Riding in South East France
From expansive gorge roads to narrow routes cut into the very rock, the south east offers a huge diversity of terrain and riding
YOU NEED A head for heights in the Alps. Especially on the balcony roads. Like this one, the towering Col de la Machine carved into the cliffs of Combe Laval in the Vercors. We approach it from the south, climbing the D76 from Vassieux-envercors. It’s a pleasant-enough road, twisting innocently through the trees but with no real fireworks - and no hint of what’s to come.
Then it dips down to a pleasant-looking café, the Hotel du Col de la Machine. We park up, get a drink, stretch our legs… and come face to face with the yawning drop on the far side of the road. Combe Laval is a deep glacial valley and we’re right at the top - the road stretching away before us, into a tunnel. Looking over the low wall, my stomach does a gentle flip. That’s a long way down.
“Come on,” I tell Weeble. “Time to see where it goes.” Through the tunnel and out, rocks on the one side, vast expanse of air on the other. We’re heading north, riding next to the drop. The top of the retaining wall is slightly below my knee when I’m sitting on the Triumph Tiger. The view is amazing. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Then the road narrows, the rocks of the cliff projecting above it. There are short tunnels, a few sharp turns… my heart isn’t exactly in my mouth but it is beating fast. Then, after only two high-altitude miles, we pass through another tunnel and stop in a layby as the road moves back from the brink. It’s a short road, but it’s a mind-blowingly memorable one. Exactly the kind of riding that drew us to the Alps.