Road · France
Cycling in Villefranche-sur-Saône
Riding from Villefranche-sur-Saône means flat valley kilometres down the Saône into Lyon and on along the Rhône, with just 62 m of climbing in 106 km.
The ride in Villefranche-sur-Saône
Cycling guide to Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône sits on the Saône with the river corridor running south, and that corridor sets the tone for riding here. The main line out of town is a 106 km point-to-point to Chanas that follows the water the whole way, passing Jassans-Riottier and Riottier, then Saint-Bernard, Anse and Ambérieux d'Azergues before Quincieux and Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d'Or. From Neuville-sur-Saône the route threads the Mont d'Or villages - Albigny-sur-Saône, Couzon-au-Mont-d'Or, Rochetaillée-sur-Saône and Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or - into Caluire-et-Cuire and then Lyon itself, crossing La Croix-Rousse, Vieux Lyon, Bellecour and Confluence. South of the city it picks up the Rhône through Oullins, Irigny and Vernaison to Vienne and Sainte-Colombe, then Ampuis, Condrieu, Chavanay, Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf and Sablons before finishing at Chanas. Total climbing is 62 m, so the appeal is distance and continuity rather than gradient.
- September is the recorded month here, with temperatures around 25°C - warm but manageable on a flat river route.
- Almost entirely flat: 62 m of elevation gain spread over 106 km, with a high point of just 178 m. Any rises are short valley-floor undulations rather than sustained climbs.
