See the section for France of the Trento Bike Pages.

Ardeche, a fantastic area for bikers


Contributed by Frederic Berlioz (berlioz@poly.polytechnique.fr) in December 1995
I would like to share some good plans I have concerning a fantastic area for bikers: Ardeche.

In summer, there are many tourists there going at the supermarket in the morning, bathing in dirt water in the afternoon and packing together in a night club in the evening, but very few of them profit of the large network of quiet roads there are. I have spent holidays there for a long time, and each year I discover some new places to ride.

An appropriate mean to discover biking in Ardeche is to participate to the cyclotourist race 'l Ardechoise' with 4000 other riders around the 15 of June. Then you will certainly fall in love with these roads winding through the mountains (up to 1500 m) without any car to disturb you, and won t resist to the temptation of doing the other rides I m going to describe.

From Largentiere (near to Aubenas and Vallon Pont d Arc), climb the col de Millet, turn left in Jaujac to climb the col de Bauzon, then left again with the col de Meyrand and left again and again in Loubaresse going down to Largentiere through Valgorge and Rocles.

From Les Vans, go to Lablachere and climb to the village Peyre. then go along the 'corniche du Vivarais cevenol' and go down to St Laurent les Bains. return to Les Vans going alongside the river la Borne to Ste Marguerite Lafigere and then along the Chassezac.

From Aubenas, go to Jaujac, cross the river Ardeche at Pont de Labeaume, go to Burzet and take the direction of Lachamp Raphael. At the middle of climbing, you can stop and walk a few meters to see the Ray Pic falls. from Lachamp, go to Mezilhac, and go down to Vals les Bains and Aubenas.

I hope you will enjoy these rides and discover plenty of others by yourself. For more details, you can send me an email message.

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Frederic Berlioz              /                                  /
Ecole Polytechnique          /   berlioz@poly.polytechnique.fr  /
91128 PALAISEAU             /__________________________________/