To Valence

May 28, 2025

It was a day of good-byes and hellos – bidding farewell to my CB friends and meeting fellow cyclists as I began working my way back to Paris.

After a practice run last night, all went smoothly loading the bikes/cases/panniers/TA into Janos’ car. We exchanged many hugs and well-wishes and then they drove away, leaving me and Suzanne to sit on the small hotel terrace and visit for a bit. There had been a plethora of unforeseen hiccups during the past two weeks and it was great to relax in the sun and talk about everything and nothing. Finally it was time to get the bikes out of the garage – I had almost forty miles to Valence. We passed a small street market on the way to the garage where I bought a spring roll and some cherries and then bid au revoir to Suzanne, for now.

With Scott's bike loaded on the bike rack, Janos and Scott wrestle Rachael's cased Bike Friday into the car

And Rachel provides support from the front

A final picture before departure - thanks everyone for another memorable meet-up

The climb out of Pont-en-Royans wasn’t as bad as I’d imagined yesterday, partially due to the fact that I took a more direct route to the Isère River and the V63 cycle route that would take me to Valence. I crossed the Bourne River at Saint-Nazaire-en-Royans, again missing the famed aqueduct, and was soon cycling following the Isère on a mix of small roads and dedicated cycle paths.

It wasn’t long after Saint-Nazaire that I met Clare, a Canadian originally from Toronto who’d been living in France for 30 years. She was on her way to Romans to visit family and we rode together for a couple of miles, exchanging views on life, learning French, and the beautiful small towns in France. I pulled ahead and lost her near Eymeux as I began to look for a nice picnic spot.

It didn’t take long for me to stumble across a bonafide picnic area on the edge of Eymeux, one complete with picnic tables and a restroom. I pulled over and unpacked my cherries, feeling a little guilty that I’d not offered to share them with Suzanne before I left Pont-en-Royans. I’d just started chowing down when a cyclist about my age rolled up and asked if he could share my picnic table. Bien sûr!

It was Alain, on his way from Grenoble to Montauban, all in one day from what I gathered! We spent the next quarter hour sharing cherries and our love of cycling. He is an intrepid cyclist and a member of the Club des Cent Cols, an international non-competitive group whose main requirement is that members “must have climbed…at least one hundred different cols,” with at least five being over 2000 meters. And it turns out that Alain has a Moots, one he bought in Grenoble. After exchanging contact info, he sped off for Montauban with a promise of advice when I head to the Pyrenees.

Clair, a Canadian ex-pat who's been living and teaching in France for 30 years

An unexpected Moots meet-up. Vivien George is a bit jealous at how light Alain is traveling

The cycle route got a little spiky after lunch as it wound along and across the Isère. The steep ups and downs began to take their toll and I took a brief stop in Romans-sur-Isère. Fortunately, the route flattened after Romans and I found myself cycling through miles of peach and cherry orchards, the latter bearing small bunches of ripening fruit. It's a good thing I'd eaten my fill of cherries at lunch and was not tempted to violate the warning signs and grab a few bunches for myself. Though I was still tired, it was the best part of the route, with the Vercors at my back and the hills of the Ardèche rising ahead.

A few miles past Châteauneuf-sur-Isère the route turned south where the Isère joined the Rhone and I said hello to my old friend the Via Rhona. Navigation through Valence was a bit confusing as the cycle lanes seemed to vanish and then reappear, but I navigated to my hotel without too much trouble. I must say I was pretty impressed with the Hôtel du France – not only do they have a nice secure place for bike storage but they also offer a choice of breakfast – a full buffet with meat, eggs, cereal, etc (€20) or the express breakfast with yogurt, bread, fruit, coffee (€6). Tomorrow was a train day, so the express breakfast was the easy choice.

The peaks of the Vercors Massif stayed with me most of the way to Valence

Excellent cycling infrastructure along the V63, also known as La Belle Via

Part fish, part high heel, but all fun in Romans-sur-Isère

A first look at Valence, with hills of the Ardèche in the background

Guido and Daniella from Venice on holiday with their camper van and vélos

I splurged on pizza for dinner and then took a circuitous route back to the hotel through the Parc Jouvet. It brought back memories of my only previous time in Valence- during my first big cycle tour, the first with Vivien George. We’ve put in a lot of miles since then and shared some incredible experiences. Tomorrow I head back to Paris to plan our next adventure.

Château de Rochebonne, located in the Ardèche and visible from Valence

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Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 705 miles (1,135 km)

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