Mont Ventoux Long South Day · short arc

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Food stop near Saint-Uze

   Saint-Uze is a small town in the northern Drôme, tucked into the valley of the Galaure a few kilometres east of the Rhône at Saint-Vallier. For two centuries it was a pottery town. The clay here was excellent, and workshops turned out stoneware and earthenware in huge quantities, from jugs and pots to tableware, giving the place a long tradition in ceramics. Look for old kilns and potters' marks around town; the craft shaped the place.

   Read the complete Food stop near Saint-Uze write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Food stop near Saint-Uze is where the day begins. Next is Lyon / Rhône-Alpes rides return.

2. 2. Near Rives, on the way back

   Beaucroissant and Renage lie in the green hill country of the Bas-Dauphiné, between Grenoble and Lyon, near the little town of Rives, and not far from the Lac de Paladru, which is why the point is tagged for swimming. The lake is a glacial one, about five kilometres long, with clear water, a few beaches and shallows that warm up quickly in July and August, and the water and woodland setting make it a favourite with the people of Grenoble and Lyon. Entrance to some of the beaches is charged in season.

   Read the complete Lyon / Rhône-Alpes rides 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 comes up about 61 km into the recorded legs. Next is Photo stop near Tossiat.

3. 3. Photo stop near Tossiat

   Tossiat sits at the foot of the Revermont, the first wrinkle of the Jura rising out of the flat Bresse plain east of Bourg-en-Bresse. Stand at the edge of the village and look west, and the whole Bresse lies spread out below, flat and green to the horizon. Turn around, and the wooded slopes of the Revermont climb steeply behind you, with limestone cliffs breaking through the trees.

   Read the complete Photo stop near Tossiat write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   At least about 191 km into the recorded legs you reach Photo stop near Tossiat. Next is Scenic stretch near Chalamont.

4. 4. Scenic stretch near Chalamont

   Chalamont stands on the highest ground of the Dombes, the plateau of ponds north-east of Lyon, and from its slopes you look out over a strange, watery landscape. There are well over a thousand ponds in the Dombes, most of them created by monks and landowners in the Middle Ages to raise fish and drain the poor, clay soils. They are still farmed in a rotation that dates back centuries: a pond is filled and stocked with carp for a few years, then drained and planted with cereals, before being flooded again.

   Read the complete Scenic stretch near Chalamont write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Scenic stretch near Chalamont, about halfway. Next is Mont Ventoux Long South Day checkpoint 8.

5. 5. Near Lentilly

   West of Lyon, the land rises into soft hills, and the city's suburbs dissolve into villages, orchards and woods. To the north lie the vineyards of the Beaujolais, and on clear days you can see the Alps, even Mont Blanc, far to the east across the plain.

   Read the complete Near Lentilly write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Finish at Mont Ventoux Long South Day checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is Back to Mont Ventoux.

6. 6. Back to Mont Ventoux

   The plateau of the Monts du Lyonnais, west of Lyon, is the closest thing the city has to a country backyard, and this spot, near Haute-Rivoire, Saint-Laurent-de-Chamousset and Sainte-Foy-l'Argentière, lies in the middle of it. It is a landscape of rolling pastures, orchards and woodland at around six or seven hundred metres, with small farms, stone villages and long views, and on the clearest winter days the Alps show as a pale line on the eastern horizon. To the west the land drops toward the plain of the Forez and the Loire, with Feurs, a market town of about eight thousand people, in the middle distance.

   Read the complete Mont Ventoux 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 315 km.