Lons-le-Saunier / Arinthod

You start at Lons-le-Saunier, the Jura’s county town as well as a thermal spa resort, known in France as the birthplace of Claude Rouget de Lisle, composer of the Marseillaise (France’s national anthem), and of the popular cheese La Vache Qui Rit, (The Laughing Cow). You soon begin climbing. Enjoy the very quiet little roads on the Premier Plateau, then La Petite Montagne, crossing the Jura’s undulating prairies, where Montbéliarde cows graze, their milk making delicious Comté cheese. Take the time to savour this beautiful pastoral stage marked by pasturelands and farms as well as valleys and rivers.

Cycle route from Lons-le-Saunier to Arinthod

This Tour du Jura à Vélo Sport stage allows you to leave the town of Lons-le-Saunier smoothly and, having tackled the Bornay climb (5km averaging a 5% gradient), to reach quiet, very undulating roads on the Premier Plateau, followed by La Petite Montagne. It may not look it, but this first stage presents quite a challenge on the legs with its fairly significant shifts in altitude. Take care crossing the D2 road (there’s a long straight line between Moutonne and Orgelet) and at the entrance to Arinthod via the D109 road (which is wide but sometimes busy).

Practical information

• Accessible train station at Lons-le-Saunier
• Accommodation and all manner of services available at Lons-le-Saunier, Orgelet and Arinthod
• Bike repair facilities at Lons-le-Saunier and Orgelet

Don't miss 

• Lons-le-Saunier thermal spa resort: the Thermes (thermal spa facilities); Maison de la Vache Qui Rit (Fromagerie Bel, celebrating the much-loved cheese spread, The Laughing Cow)
• The bucolic landscapes of the Premier Plateau and Petite Montagne
• Orgelet town
• Château de Marigna-sur-Valouse
• Arinthod town centre