Lyon to Bourgoin-Jalieu: How did we end up riding through Richmond???

September 23, 2017

Today was an interesting day of bike touring from my perspective. We are supposed to be on the Via Rhona route, and we were when we left Lyon. Fantastic it was too. However, after about 20 km of brilliant riding we left the route for D roads. I am getting ahead of myself though.

We followed the Via Rhona out of Lyon. There was the longest tunnel We have ever cycled through leaving the city, but it was so much fun. The tunnel we were in had three lanes. One for buses - never saw one - one for bikes, lots of those, and one for pedestrians. It was amazing. We don't know where the cars were. Another tunnel I guess.

Leaving Lyon was super all around. The trail was great and we had the good fortune to meet fellow Canadian bike tourers on the path. Most in the group were from Toronto, with a few Aussies sprinkled in to keep things international. A great group of people, just finishing a ten day tour.

They were spending today doing a circle tour of Lyon.

They went over the bridge. We went under.

Next we ran into a group of young mountain bikers. They were so cute and having so much fun. They had been at it for three weeks. Look out Whistler, they will be heading over in about ten years.

Pretty cool dudes (and one girl) don't you think?

Our next stop was a golf course. We went by so just had to check it out. Besides, being golfers, we knew that there would be nice people and, perhaps more importantly at that point, nice washrooms. Then came our unexpected and unusual sight of the day.

A dedicated bus lane that was barricaded off. Makes a nice bike lane, doesn't it?

Practice helps, but trust me, biking is way less frustrating than golf.

Not exactly what we expected to see today. This stopped us dead in our tracks.

We were close enough to pet them but were a little intimidated by those teeth. They were in an open field next to the bike path and belonged to a circus that was setting up nearby. They looked quite happy to be out in the sun. There were at least half a dozen of them, maybe more. Their handler was feeding them. It was fun to watch.

At this point in the day everything was going smoothly. The CN had decided to route us away from the Via Rhona and take D roads to save some distance and avoid some gravel. It worked well until the camels, and then boom, suddenly we were in Richmond. For those of you unfamiliar with Richmond BC it has an very busy strip, Bridgeport Road, with all the big box stores and then some. This was exactly the same. I kept looking for IKEA. It took us about an hour to go 5 km as we wove our way through it. Lots of stops and starts, and very little picture taking. It wasn't pedestrian or bicycle friendly. The car was king.

It was a frustration to cycle, but there was lots to look at, that is for sure.

Then the riding was rolling, but rural and wonderful again. We stopped for the night in Bourgoin-Jallieu. The town itself is pretty nondescript but the hotel is great. We are in the Kyriad Bourgoin-Jalieu. The CN has promised we will be back on the Via Rhona tomorrow.

https://www.relive.cc/view/1197704972

Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 1,301 km (808 miles)

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