April 28, 2025
Valence to Rochemaure
Yesterday afternoon while we were lolling about watching Tadej tear the field apart at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, I did some work on today’s route. I was a little bored with the flatness and lack of challenge of the Via Rhona and decided to mix it up by heading up the side of the Rhone Valley for some modest elevation. We would be riding on the edge of the Ardeche Region which we remembered very fondly from a short cycle tour in the fall of 2021. We didn’t do a journal (it was only 14 days and we were on rented Scott e-bikes) but it was the trip that convinced Dave that this cycle touring thing was feasible (Jill: Thank goodness😅). Riding through the Ardeche Gorge remains signature in our mind. And seeing the Chauvet Caves with its amazing cave art without crowds during Covid was wonderful.
Our own pics of the Ardeche Gorge and Chauvet Caves from 2021 are neatly tucked away on Dave’s computer at home (this was before he accepted the ease of cell phone photography) but here is a shot of the edge of the Ardeche Valley from today.
We had a leisurely morning because (1) things were a bit more relaxed in the breakfast room (being Monday morning the weekend crowd had dispersed), (2) checkout wasn’t until noon, (3) we had a great tub that needed additional utilization, (4) we were bound and determined to catch up on the journal and finally, (5) checkin at our evening destination wasn’t until 4 pm. (Sometimes in France they let you check in earlier but especially if it’s a small place, you get the closed gate business). All these factors compelled a leisurely getaway.
We set out around 11:45 freshly bathed and with our journal all caught up. It was the first morning where it was warm enough for shorts.
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2 days ago
We successfully maneuvered past the Komoot-suggested steps while descending down to the Via Rhona trail and were on our way.
The route was lovely and a combination of river and forest with small traffic-free roads interspersed with purpose-built cycleways. It was pretty busy and messy getting in and out of Le Pouzin and we stopped for lunch in this little park on the edge of the town (and had ANOTHER ham and cheese sandwich). It was adjacent to what looked like workforce housing and had a charming playground for the kids.
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While on the cycle trail, we passed these goats/lambs(?) along with a bunch of herding dogs and their humans. We saw several more herds in the next day or two and the humans always had a small trailer with them; do they move the animals around?
After Le Pouzin we peeled off the Via Rhona onto the Route de Privas cycleway heading west. It was a beautiful, slightly uphill climb for around 10 km through a forest where you could see the Ardeche looking to the west. At some point Komoot suggested a strange and ultimately unavailable maneuver to begin our ride south towards Rochemaure. Dave with his sharp pathfinding skills found an alternative, very squiggly road that would connect us up to our original route 8 - 10 km down the road. Of course “very squiggly” translates into a climb, and so it was today with a stiff but manageable 5 km climb into the town of Saint Bauzile followed by some wonderful mild descending. It was our first even moderate elevation in a week and felt great. Why we tour.
For much of the last part of the ride we were on such quiet roads we came across no cars, but about 8 km before the end of the ride we hit a fast road (70 km speed limit) with no shoulder and some traffic. It was okay, primarily because French drivers don’t react to cyclists the way American drivers do. After a short stretch on this busy highway we peeled off on some serious singletrack for a km before hitting the Via Rhona down on the river. It started to sprinkle (thundershowers having been predicted around 4 pm) so we rode hard and reached Rochemaure around 4:30.
Rochemaure is a tiny town about 12km west of Montélimar. Montélimar was our original destination but it was pretty large (population 40,000) and I couldn’t find an appealing hotel (with a tub). Rochemaure is across the river and its claim to fame is a 12th century ruined medieval castle and a 13th century fortified village further up the ridge. If we had had some energy after our ride it would have been fun to hike up to the ruins but we just enjoyed the view from our hotel patio while drinking a beer (Dave) and Ardeche water (Jill).
Rochemaure had exactly two places to stay; a b and b and the Logis Hotel Medieval. The b and b looked nice but I picked the Logis because it offered a tub and with a last minute booking discount and the booking.com discount the cost of the room was 71 euros — which I am certain will be the cheapest room we have for the next six months. Indeed the hotel had almost everything we enjoy: easy bike storage with charging, large-ish rooms, nice enough bedding, comfortable bed, air conditioning, tub, blow dryer, patio with simple bar service, two pillows each (this is Jill’s thing), tea kettle in the room, and breakfast. Its only flaws: no glass tea/coffee cups in the room. (We try to remember to borrow tea/coffee cups from the downstairs breakfast room but in this circumstance the breakfast space was locked. In last year’s journal I asked if anyone had any suggestions for good cups and received no responses. The silicon collapsible ones I ordered don't seem any better than paper cups). The outlet situation wasn’t great but manageable.
If I could find accommodations every night for 71 euros that were comfortable enough we would be far under our budget for the trip. Admittedly the Logis Hotel Medieval had a vaguely dorm-like feel and the walls and doors are a little scratched and beat up, but still - for 71 euros….
When we checked in there were a number of cyclists enjoying a drink and the view from the patio, but they soon departed and we had the patio to ourselves for awhile, except for this friendly cat.
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The clerk that checked us in asked if we needed dinner and offered to book us into the restaurant next door - which was very kind. It was Monday night so hardly anything was open and if we hadn’t been able to eat next door it would have been the kebaborie across the street. We were clearly too tired to ride into Montélimar. The restaurant, La Vieille Maison, was fully booked and had but one waiter. It was one of those places that amazes us about dining in France. We were in a little obscure town, this is the only restaurant open and we had a wonderful, well presented meal of a shrimp starter (Jill) and smoked salmon salad (Dave), and we split a trout for our main along with a panne cotta for dessert. All of which we enjoyed with a bottle of a white wine from the Ardeche. In the US, in a small rural town like this, it would have been a diner or take out or whatever…
We were tired and fell asleep early enjoying a cool breeze from our open window.
Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles)
Total: 258 km (160 miles)
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2 days ago