseau stayed here in 1768, and it was in Bourgoin that he finally married Thérèse Levasseur, his companion of many years, in a simple civil ceremony. Today, the town is better known for rugby. Its club, CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, has a long history in the French top flight, and the sport is a passion here.

   As a fuel stop, Bourgoin-Jallieu is easy. There are plenty of service stations on the approaches to town and near the motorway junction, as well as supermarkets, bakeries and cafés. The A43 motorway runs past, providing a quick route east towards Chambéry and the Alps, or west to Lyon. Tolls apply.

   From here, the riding options are many. To the south, the hills of the Bas-Dauphiné and the Terres Froides offer winding roads through farmland and woods. To the east, the routes towards the Isère valley and the Belledonne range lead to the high Alps. The roads around town can be busy, but once you are out in the countryside, traffic thins quickly.

2. Food stop near Artemare food

   Artemare is a small town in the Valromey, a valley in the Bugey, at the foot of the Grand Colombier, the highest summit at the southern end of the Jura. The town sits where the Séran river emerges from its valley, and the landscape around it is a mix of meadows, forests, limestone cliffs and small villages. Just to the north, the Cascade de Cerveyrieu drops in a spectacular fall over a limestone ledge, especially impressive after rain.

   The Bugey is a region of deep valleys, limestone ridges and lakes, and it has a long tradition of good food and wine. Brillat-Savarin, the famous gastronome and author of The Physiology of Taste, was born in Belley, just to the south, and the region takes its culinary heritage seriously. The local wines, under the Bugey name, include sparkling Cerdon, a light, fruity pink wine, and reds and whites from local grape varieties. Cheeses, charcuterie and freshwater fish from the lakes are all excellent.

   For riders, Artemare is the gateway to one of the great climbs of the Jura: the Grand Colombier, which can be reached from several sides, with steep gradients, hairpins and spectacular views over the Rhône valley, the Lac du Bourget and the Alps. The Col de la Biche and the Col du Grand Colombier are often used in the Tour de France. The roads are narrow and can be rough, and they are usually closed in winter.

   Artemare has a few restaurants and cafés, and food options in the valley are good. Fuel is available in Artemare or in Belley and Culoz. Fill up before heading into the mountains.

3. High point near Péronnas pass

   Péronnas is a suburb on the southern edge of Bourg-en-Bresse, and the high ground near it is little more than a gentle swell where three landscapes meet. North and west lies the Bresse, flat and green; south, the Dombes begins, with its ponds and woods; and east, the abrupt wooded wall of the Revermont rises out of the plain like the edge of a stage set. On a clear day the snowy Alps sometimes appear far beyond, an unexpected bonus.

   The area's chief cultural treasure is just next door in Bourg: the Monastery of Brou, a shimmering piece of late Gothic architecture whose glazed tile roof catches the sun. But Péronnas itself has its own quieter history. It was long a farming village before Bourg's growth swallowed much of it, and old farmhouses with deep roofs still stand among the newer houses.

   The riding here is mostly about transition. The roads south into the Dombes are gentle and flowing, with ponds glinting through the trees, while the routes east climb steeply into the Revermont, where the fun really begins: switchbacks up to small villages, ridge roads with long views, and descents into limestone valleys. Around Péronnas itself, traffic can be busy with commuters and shoppers, so pick your time.

   Fuel, food and coffee are plentiful in Péronnas and Bourg-en-Bresse. Bresse chicken and the creamy dishes of the region are on many menus, and Bourg has a good covered market. This is a good place to regroup before tackling the hills.

4. Scenic stretch near Beaujeu scenic

   Beaujeu gave its name to the Beaujolais. The lords of Beaujeu ruled this land of hills and vineyards in the Middle Ages, and the little town in the valley of the Ardières remained its capital until the role passed to Villefranche. Today it is a quiet place, with a Romanesque church, old houses and a hospice with a fine collection of pharmacy jars, and it takes great pride in its wine. Every November, the release of Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated here with festivities that draw crowds.

   The landscape around Beaujeu is one of the most beautiful in the Lyon region. To the east, the vineyards of the famous crus, Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent and others, cover the slopes in neat rows, with stone villages and châteaux scattered among them. To the west, the land rises to the forested hills of the Haut-Beaujolais, with pine and fir forests and the summit of Mont Saint-Rigaud, the highest point of the region.

   The riding is excellent. Roads wind through the vineyards and climb into the hills over passes like the Col du Fût d'Avenas, with superb views over the Saône valley to the Alps. The surfaces are generally good, but the roads can be narrow and steep, with tight corners. Watch for tractors in the vineyards, especially during the harvest in September, and for cyclists on the climbs.

   Beaujeu has fuel, a few shops, cafés and restaurants, making it a good place for a break. For a wider range of services, Belleville-en-Beaujolais lies a short ride away in the Saône valley. Try a glass of the local wine with your meal, but only once the riding is over for the day.

