Why this ride
Out of Ambert, one way: 162 km, roughly 2 h 44 in the saddle. near Roanne is the high point. It tops out at about 950 m. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Route Napoléon Weekend · part 3
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 162 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 44
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Food stop near Ambert
Ambert has a round town hall, and it is not the strangest thing about the place. This small town in the Livradois-Forez, deep in the Massif Central, is also the home of fourme d'Ambert, one of France's oldest cheeses, a mild blue made in tall cylinders. And in a valley just outside town, the Moulin Richard de Bas still makes paper by hand, as it has done for centuries, using water power and old wooden hammers. The writer Jules Romains set his comic novel Les Copains here, and the town has a good-natured, slightly eccentric feel.
Read the complete Food stop near Ambert write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Food stop near Ambert is where the day begins. Next is High point near Roanne.
2. High point near Roanne
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Back to Route Napoléon.
3. Back to Route Napoléon
The Azergues valley is the quiet back door into the Beaujolais, and this is where the day ends. Mont Saint-Rigaud, the highest point of the Beaujolais, rises to the north.
Read the complete Route Napoléon 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 162 km.
Leg by leg
Food stop near Ambert to High point near Roanne
Food stop near Ambert → High point near Roanne is 109 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
High point near Roanne to Back to Route Napoléon
High point near Roanne → Back to Route Napoléon is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.