By the Pays Diois (climbing week)

Last update: 18-Aug-2023 11:19.

From Die (Hotel des Alpes) in the Pays Diois , you first go up the Drôme valley (with a climb), then you pedal to the watershed of the river Le Bès, which you follow upstream. At the exit of the Col de Miscon, a round trip is included in the route (of a total of 12 km): the road through the Gorges des Gats: a beautiful gorge where you also pass in front of a waterfall. It climbs about 70 meters into this gorge, which you also descend. Then follows the Col de Miscon with a tunnel without lighting (and 10% difference in altitude) from the beginning, and the valley of Bès is abandoned. The climb is very quiet in terms of traffic (practically no cars and crosses an idyllic landscape). The descent (quite difficult) brings you back to the Drôme valley, which you now follow downstream and you also see a geological phenomenon called Chaos bouleux du Claps. The Drôme valley is abandoned on the western slope to climb the Col de Pennes , in the mountain massif of La Pâle. The Massif de la Pâle is a deserted region, food can only be eaten in the village of Pennes-le-Sec (or in advance in Recoubeau). After the descent (which is steep, on average 9%), you pedal downstream through the Roanne valley, sometimes with a gorgeous character (Gorges de l'Escharis). The last part of the route follows the main road through the Drôme valley to return to Die.

Warning: the altimeters indicated by route are too high because of the gorges and rocky terrain on the road! A realistic estimate of the number of altimeters is 1550 hm (no round trip) and 1620 hm with back and forth.