Fri, 25 October 2024
Minimum altitude: 191 meters
Distance: 73.7 km
Slope Aspect: East
Vertical Climbed: 1,156 meters (3,793 feet)
Vertical Descended: 1,145 meters
Rating: 3
I wanted to retry this route but in the direction I originally planned via the Col de la Croix de Ban -> Col de Luere -> Col de Malval -> Col de Pars -> Châteauvieux. The climb to the Croix de Ban really begins in Lyon so by the time you leave Pollionnay you are already at 440 meters having started in Lyon at 165m. That leaves just 200 meters of climbing. Still it is a real little col linking two different valleys. The Col de Luere and the Cret of St Bonnet le Froid is another 350 meters of climbing Both cols are around 6% with a couple of steeper sections but nothing too steep.
There is then a long ridge ride over to Yzeron via the Col de Malval with views over the Lyonnais basis and on a clear day as far as the Oisans mountains and le Mont Blanc. At Yzeron I took in a bonus col - the Croix de Pars which is a kilometer at around 4%. I decided to return via the Chateauvieux Chapel. This 11th century church sits on a promontory facing the Lyon watershed the the Monts d'Or mountains. From here there is a technical, switchback descent to St Laurant de Vaux which would be interesting as a climb. Now it was just a question of rolling back to Lyon.
Warm, average 17C. 15C on the tops but with a wind from the south. 22C in town. Wet under tree cover with a lot of leaves.
