Why this ride
An 85 km round trip from Cognin - roughly 1 h 36 in the saddle. The stops in between: Littoral de Tresserve, Baie de Châtillon and back through Littoral de Tresserve.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Lac d’Aiguebelette and Baie de Châtillon
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 85 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 36
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
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 d’Aiguebelette → Littoral de Tresserve
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 23 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 28 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Lac d’Aiguebelette
Motorboats are banned on the Lac d'Aiguebelette, and on a calm summer morning you notice the difference straight away: rowers sliding across water so still it mirrors the wooded slopes above, swimmers heading out from small beaches, and no engine noise beyond the occasional car on the shore road. The lake, in Savoie just west of Chambéry, is one of the largest natural lakes in France, and its clean water is among the warmest of the alpine lakes in summer. It hosted the World Rowing Championships in 2015.
Read the complete Lac d’Aiguebelette write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lac d’Aiguebelette is where the day begins. Next is Littoral de Tresserve.
2. Littoral de Tresserve
The Lac du Bourget is the largest natural lake entirely in France, a long blue trough in the Savoie Prealps, and the shore at Tresserve, just south of Aix-les-Bains, is one of the quiet places to see it. Beneath the water here lie the remains of prehistoric lake dwellings, villages of timber houses built on piles along the shore thousands of years ago. The site is part of the UNESCO-listed Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps, a series of more than a hundred settlements in six countries. There is nothing to see above the surface, but knowing it is there changes the way you look at the reeds and shallows.
Read the complete Littoral de Tresserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Littoral de Tresserve comes up about 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Baie de Châtillon.
3. Baie de Châtillon
At the northern tip of the Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake entirely in France, the shore curves into a shallow bay below the village of Châtillon and its castle. In the shallows, divers and archaeologists have found the remains of prehistoric lake villages, and the Baie de Châtillon is one of the French sites included in the UNESCO listing of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps. The castle, perched on a rocky hill above the bay, was the seat of local lords in the Middle Ages and has a commanding view over the lake.
Read the complete Baie de Châtillon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 43 km into the recorded legs you reach Baie de Châtillon. Next is back through Littoral de Tresserve.
4. back through Littoral de Tresserve
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Littoral de Tresserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Littoral de Tresserve, late in the day. Next is Lac d’Aiguebelette.
5. Lac d’Aiguebelette
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Lac d’Aiguebelette write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Lac d’Aiguebelette. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Lac d’Aiguebelette to Littoral de Tresserve
Lac d’Aiguebelette → Littoral de Tresserve is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Littoral de Tresserve to Baie de Châtillon
Littoral de Tresserve → Baie de Châtillon is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Baie de Châtillon to back through Littoral de Tresserve
Baie de Châtillon → back through Littoral de Tresserve is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Littoral de Tresserve to Lac d’Aiguebelette
back through Littoral de Tresserve → Lac d’Aiguebelette is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.