Loop 8: Saint-Claude-Hautes Combes

Saint-Claude, the Tacon valley, the Hautes Combes, Lajoux, Lamoura... This 74.5km route is one of the most beautiful in the southern Haut-Jura. It is also one of the most difficult.
The town of Saint-Claude is a hub for all cycling routes. Wherever you want to go, you have to climb from the bottom of this valley at an altitude of 440m, at the confluence of the Bienne and the Tacon. As soon as you cross the city limits, another life begins... Made of effort with 12km of ascent to the Croix de la Serra pass (remarkable ascent) along the Tacon valley in dreamy landscapes where the bell tower of the village of Les Bouchoux can be seen in the distance on its hillock. At Désertin, after having swallowed 600m of difference in altitude in one go, the landscape becomes clearer before plunging into the forest as far as La Pesse. This is the arrival on the Hautes Combes, 20km of hollows and bumps that undulate under the Monts-Jura and rest the legs. Passing through Bellecombe, Les Moussières (home of the Bleu du Haut-Jura cheese to be tasted at the cheese factory), Les Molunes at an altitude of 1,270m and arriving in an enchanting environment at Lajoux where the Maison du Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura is located. The road descends to Lamoura, and its lapidary museum, then plunges into the forest to reach Saint-Claude via the Côte de Chaumont on the slopes of Mont Bayard.