The queue for the pre ride check-in is quickly and efficiently dealt with so the wait is never long. Registration and bag drop is straightforward with a number of volunteers on hand to manage anything you may have missed to do, or questions you may have. There is a small expo to check out too, with Mavic on hand for any last minute bike checks. Everything is well managed to accommodate this huge influx of people with car park pools dotted along the main roads into the village. If you hadn’t managed to secure a bed for your time here, a campsite is located 3 km out of town, which is where I pitched up. Food wise, there is a well stocked mini Casino in town and plenty of restaurants/bars, all welcoming Ardéchoise participants.

Bag drop is the evening before or up to 8h30 on the morning of the grand depart. Bag weight is limited depending on the number of days and it is weighed, so no trying to sneak in a few extras. Riding the 3 day 603km route, bag limit was a generous 9kg however. Le depart is anytime between 6h30 and 9h00, there’s no rush as this isn’t a race, where crossing through the start gate activates your tracker.

Day 1 was 210km with 3480m+. With most villages along the initial part of the route getting involved, there were regular feed stops for the first 40km. Each village had made a huge effort in support of this event, decorating it’s streets and offering a plentiful amount of food and drink. The early terrain rolls and kicks, with climbs being stiff and short, passing through the picturesque ancient streets of the villages. As the ride processes southwards, rider numbers begins to thin as they veer off onto their chosen routes, along small, quiet secondary roads, passing through some of the best scenery of the Ardèche.

Thé route is devoid of road side signage, just the occasional yellow arrows painted on the road at early intersections, otherwise you’ll need a GPS unit to follow your chosen route. I used my trusty Garmin 1000. This is certainly an event to enjoy with a group of friends, but even if you come solo you’ll engage with numerous riders along the way. Speaking French will have its advantages too as most of the participants are Francophiles.

Feed station volunteers are an enthusiastic bunch, happy to be part of such an ingrained event in the region’s calender. They encourage you to relax for a moment at their feed station, to take a coffee and food, much of which will be local and home prepared.

The first night was at a campsite in St Remze, in one of the cabins. Basic, but perfectly ideal after a long day in the saddle. It is shared accommodation, so do carry some ear plugs in your overnight bag! The evening meal was hearty and plentiful, around communal seating with other participants. My compagnons around the table were all French, some repeat riders, some newbies like myself. Speaking French made being sociable much easier and conversation easily flowed as we relayed our experiences of the day. Even if you don’t speak French, it’s such a convivial atmosphere that no doubt communication would still flow in Frenglish!

Breakfast was the standard continental, so stock your carry bag with personal preferences if you want anything different. I usually take along my prefered porridge oats. Start time is again up to you, but bags get picked up around 7h30 so you will need to be prepared for that as the bag handlers have a super tight schedule.

With warming sunshine for the start of day 2, the distance was a little less engaging at 188km, for a total of 3318m+ as we headed in the higher ranges. The day started with roads passing through stunning gorges for which the Ardèche is renowned, rolling terrain continually bagging cols along the way, although only in the 300-400m high region, they were still cols! On these longer routes, you almost have the roads to yourself, barely coming across other riders, yet still with many of the villages hosting a feed station, enthusiastically welcoming all who came through. They were as much a part of the event as the route itself.

As we gradually cut across west, the hills got higher, the valleys deeper, the climbs longer, meandering upwards, always steady, never steep, always with far reaching views of these more wild parts of the Ardéche. Our entrance into this mountain range marked by a 1000m climb up to the Col de la Croix de la Femme Morte. From the earlier 250m cols, we were now reaching heights of over 1400m, the riding becoming more hearty and with that, a change in weather to more damp and colder conditions.