Fri, 2 May 2025
Vertical Climbed: 1,347 meters (4,420 feet)
Vertical Descended: 1,346 meters
Rating: 3
I've filed this under mountain biking but I was on a road bike with 28mm tires. A bit of gravel in the valley then a longish climb on gravel. This was more or less ok. There is one spot where there is a steep cliff and lot of rocks had come from above where I walked for 50 meters but elsewhere it was passable although a gravel bike with 35mm+ tires would be better, or an MTB. I'd been meaning to explore this road for... 20 years but never got around to it. Coming out onto the plateau and the air was yellow with saharan sand blown up from the south. The climb to the col de Marcieu, a section I never like, was hard work in the sun after being softened up on the gravel climb.
At the Col de Marcieu it would be possible to take the Ch de l'Herse to arrive at St Hilaire du Touvet before descending to the valley via St Nazaire les Eymes.
Dry, climb from the old church at St Vincent is 5km of gravel. Generally good surface but some rocks in places.
