Road · France
Cycling in Orange
Riding from Orange means long, almost flat kilometres west across the Rhône plain, with a single 105.2 km run to Nîmes gaining just 90 m.
The ride in Orange
Cycling guide to Orange
Orange sits at the northern end of the Rhône plain, and the riding recorded from here heads south and west on ground that barely rises. The one route on file, a 105.2 km point-to-point to Nîmes, leaves town past Colline Saint-Eutrope and the Les Fourchesvieilles and Le Jonquier quarters before reaching Caderousse, Montfaucon and Roquemaure. From Roquemaure the road continues to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon, then works back out through Les Angles, Aramon, Théziers, Montfrin, Comps and Vallabrègues to Beaucaire. The last section crosses Redessan and Rodilhan before entering Nîmes by way of Croix de Fer, Mont Duplan and Les Carmes, finishing among the Feuchères and Montcalm-République districts. Total climbing for the whole 105.2 km is 90 m, which makes this a distance ride rather than a hill ride, and it links Orange to two departmental centres in a single day.
- The recorded ride was in September, in temperatures of 30°C, so early starts help on the exposed, low-lying sections; spring and autumn suit the flat profile best.
- The terrain is flat to barely rolling: 90 m of ascent across 105.2 km, with the high point only 62 m above sea level. The single notable rise comes at 76.2 km, 1.6 km at 3.5% average with a maximum of 7.6%, topping out at that 62 m high point.
