Road · France
Tournon-sur-Rhône to Orange
A flat 141 km mixed-surface cycling route from Tournon-sur-Rhône, Rhone-Alpes to Orange through La Garenne, Les Croisières and Quartier Mars, with 145 m of climbing. There is a 30 km stretch without a café, shop or water (km 69–100). Mixed surface: 73% is mapped as paved and 26% as gravel or unpaved.
At a glance
- Best for
- Long endurance days for fit, experienced riders
- Distance
- 140.9 km
- Elevation gain
- 145 m
- Riding time
- 6½–9½ hours
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Bike
- Gravel bike
- Surface
- Mixed surface
- Traffic
- Some main roads
- Food & water
- Longest gap 30 km
- Best months
- Apr to Oct
- Navigation
- GPX download
- Start → finish
- Tournon-sur-Rhône → Orange
Map and elevation profile
Elevation profile
- 145 m
- 141 km
Route description
- Tournon-sur-Rhône
- La Garenne
- Les Croisières
- Quartier Mars
- La Quarantaine
- Mazoyer
- Quartier des Chênes
- Vieux Travaillan
- Baron
- Orange
The route starts at Tournon-sur-Rhône passing through the nearby town of Tain-l'Hermitage and continues through several settlements including La Garenne, Mauves, Glun, La Roche-de-Glun, Châteaubourg and Valence before reaching Montélimar just before halfway. It continues on to towns such as Châteauneuf-du-Rhône, Viviers, Donzère, La Garde-Adhémar, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Suze-la-Rousse and Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes before finishing at Orange. The route shows little climbing with only 178m gain overall, a slight descent near the finish, and almost all terrain flat or gently undulating. The highest point is 137m at 8.4km from the start.
Surface comprises 73% paved roads and 26% gravel or unpaved. The ride uses a mix of 30.7km on main roads (all without cycle lanes), 29km on minor roads, 23.1km of paths, 18.8km of tracks, plus 23.9km of dedicated cycle paths or lanes and 9.4km of quiet streets. The longest named roads are D 86 for 11.8km, N 7 for 8.1km, D 59 for 7.5km, and 5.7km on ViaRhôna.
Food outlets including bakeries, patisseries and cafés are at the start, near Montélimar and Orange, as well as scattered along the route. Water supplies and shops are available at many locations, though there is a 30.4km stretch from 69.2km to 99.6km with no café, shop or water. Several railway stations, including Tain-l'Hermitage at 0.3km, Valence-Ville at 17.8km, Montélimar at 67km and Orange at 134.2km, provide bail out points.
Highlights
- Passes Château - Musée de Tournon
- Highest point 137m at 8.4km
- Junction near Château de Châteaubourg
- Ends near Cathédrale Notre-Dame at Orange
Along the route
Places passed
Traffic, surface and gradient
Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (30.7 km in all) between quieter sections.
- Roads
- 23% main road · 21% minor road · 17% path · 14% track · 25% other roads and tracks
- Main roads
- 30.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
- Fast roads
- 23.3 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
- Cycle paths
- 23.9 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
- Main roads used
- D 86 (12 km), N 7 (8 km), D 59 (8 km), ViaRhôna (6 km)
- Surface
- Mixed surface: 73% is mapped as paved and 26% as gravel or unpaved.
- Gradient
- 1% climbing · 1% descending · 98% flat
Food, water and services
The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 30 km, from km 69 to 100. Along the route: 316 cafés and restaurants, 46 shops, 31 water points, 11 petrol stations, 34 public toilets and 16 bike shops.
Food, water and shops in ride order
- 0.3 kmPâtisserie Intense par Bastien Girard · patisserie · on the route
- 2.4 kmCarrefour Market · supermarket · 60 m off route
- 9.5 kmEau · drinking water · 120 m off route
- 23.8 kmCotte et fils · bakery · 80 m off route
- 24.3 kmDrinking water · 100 m off route
- 27.5 kmToilets · 60 m off route
- 32.6 kmJocteur · bakery · 80 m off route
- 35.2 kmHello Pharmacie · pharmacy · 80 m off route
- 52.8 kmTotalEnergies · petrol station · 50 m off route
- 55.6 kmPanier Sympa · convenience store · 30 m off route
- 66.2 kmIntermarché · supermarket · 70 m off route
- 67 kmMaï Tea · café · 40 m off route
- 72.6 kmCulture Vélo · bike shop · 390 m off route
- 99.7 kmGreg et Sophie · bakery · 200 m off route
- 110 kmÉpicerie du château · convenience store · 60 m off route
- 117.2 kmBakery · on the route
- 119 kmSystème U · petrol station · 80 m off route
- 134.7 kmToilets · 60 m off route
Need to bail out?
- 0.3 km — Tain l'Hermitage - Tournon (station), 810 m off route
- 17.8 km — Valence-Ville (station), 1.1 km off route
- 67 km — Montélimar (station), 270 m off route
- 84.4 km — Donzère (halt), 540 m off route
- 134.2 km — Orange (station), 360 m off route
Worth a stop
- 0.3 km — Château - Musée de Tournon (castle)
- 9.5 km — Château de Châteaubourg (castle)
- 67.8 km — Château de Montélimar (castle)
- 99.7 km — Cathédrale Notre-Dame (attraction)
Stay after this ride
- Kyriad · hotel · 40 m from the finish
- Le clos d’Orange · hotel · 210 m from the finish
- Harmonie · guest house · 120 m from the finish
- Effets personnels · guest house · 300 m from the finish
- La maison de Saunier · guest house · 190 m from the finish
Start and access
At the start
- Food and coffee
- Florentin (230 m), Pâtisserie Intense par Bastien Girard (280 m), Les Délices de Coeuroline (140 m)
- Shops
- La Halle Tournonaise Bio (300 m)
At the finish
- Food and coffee
- La sardine aux yeux bleus (160 m), Café du Commerce (210 m), Pizza du Sud (40 m)
- Shops
- Épicerie sociale - Le lien (80 m)
Know before you go
- 30.4 km without café, shop or water from 69.2 to 99.6 km
- 30.7 km on main roads without cycle lane
- 23.3 km on roads with speed 80 km/h or more
- 26% of route on gravel or unpaved surface
