GT Newperson CycleTours

The Tour de Chambaran et Vercors will be based again in the gite in the Royans region between the Isère river and the mountains of the Vercors. To the west, across the Isère river, is the hilly region of the Chambaran, with the Abbey of St Antoine and the remarkable Palais Idéal.

The Chambaran is 60 kilometres across and 30 kilometres long on the western side along the Rhône, narrowing to 12 kilometres in the east.

The Royans is a small region at the foot of the main trading routes into the Vercors, which are river gorges cut into the limestone of the Vercors rather than the mountain passes. At between 150 and 250 metres up it is slightly above the Isère river.

Looming at up to 1500 metres above the Royans is the wall of mountains which encircles the Vercors. Within the Vercors, the upland region of valleys and plateaux is 800 to 1000 metres up.

This is a group of us crossing the Royans plain heading towards the Gorge of the River Bourne, which offers a long steady climb up into the Vercors in the background.

We will be staying in a gite near the small village of St Just de Claix.

We recommend travelling from London on the Eurostar to Lille, where we change onto the TGV high-speed train to Valence and then onto the local train to the town of St Marcellin. From there, it is a 20 kilometre cycle ride to the gite.

The cost of the tour is £380 and includes breakfast and evening meal, accommodation, and a detailed route guide with recommended routes.

If you would like to come, please send a deposit of £50, with the balance of £330, less the £20 shared room discount if applicable, to be paid by 20th April 2002. We can book the rail tickets for you, which will cost approximately £120.

You can put your bike in a bag and take it with you on the train. If you would prefer your bike can be transported by van.