5. Near Ambierle, on the way back swim

   The Côte Roannaise is a long east-facing slope where the Monts de la Madeleine drop towards the Loire plain, and Ambierle sits high on it, with vineyards falling away below and the forested hills at its back. On a clear morning you can see across the plain to the Monts du Lyonnais and beyond. This stop is down on the edge of that slope, between Ambierle and Renaison, at the point where the vines give way to meadows and hedges.

   Ambierle is worth the short climb. Its priory church, a Benedictine foundation rebuilt in late Gothic style, holds a carved and painted altarpiece from Flanders that is far finer than anyone expects to find in a village of under two thousand people. Nearby Saint-Haon-le-Châtel is a small walled village with old houses squeezed inside its ramparts.

   The wine is gamay, as in Beaujolais, but grown on granite and making lighter, peppery reds under the Côte Roannaise name. Roanne, down on the plain, has an outsized reputation for food thanks to the Troisgros family, whose restaurant put the town on the gastronomic map decades ago.

   For a swim, keep your expectations sensible. Above Renaison the dams of La Tache and Chartrain hold the drinking water for Roanne, so bathing there is off limits. The nearest proper option is the Loire itself, held back by the Villerest dam south of Roanne, where the lake has had organised bathing and water sports areas in summer.

   The riding is lovely. The D8 runs along the hillside through the wine villages with constant views, while roads climbing into the Monts de la Madeleine twist through pine and beech towards the passes, with bumpy patches and the odd logging truck. Renaison and Riorges have fuel and shops, Roanne everything else.

6. Photo stop near Sury-le-Comtal photo

   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.

   The Forez plain is an old lake bed, flat and fertile, dotted with ponds and farms, and crossed by the Loire. Volcanic hills rise here and there, the most striking being the basalt peak of Saint-Romain-le-Puy a short ride away, crowned by a Romanesque priory with superb views over the plain. Montbrison, the old capital of the counts of Forez, is a few kilometres north, with a fine collegiate church and the round Salle Héraldique, decorated with coats of arms.

   The riding on the plain is relaxed, with straight roads and gentle bends, and it can be windy. To the west, the roads climb into the Monts du Forez, where the scenery changes rapidly to forests, meadows and high moorland, and the riding becomes much more challenging and rewarding. To the east, the Monts du Lyonnais offer rolling hills and winding roads.

   Sury-le-Comtal has fuel, shops and a few restaurants. Montbrison is the place for a wider choice and for the local cheese, fourme de Montbrison, a cousin of the blue fourme d'Ambert. From the priory of Saint-Romain-le-Puy, the view over the Forez plain to the mountains is one of the best photo opportunities in the area, particularly in the evening light.

7. Near Neuville-sur-Saône finish

   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.

   The history is subtle but real. Neuville was once the capital of the Franc-Lyonnais, a small territory along the left bank of the Saône that enjoyed tax privileges under the old monarchy. The town took its present name in the seventeenth century from Camille de Neufville de Villeroy, archbishop of Lyon, who rebuilt it and left behind a large church with twin towers that still dominates the riverside.

   Across the river rise the Monts d'Or, a small limestone massif with old villages, stone walls and views over Lyon. On a clear evening the hills glow in the low sun, and the Saône below is calm and wide. The quays at Neuville are a pleasant place for a slow walk after a long ride, and the bridges give you views up and down the river.

   Riding into this area at the end of a day, you come off quiet roads and into the traffic of the Lyon outskirts. The D433 and D51 can be busy, especially at rush hour, and roundabouts come thick and fast. Watch for cyclists along the river and for slow traffic on the narrow roads of the villages.

   Neuville has fuel, cafés, bakeries and restaurants, and the town is busy on market days. If you want to finish with a meal, the riverfront has a few places with terraces where you can watch the barges go by.

8. Back to Isère Valley finish

   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.

   Behind you, the day has probably been spent in the Isère valley and the Belledonne range, one of the great mountain walls of the French Alps. The Isère flows from the high Tarentaise toward Grenoble through a broad valley of orchards, poplars and walnut groves, and the Belledonne, to the east, rises to more than 2,900 metres, with a long ridge of jagged rock. The roads that climb into it, through villages like Les Sept Laux, are narrow and steep, and offer views across the valley to the Chartreuse and Vercors.

   The Dauphiné has a character of its own. The region is known for walnuts, a protected product called Noix de Grenoble, and for gratin dauphinois, a dish of potatoes baked in cream that is a classic of French cooking. It has also long been a land of independent spirits, and the famous Day of the Tiles, in 1788, when the people of Grenoble threw roof tiles at royal troops, is regarded as a prelude to the Revolution.

   The riding in the Nord-Isère is straightforward and relaxed. Roads are quiet, with gentle curves, and run through villages with old stone farmhouses and big barns. Speed cameras are common around larger towns, and traffic is heavy near Bourgoin and the L'Isle-d'Abeau new town. In summer, the maize stands high and the roads feel tunnel-like, so watch for tractors at junctions.

   Fuel is easy at Bourgoin-Jallieu, with supermarkets and stations on the ring road, and bakeries and cafes in the centre. A simple lunch in a village restaurant, with the plat du jour and a quarter-litre of wine, is a reliable pleasure.

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