Cycling in the Ardèche

 

The small country roads of the Ardèche are ideal for cycling enthousiasts. You can criss-cross the area in every direction through various surroundings: Forests of Pine and Chestnut, following the course of the Loire River (yes, it has it's source in the Cévennes!), along the Rhone River or simply drifting through the numerous vignards and small towns along the way. There are over 3000 different itineries of varying degrees of difficulty and length available in some 150 itineray Packs you may purchase at the Turist Office in Vallon Pont d'Arc. They are either based on length or on themes and contain all the necessary information to make your Tour a success.

You might also like to discover the region by joining the "La Roue Libre Vallonnaise" cyclists on their weekly outings. You will find their program at the Tourist Office in Vallon. They generally organise two weekly outings, on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons and they leave from the square in front of the Town Hall in Vallon Pont d'Arc at 2 pm. On Sundays the outing is mainly for Mountain Bike riders only and departure time is 8.30/9.00 am.

There are numerous Cycling events that take place during the year and in order to find out about them we suggest you check out the site http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cyclotourisme.ardeche or write to cyclotourisme.ardeche@wanadoo.fr

The major event during the entire year is the famous "Ardechoise" on the 18th and 19th of June 2004, a race that attracts hundreds of participants from all over. Another popular venue takes place in Mid-August: the Cycling Tour of the Vineyards from Aubenas to Ruoms. For more information, please call 0475939274.