Untamed Loire breakaway
For almost 200 km beginning from Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc, the River Loire runs through the majestic setting of wild gorges and basalt cliffs. Imagine a bunch of tasty grapes around the same stalk! From the river’s first murmurings, the Loire invites visitors on a journey. As you go on, you will have the chance to taste a chateau, a fortress, a Roman town, a priory and a water park…
The villages stay close to the river, nature is revealed and the first chateaux of the Loire stand like sentinels… In the wild gorges there is an atmosphere of impressive silence, a feeling you have reached the edge of the world, where beauty and serenity are perfectly combined.
The untamed Loire ride in a nutshell
Departure: Aurec-sur-Loire or Mont Gerbier de Jonc
Starting altitude: 490 m or 1400 m
Circuit of 157 or 147 km
Height difference: 3985 m or 2970 m
Maximum altitude: 1400 m
Signage: Circuit n°8 – Small green department sign
This cycling breakaway can begin either in Aurec-sur-Loire or Mont Gerbier de Jonc. Le Puy-en-Velay is at the crossroads of the routes, so it also makes an easy starting point! If you follow the sightseeing road through the Loire gorges, you will arrive at Mont Gerbier. But mind you don’t go on any further, as you could end up in the Rhone valley, and coming back up is a challenge for the legs!
