Viviers to Valence

July 1, 2018

This was a day with many bridges to cross

As the Rhone heads south from Lyon to the Mediterranean, the river forks in many places, forming what I will call islands between the two branches. Islands are also formed by canals that run parallel to the river. The Via Rhôna traverses between the two banks of Rhone, the parallel canals and these small islands, criss-crossing between the French departments of Ardeche and Drôme. As a consequence, there are several bridges along the route - offering varying degrees of anxiety to someone such as me who is afraid of heights.

On leaving Viviers, we made a short hop to south, crossed to the east bank of the Rhone, and almost immediately crossed the Canal de Deviation de Montélimar onto one of the islands. We rode north along the canal for about 7 miles, and arrived at the Passerelle Rochemaure, a long (>1,100 ft) Himalayan style suspension bridge over the Rhone river. I'd been a bit apprehensive about this moment as I'd read about the bridge in tourist information material provided at last night's B&B.

The original Rochemaure suspension bridge was built in 1858 by Marc Seguin, with bridge towers designed to evoke the medieval castle of Rochemaure. The Germans held the bridge during WWII, but it was destroyed by American bombs in August, 1944. Post-war financing repaired the bridge, but it was eventually closed to all traffic in 1982 following a series of accidents and fires that left severe structural damage. In 1984, destruction of the bridge was avoided when people from the surrounding communities formed a group to save the bridge, though potential uses for the bridge remained an open question until 1995 when the idea of the Via Rhôna was first proposed. With this new goal, the restoration of the bridge as a Himalayan footbridge was completed and opened for cyclists and pedestrians in 2013.

We stopped near the beginning of the bridge to take pictures, read a bit about the history of the bridge, and take in all the warning signs. Undaunted, Carolyn took off across the bridge while I nervously approached the bridge's edge, astride Vivien George. Although the deck is fairly wide and the side rails seem sufficiently high, neither were not solid, giving me the sense of cycling in air. I quickly dismounted and walked across the bridge, not even stopping to take pictures along the way. I was definitely spooked, a feeling that would stay with me throughout a long day of walking across a myriad of bridges.

Approaching the Passerelle Rochemaure, whose towers are meant to evoke the medieval Rochemaure castle (and not the leaning tower of Pisa!)

Carolyn crossing the suspension bridge, with Rochemaure and castle looking on

Warning signs at the start of the Passerelle Rochemaure - there was no danger of a lightning storm, but I wasn't sure if cyclists were required or forbidden to walk their bikes

The holes/openings in the deck and side rails were too much for me - not even my yoga breathing could get me across whilst riding a bicycle

The route north led us right past an EDF nuclear power station, which was juxtaposed with a couple of windmills. Although I'd seen several other reactors on the Loire, this was the closest I'd come to the reactors themselves. The site was protected by rings of barbed wire, but few other deterrents were visible. Not wanting to test the security systems, we quickly passed and soon entered a fruit-growing region of the Ardeche department. Orchards laden with fresh apricots and peaches were tempting, but numerous signs along the route admonished cyclists not to pick the fruit. Nonetheless, we did spot a few riders sneaking into/out of the orchards with handfuls of forbidden fruit.

The heat was really sapping, so we stopped for an early lunch and long rest in La Pouzin. We found a shaded bench in a courtyard and I went off to the nearby shop for some fruit and water to supplement our bread and cheese. The sidewalk in front of the store was awash with crates of apricots, peaches and nectarines - no doubt recently harvested from the nearby orchards. As the sign said "do not touch", I waited patiently for the salesperson to complete the sale of a crate of peaches to a discriminating buyer. There was much discussion as to the ripeness, sweetness, choice of yellow vs white, etc. Finally, the elderly salesman turned to me with a smile and asked me what I wanted. Ripe apricots and peaches, I replied. On learning that the peaches were not yet ripe, I settled on nectarines - the next best thing. His hands moved quickly from crate to crate, softly pinching the flesh to find the ripest pieces of fruit. His face lit up each time he added another piece to my bag. I smiled too, especially while savoring the sweetness of the apricots - a sweetness I only imagined while pedaling through the orchards.

Apricots ripening in orchards along the Via Rhôna

Don't pick the fruit - understood in any language. Also, hunters must leash their dogs while on the véloroute

After lunch, we criss-crossed between an island and the left bank, at one point taking a circuitous route to cross the Eyrieux River. There was little shade and, during one stretch along a levee, Carolyn ignored the warning signs and waded into the river to wet the cooling towels. Draped around the neck, they really did offer some temporary relief from the heat. When the towels dried, we found respite from the sun and heat along a wooded stretch about 8 miles from Valence, where we rested for a good half-hour. On the outskirts of Valence, we encountered an unusually large number of people along the waterfront - families, kids on scooters, lots of bikes - indicative of some type of festival going on. Indeed, we had stumbled onto the ViaRhôna en Fête, a festival celebrating the véloroute and all things bicycle. How perfectly wonderful! We lingered at the festival for a while, taking pictures and marveling at the community support and promotion of cycling and the véloroute.

Ignoring posted warnings, Carolyn jumps down to river to wet the cooling towels.

Valence celebrates VIARHÔNA en FÊTE along the banks of the Rhone

Checking out the bikes at ViaRhôna en Fête. Lots of folks were testing out ebikes.

Big bike watercycling - the new watersport?

Finally, we made our way into Valence and our air-conditioned hotel, which Carolyn decreed had the best shower, EVER! Carolyn treated me dinner at a Moroccan restaurant, and we walked a bit about town wondering what route the Tour de France might take during the Stage 13 finish here in Valence. This was Carolyn's last day on this cycle tour. Tomorrow we take the train to Lyon - Carolyn will travel onward to Paris to catch her flight back to the USA and I will rest in Lyon before beginning the final stage of my tour. How fitting it seemed to end our two week tour of southern France in a community celebrating French cycling and cyclotourism.

Farewell selfie overlooking Rhone (barely seen in the distance)

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 1,117 miles (1,798 km)

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Suzanne GibsonI'm enjoying your ride! My husband and I rode the Rhone Valley in 2006, starting in Munich and heading for the Med. It seems much has changed since then. There were no bicycle routes, for one thing. And we encountered the Tour de France in Valence - the story is in my journal.
Good luck for the final stage of your tour!
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6 years ago

Susan CarpenterTo Suzanne GibsonSuzanne, I'm delighted that you're enjoying the journal - thank you! I've been very impressed with the increasing bicycle infrastructure in France - based on what I've observed, they are really trying to promote cyclo-tourism. I look forward to reading the journal of your adventures in the Rhone Valley.
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6 years ago