Lyon to Vienne

April 24, 2025

We’re finally on our bikes for real

After one week we are finally on the road on our bikes. The day dawned cloudy and cool but with no rain in the forecast and we will take that. Breakfast at Hotel Les Congrés was sparse in keeping with the spartan feel of the place.

Pickens were a bit slim at breakfast, keeping with the general student vibe of the hotel.

Our plan was to embark on the Via Rhona (part of Eurovelo 17), the full route which runs from outside of Geneva through Lyon, all the way along the Rhone River to the southern end of France. It is known for being well-developed (with a sort of notorious exception, see below) and indeed we began encountering a fair handful of cycle tourists from the outset. It was a good fit for us on this beginning part of the trip. We were due in Gordes in Provence on May 3 and the Via Rhona is flat with plenty of villages along the way for accommodation. From Lyon to southern France there is a TER rail line which was particularly handy for us on this trip: we didn’t know how Dave’s knee would hold up and wanted to be able to hop on a local train for short distances if the need arises. After 5 or 6 days we plan to veer off the Via Rhona into the hills of Provence to ride the Nesque Gorge and perhaps conquer the vaunted Mt. Ventoux (that would be Dave, not Jill).

We had to maneuver our way through traffic out of Lyon but it helped that we were fresh and alert and indeed the ride through Lyon center (avoiding some of the busier sections we endured last night) was fun. Lyon has a wonderful cycling and pedestrian path along the river Rhône so going north/south through this part of Lyon is a breeze.

That river trail is one of the amenities we like so much and that (as well as the food) has led us to contemplate spending an extended amount time in Lyon at some point. We passed some small homeless encampments, which has typically been a rare site for us in Europe, in contrast to home.

Once you hit the Museum of the Confluence at the south end of Lyon the bike route takes a change for the worse. This is one those short stretches of a Eurovelo route (between Lyon and Givors) that gets fairly extensive coverage for being difficult and most tour companies and guides recommend tacking it by taking a short train ride between Lyon and Givors. After riding it we understand why. It is 25 km of non-stop traffic. The bike infrastructure goes in and out and there were a few places where you ride on a narrow two-lane road, fast truck traffic and no shoulder or cycle lane. It was one of the less enjoyable 25 km stretches we have ever had in France. That being said, we didn’t think it was dangerous, just unpleasant.

A few other stretches in France last summer were much worse, albeit shorter (the ride into Poitiers from the industrial district with our friends Eric and Melinda and the ride into Cahors were both pretty hairy, but only for a few km.) In any event once we arrived in Givors all was lovely. We peeled off the formal trail onto some mild singletrack along the river to get a break from the traffic noice and sat and had a pleasant lunch with the ham and cheese sandwich we had smuggled out from the morning buffet.

There were a few stretches on which we got relief from the traffic and congestion.

Here the investment in cycling infrastructure was wonderfully evident and most enjoyable. The route along the river was fantastic and we cruised in and out of some small towns along a great trail before reaching Vienne around 2 pm. We arrived on the opposite side of the river so Komoot wanted us to climb this monster set of steps by the Musee Roman-Gallo.

Up these steps, Komoot?! Thanks for the suggestion but I think we'll try a different way.

We declined, and Dave finagled an alternative route through the Museum’s back alley going the wrong way to the bridge to cross the Rhone into Vienne. There was a large and busy roundabout right outside our Ibis. Fortunately I had read about the noise in that location and the Ibis clerk was happy to assign us a quiet room away from the river and the roundabout.

Our Ibis was functional and fine with us: there were no hotels with tubs (at least in a range I was willing to pay) in Vienne so I opted for budget accommodation on this night. The other obvious choice was the old traditional Poste hotel right in Vienne but it was much more expensive, had no tubs, and both places had similar and pretty indifferent reviews.

We were able to park our bikes in the courtyard and were excited to see some electrical outlets that we could use to charge our e-bike batteries without having to lug the batteries upstairs. We spent a fruitless 15 minutes checking out the outlets but none of them worked so we wound up lugging our batteries upstairs anyway.

A mutl-street intersection/roundabout was congested with non-stop traffic right in front of our hotel.

Things we like about Ibis hotels: super value, decent, functional rooms, always clean, good breakfast especially for the price, 24 hr bar (occasionally very valuable if you have a hairy ride in), always will find a place for your bike no matter what (even in the hotel lobby).

And the bad: small, small rooms so more than one night is a bit claustrophobic, only one pillow per person and they are wimpy (sometimes you can get a second at the front desk), no tubs (except for one time in the Toulouse Matabria Ibis, but we think that was a fluke), no tea kettle or coffee-making facilities in the room, paper cups, not china/glass in the room, some Ibis’s are looking a bit frayed.

That afternoon, after a rest that included watching the Tour of the Alps which Dave was able to by connect to the tv via his tablet using a HDMI to USB cable he brought from home, we strolled into town. Vienne is an old Roman town and its claim to fame is its Roman ruins - a theatre, a forum and circus and sundry other archeological finds. It was pretty cool to walk into the town’s main square and then suddenly, there is the Forum Temple right in your face serving as a back drop for everyone’s evening aperitif.

The locals enjoy living in their history

We instantly decided to join the group and sat and gawked at the Forum Temple while enjoying an Aperol spritz. The crowd was local and we had a lovely conversation with this puppy, Apollo (and his owner). His owner was sitting with a group of friends and it was funny to see the dog being passed around to get the needed attention.

After greeting everyone around him, Apollo takes bit of a nap in his owner's lap.

Afterwards we had dinner at Nomade Empanadas - which was a small restaurant serving Paraguayan empanadas (the owner was Paraguayan). We were the only customers inside but as it grew later in the evening they had a lot of take out business. We anticipate a lot of French food in the next two weeks and wanted a change of pace while we could find it.

Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 93 km (58 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	10
Comment on this entry	Comment	0