Magnifique!
Days 25 and 26. October 5 - 6, 2026.
Monday, October 5. Lyon to Tournon-sur-Rhône.
We love Lyon. The city is vibrant, multicultural, full of families and people who travel by bicycle. It sits on the flanks of the Saône and the Rhône rivers at thier confluence and climbs up the hills on the western sides. To the east, across a plain, on a clear day you can see the alps. It is a foodie paradise, a walking/biking city, a place where the arts are alive and celebrated. It has it's very old European center with it's twisting old town cobblestone streets and it has it's modern sections, with state-of-the-art architecture. There are no fewer than 29 bridges that cross the two rivers. There is a huge beautiful green park in the north (the Parc de la Tête d'or), where our hotel was situated. There is a feeling of complete safety and respect on the streets, an acceptance for all. Our experience there was magnifique! We were sorry to leave.
However, we had a two-day window of great weather before a rain storm was to hit and we knew we wanted to move on down river while we had the sun. So off we went, heading south. The ride out of the city was incredible. The city planners have done a phenomenal job creating an infrastructure that supports all modes of transportation. We had bike pathways everywhere! Magnifique!
It wasn't until we got to the outskirts of the city and the first part of the southern countryside that things were a little dicey (no shoulders on roads, bumpy gravel pathways and dirt roads.). And then we hit it: The Via Rhôna, a 815 km bike route from the shores of Lake Geneva on the border with Switzerland to the Mediterranean.
Our section of the route heading out of Lyon, followed the Rhône River, sometimes on the eastern shores, sometimes on the western. It passed through natural wildlife preserves for birds, river otter, and beaver. We also rode by rich farmland growing all sorts of vegetables and orchards of fruit trees.
We rode nearly 70 miles and were nice and tired when we arrived at our stopping point of Tournon-sur-Rhône.
Tuesday, October 6. Tournon-sur-Rhône to Montélimar.
The terrain grew steadily steeper and craigier as we rode south, with the hills and mountains of southern France closing in on the Rhône valley. We could sometimes glimpse the outline of the hazy Alps to the east. Nearer, we could see the remnants of old roman forts and medieval castles on the hilltops, and the terraced vineyards, where famous french wines are produced.
The Rhône grew steadily wider, a transportation highway for the barges serving the energy industry of France and for the river cruise boats coming up river from the Mediterranean coast.
We had another long day in the seat, covering an additional 50 miles to Montélimar, a gateway city to the department of Provence. As we came within 10 miles of the city, our path diverged from the river and we climbed up the steep hillside into the lavender farmlands Provence is famous for. Even though the blooming season was long past, I could imagine how beautiful it must be when the fields are glowing purple.
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