Why this ride
322 km one way from Saint-Martin-en-Haut - plan on about 5 h 23 of riding. It goes by way of in Saint-Étienne, Scenic stretch in Moidieu and Péronnas. near L'Isle-d'Abeau is the high point.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Lac du Bourget Balcony Ride · short arc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 322 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 23
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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.
Scenic road chapters
Lac du Bourget Balcony Ride fuel gate → Lac du Bourget Balcony Ride fo
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 39 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 33 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop in Saint-Martin-en-Haut
Saint-Martin-en-Haut lives up to its name: it sits high in the Monts du Lyonnais, on a plateau around seven hundred metres up, about thirty kilometres west of Lyon. On a clear day, the views from the village stretch east over the Rhône valley to the Alps, with Mont Blanc visible on the horizon, and west over the rolling hills to the Monts du Forez.
Read the complete Fuel stop in Saint-Martin-en-Haut write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lac du Bourget Balcony Ride is where the day begins. Next is Food stop in Saint-Étienne.
2. Food stop in Saint-Étienne
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
Food stop in Saint-Étienne is where this day stops to eat. Next is Scenic stretch in Moidieu.
3. Scenic stretch in Moidieu
Moidieu-Détourbe is a quiet village in the hills east of Vienne, in the valley of the Gère, among fields, pastures and woods. It is a typical Bas-Dauphiné village, with a church, a few farms and houses, and a peaceful atmosphere. The surrounding hills offer pleasant views over the countryside.
Read the complete Scenic stretch in Moidieu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 96 km into the recorded legs you reach Scenic stretch in Moidieu. Next is High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau.
4. High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau
L'Isle-d'Abeau is a town that was planned on paper. In the 1970s, it was chosen as one of the new towns designed to absorb the growth of big French cities, in this case Lyon, and its neighbourhoods were built around the old village on the hills between Lyon and Grenoble. The result is a mix of modern housing, business parks and green spaces, practical rather than beautiful, but surrounded by countryside that is much more appealing.
Read the complete High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The high point of this section. Next is Lyon / Rhône-Alpes rides return.
5. Near Péronnas, on the way back
Bourg-en-Bresse lies just east of here, and this stop sits on its western edge, between Péronnas, Buellas and Saint-Denis-lès-Bourg. The country is gentle, with fields, hedges, farm buildings and the outskirts of a mid-sized town. To the south the Dombes plateau begins, a region of hundreds of shallow ponds created by monks and lords in the Middle Ages for fish farming.
Read the complete Near Péronnas, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lyon / Rhône-Alpes rides return sits at 224 km, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne.
6. Photo stop near Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne
The Chalaronne winds its last few kilometres towards the Saône past Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne, a quiet village of brick and timber houses at the western edge of the Dombes. Here the plateau of ponds slopes down to the broad Saône valley, and the landscape becomes a mix of meadows, woods and fields, with the hills of the Beaujolais rising on the other side of the river.
Read the complete Photo stop near Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Photo stop near Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne comes up about 255 km into the recorded legs. Next is Lac du Bourget Balcony Ride checkpoint 8.
7. Near Miribel
East of Lyon, the Rhône splits into channels and lakes on its way into the city, and the vast Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage has been made out of that watery landscape. This finish lies just above it, on the edge of the Côtière, the steep slope that separates the river plain from the Dombes plateau, between Thil, Beynost and Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost.
Read the complete Near Miribel write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lac du Bourget Balcony Ride checkpoint 8 closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop in Saint-Martin-en-Haut to Food stop in Saint-Étienne
Fuel stop in Saint-Martin-en-Haut → Food stop in Saint-Étienne is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Food stop in Saint-Étienne to Scenic stretch in Moidieu
Food stop in Saint-Étienne → Scenic stretch in Moidieu is 63 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Scenic stretch in Moidieu to High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau
Scenic stretch in Moidieu → High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau to Near Péronnas, on the way back
High point near L'Isle-d'Abeau → Near Péronnas, on the way back is 84 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Photo stop near Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne to Near Miribel
Photo stop near Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne → Near Miribel is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.