What a scandal, what an uproar, what a disgrace! When the restaurant of the late kitchen god Paul Bocuse lost its third star in the Michelin Guide two years ago, the vocabulary of the French press went into overdrive: "Worse than an earthquake" and a real "electric shock" was this demotion. Other top chefs were shocked or railed against the incompetence of the test eaters - and not hidden somewhere on the internet, but on the front pages of the national press. Gourmet food, it seems, is part of the raison d'être here. Shortly before Lyon, Bocuse's devalued "Auberge du Pont de Collonges" is located on the banks of the Saône, almost directly on the cycle path. But we'd rather cycle past than form our own judgement: With menu prices of around 300 euros, it's not exactly a snack bar, and after a day of cycling, you're thirsty too...
What's more, French gastronomy had already suggested on one of the previous days that we were not quite qualified for its higher honours. The sommelière in a rather down-to-earth restaurant had refused to refill the wine glass for the main course with the same drink that had already proved its worth for the starter. Because this wine simply didn't go with the main course, she explained. Despite her friendly smile, it had sounded very much like an order.
It is a stark contrast between the heights of better-eating and the simplicity of rural France, through which the southern section of the "Voie Bleue" runs. The new long-distance cycle route is around 700 kilometres long in total. After a section in the Moselle valley and several kilometres along the Vosges Canal, it finally uses the wide valley of the Saône before it joins the Rhône in Lyon. The route traverses eastern France. In our case, the trip began in Auxonne, halfway to the right of Dijon on the map - with an empty landscape and an unexpected first impression of French table culture. ...
>> You can find the complete travel report "La Voie Bleue" with all the information in MYBIKE 3/2022 or as a PDF download below the article.
The most beautiful pictures of the new long-distance cycle path "La Voie bleue"
Tour character
The Voie Bleue generally runs close to the shore along various canals and - in the section we travelled - the banks of the Saône. The metres in altitude do not play a role on this section. Only the detour into the Beaujolais wine-growing region has a few climbs on a former railway line. The stages have very little traffic on cycle paths, towpaths or small side roads. Some sections were not yet fully completed in 2021 due to the coronavirus and were roughly gravelled; in some cases, you cycle on unpaved natural paths. Tyre widths of 40 millimetres or more are therefore recommended.
Tour route - the MYBIKE stages to follow
Day 1: Auxonne - Verdun-sur-le-Doubs // 68 km
Between Auxonne and Verdun, the cycle path follows the Rhine-Rhône canal in places, then small roads again and finally the banks of the Doubs. Several restaurants on the banks of the river in Saint-Jean-de-Losne.
Day 2: Verdun-sur-le-Doubs - Tournus // 60 km
Cycle paths run almost continuously along the banks of the Saône. Most of the villages are rather unspectacular, but Chalon-sur-Saône is a pretty town with a large pedestrianised area and various restaurants.
Day 3: Tournus - Montmerle-sur-Saône // 64 km
The stage runs entirely on cycle paths along the banks of the river. Stopover in Mâcon.
Day 4: Montmerle - Beaujeu - Lyon // 81 km
The first part of the stage is a 25-kilometre detour into the centre of Beaujolais viticulture. The orientation through Belleville to the start of the railway line cycle path to Beaujeu requires some attention. At the end of the detour, cycle paths lead to the centre of Lyon.
GPS data
You can download the GPX track for the cycle tour "La Voie bleue" download here for free
or find it in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
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