Spanish Deserts, the Atlas Mountains, Scandinavian lakes… Sure, these are all nice places to ride, but what if we’re all travelling unnecessarily? After challenging himself to travel less, Shimano Gravel Alliance rider Liam Yates dropped a pin on France’s Clermont-Ferrand.
After a year that involved quite a lot of flying, I wanted to come up with a destination that could be accessible in a different way. France was the obvious choice, but where? In the end, having scoured the map for contour lines, a friend and I decided to head to the area surrounding Clermont-Ferrand.
Driving from my base in the South Downs, the total journey was about 9–10 hours each way, including a ferry crossing between Newhaven and Dieppe. We chose this area because it appeared on paper to be one of the closest areas to us that had any significant climbs.
The exact location of our stay was a small mountain town called Olloix, which was not like we’d expected. As soon as we arrived, we noticed a unique landscape with many tall mounds. Cue immediate internet search - we looked online and learned that we were in an area named the Chaîne des Puys.
The Chaîne des Puys-Faille de Limagne is one of the 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in France and was the first natural site in mainland France to gain this prestigious status. This area is made up of around 80 volcanoes and contains the most compact and diverse collection of volcanic forms that can be found on earth. For gravel riders, this means virtually non-stop ups and downs and interesting terrain under your tyres.
After getting to grips with the gravel in this area, I have come up with four multi-surface routes that explore this special landscape. Ranging from 35 to 55 kilometres, these routes are not massive, but they are not to be underestimated as the climbing will make itself known to anyone who rides here.
Gearing: You will want low gears for the climbing - I used 50/34 and 11-40
Recommended tyre width: 40mm and upwards
Best off-bike activity: Hiking up (and down) the famous Puy de Dome!
Must-eat local delicacy: The local boulangerie
Insider tips: Make sure you download maps or anything else you want available offline – phone signal in this area can be temperamental.
Routes
This 43km loop of Lac d’Aydat was the first ride I did in the region and was planned as an easy introduction to the area. Me and my riding partner quickly found out that riding in this area wasn’t quite as easy as it looks on the map! The off-road tracks reminded me a lot of the U.K. and were really fun to ride. The whole route (and wider area) gives you a sense that you are far from anyone, and you’re reminded of that when you go for a couple of hours without seeing a single cafe!
This route circles the famous Puy de Dome - the largest of all volcanos in the area. This place was brought to the attention of cycling fans worldwide when the Tour De France returned to the famous climb in 2023 after 35 years. From this route you will see the famous landmark from all angles, it’s the closest you can get as the climb itself is closed to cars and bikes but you can visit it via tram or a pleasant hike!
This route is the longest in the collection and also features the most climbing, although that’s not the whole story. The route begins with a 12km climb right from the start. Sticking mostly to tarmac, you will climb up to 1420 metres of elevation, passing many volcanic peaks on the way. Once this climb is done, the remainder of the route is fairly flat. Following the route on some amazingly smooth gravel and dirt tracks you come around the top section of the route and then head south. Once again, there are not many options when it comes to cafes or restaurants, so I strongly recommend taking a good amount of snacks and 2 bottles of water on this ride! The final challenge is a small Hike-A-Bike with about 10km to go before you drop down the final descent to the lake.
This is the shortest of the 4 loops and also the least technical. From Ollix, it starts with a nice tarmac decent before heading straight into a 4km off-road climb. From here it follows a ridge that will loop you back around. With amazing views in every direction, make sure you stop for some photos!