Your email will not be communicated to any third party or company outside France Bike Trips / Velorizons. You may receive occasional emails from France Bike Trips, with the possibility to unsubscribe at any time. CNIL (French National Commission for Data Protection and Liberties)
Please type in your search terms.
You can prefix chosen words with the '+' sign to make them mandatory, or with the '-' sign to avoid results containing this word from appearing, e.g. west +nepal -canada
A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.
Routes without technical difficulty, designed exclusively for E-MTBs, in the heart of the Drome provençale and at the gateway to the Diois. A region that we are delighted to help you discover, for its authenticity, its landscapes between the mountains and Provence, the quality of its paths, its varied, succulent and committed gastronomy... We have put together all these ingredients in a single tour. To make our stay unique, nights are spent in an accommodation of character in the image of this region: a 12th century monastery. A place full of history, whose old stones give us a few snippets... Sharing and conviviality will be the order of the day! Are you ready for this joyful adventure?
Beautiful E-MTB loops to discover the beautiful Drôme provençale and the Diois. An authentic and little-visited region, nestled at the foot of the Vercors cliffs. Electrically-assisted bikes designed for those who are looking for rolling routes with descents on wide tracks (no single-track trails), for less experienced novices, but also for those who simply want to discover a place, a region.
We have found for you a place that is unique in its environment and philosophy; a nine-century old monastery, with more than 2 hectares of botanical gardens and a panoramic view of the Drôme valley. The place provides an immense sense of tranquillity and creates a sense of connection and sharing through the various workshops and shows on offer. A few days in the monastery is the promise of a break in your daily life, a breath of fresh air for a (long) weekend!
If possible, we offer two variations per day. A shorter stage so that you can enjoy the extra-bike activities at the monastery, or for any other good reason. And a longer loop when possible, this variant does not change the technicality of the route, only the length. We have chosen to describe below the shortest loops. When you register, we can send you the two variants for each day.
The entire circuit has been designed for E-MTBs.
Itinerary start: We will meet you directly at the monastery of Sainte-Croix, at 2 pm. It is possible to park at the entrance of the village, or in front of the monastery.
After settling in at the monastery, we take the EMTBs for a first warm-up, starting the loop along the Sure, a tributary of the Drôme, which we soon reach. We start with a nice track between Scots pine and black pine trees typical of the Diois. Around us, a few vineyards and lavender fields, there is no doubt that we are at the beginning of the secret Provence. We cross the village of Ponet-et-St Alban, before climbing up some nice twists and turns to reach the Dionens pass. Soon we see the Sainte Croix, the botanical garden and the monastery. We can take advantage of the evening to stroll through the garden, or enjoy a glass of Clairette.
Distance and altitude gain : approx 20km and 650m
We start the day along the Drôme, which we quickly cross, to begin a beautiful climb on paths, in the middle of the forest to reach the Solaure plateau. We pass the Col de Barsac before entering the state forest of Justin. Without any great difficulty, we follow the passes (Col du Lion, Col de Beaufayn), before arriving at the Pas du Loup, the highest point of the day. The view is superb with the mountains of the South Vercors in front of us. And if the weather permits, we can see the Ecrins mountains, the Ventoux and the Massif Central in the distance. A beautiful and long descent awaits us. The forests give way to the Clairette vineyards, we cross many wine estates, and we ride along the beautiful Drôme to head back to the monastery...
Distance and altitude gain : approx 60km and 1400m
Today we change sector and head for the Vercors plateau! This large limestone massif between the Isère and the Drôme region. It is by a long climb without difficulty, mainly on tracks and country roads that we reach the plateau. On the way up we cross some vineyards and discover the hilly terrain in the middle of the forests. As the kilometres go by we have a panoramic view of the whole Diois and the valley of the river Drôme. In front of us, we can make out the great cliffs that so well represent the Vercors plateau. The landscape becomes more and more rocky, we approach Font d'Urle, the northern domain of the plateau. The panorama is breathtaking! We ride on the plateau between forests and clearings to get around the Ambel mountain. After a last exceptional panorama, it's time to go back down to our valley on a track with some nice twists and turns. Back in Sainte Croix, we quickly let ourselves be tempted by a massage in the heart of the botanical garden.
Distance and altitude gain : approx 60km and 1700m
We set off towards the downstream part of the Drôme river. We can take advantage of the climb to admire the landscape and then with the first descent of the day, we are faced with a beautiful panorama on the river with the vineyards dominating the valley. This downhill path takes us directly to the village of Pontaix. Although the day has only just begun, we can take advantage of the Aiguebelle waterfall, just below the castle of the same name, for a little Drôme foot bath. We set off again for an ascent between tracks and country roads in very peacefull places. We are at the junction between the Gervanne and Quint valleys. From the Col de Fonteuse, we leave the tracks for a narrower path that allows a superb descent into the Quint valley, a timeless place where many goat and sheep breeders have settled, as well as farmers. Many of the products cooked in the monastery come from there. We ride from hamlet to hamlet, alternating tracks and small lost roads. The kilometres go by and we are already at the last village of the day: Vachères en Quint, a village on a hill which allows us to enjoy the panorama before the last descent which is done on a beautiful gravelled track.
Distance and altitude gain : approx 40km and 1300m
The day starts along the Drôme, which we are beginning to know well, but we soon ride perpendicular to this river, below Mont Chabraret, to reach Marignac-en-Diois, one of the few villages that has seen its population increase since 2010! By an alternating track, we quickly arrive at the next hamlet where there is a lavender distillery, enough to bring back beautiful souvenirs. Between the various typical villages of the Diois, we forget the kilometres, with a little luck, we will see the griffon vultures reintroduced in the region in 1994. And then here we are in Die, here too it is a journey through time. In Antiquity first, with the remains of Gallo-Roman ramparts and the Saint-Marcel gate, all dating from the 3rd century. Then to the Middle Ages, with the beautiful Notre-Dame cathedral and its pretty 12th century bell tower-porch. After a break, for the motivated cyclists, it is time to finish the day with the ultimate effort, in order to reach the superb viewpoint of the Valcroissant abbey. Everything is there; the cliffs of the Vercors mountain range, a pretty path in the undergrowth with a superb playful descent.
Distance and altitude gain : approx 40km and 680m
With our E-MTBs, we reach the heart of the Grand Barry state forest by a nice descent on a path through the pine trees. In the distance, we can see the village of Saillans, which we just pass through, to go into the Roanne valley. We ride along the river to enter the gorges. The water is turquoise, with some pools ideal for swimming. Along the cliffs, where we can guess the climbing spots, we climb up to the Col du Perrier, before starting a descent in the forest. Last climb to reach the Col du Royet, the view is superb, we can see the Dévoluy massif and the cliffs of Glandasses. This is the last descent of the day, on a long track, we go towards Barsac and its vineyards.
Distance and altitude gain : approx 55km and 1600m
Itinerary end: Separation at the end of the tour is at the monastery. On request we can book the following nights accommodation for you in yh monastery.
Distances and altitude gain are an indication only and may vary.
This tour has not yet received any reviews.
