Thu, 13 October 2022
Minimum altitude: 93 meters
Distance: 59.2 km
Slope Aspect: Various
Vertical Climbed: 240 meters (787 feet)
Vertical Descended: 230 meters
Rating: 2
I thought it would be possible to cycle around the park, there is a cycle route marked (#5) but only for mountain bikes it would seem. I started out along the Canal de Jonage. This is a huge waterway fed by the Rhone that eventually leads into the Reservoir du Grande Large where there is a marina and loads of boats, including sailing yatchs. It is a big body of water. I crossed some way before on the Pointe de la Soie. Both tow paths are unsurfaced but not too bad on a road bike being covered with some kind of clay material. The west side of the park has a number of cycle routes which warrant a bit more exploration. I followed a track back towards Lyon which eventually runs alongside a canal to reach Lyon at Croix Luizet.
The park is not easy to navigate despite a lot of maps. It is not clear what is cycle path and what is a track. As a result I did a big loop out to the Ferme a Plancon, ok on the tow path, rough on the forest tracks (see photo with the bridge). Could be great gravel biking though. Finally making it back onto surface roads I crossed back over the Canal de Jonage and cycled over to the Groupama Stadium to check out the big closed cyclepath. Great but lots of barriers across the road. It is used by buses for Park and Ride to the stadium and when there are no events the road is closed. I then traversed across Lyon on what was not the most direct route (thanks Google !)
Forecast was rain, more foggy until about 1pm when the sun broke through for a bit
