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12-12.-2003, 05:55 AM
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#1 |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 16
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touring france
Hi, velo tourists! Has anyone out there toured the Luberon area of France? Or Provence in general? I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Mark |
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17-12.-2003, 04:33 AM
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#2 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 10
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Re: touring france
Quote:
www.belfastandbeyond.com |
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21-12.-2003, 10:59 PM
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#3 | |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Ontario
Posts: 7
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Re: touring france
Quote:
I toured France a year ago this summer. Never made it to Provence. I rode from Versailles through the Vienne Valley, the Loire Valley, Cognac region, over to St. George on the ocean, took the ferry across to the tip of the Bordeax penninsula and rode down it. Then I took the train to Pau and rode through the Pyrennes to Lanamazan. I was out of time at that point and had to make it back to Paris. It that will help, ask questions and I will try to answer. |
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24-12.-2003, 08:20 AM
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#4 |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 3
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I've done Provence and the Luberon. It was fantastic. Went with Erickson Cycle Tours. The climbs in Provence were longer than I expected and the descents were great fun. Lots of really good food, but going in the summertime (August) it is very hot. Even so, the lavender is in bloom and the smell is nice. There was a story about riding in Provence in Asphalt Magazine's first issue.
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24-12.-2003, 12:44 PM
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#5 | |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 16
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Quote:
Dear triplover: I have heard about the Erickson tours, (he is from my home town, Seattle) and they seem to be well regarded. We plan to tour on our own, though, in early to mid June, specifically to avoid the heat. I am concerned about the grades in the Luberon though. We plan on tandeming, and my wife has done far less cycling than I. When you say the climbs were longer than you expected, compared to what? Where do you do most of your riding, what kind of shape were you in before you went, etc, etc. Thanks for your reply. I'll look up the "Asphalt" article. Any more info you could supply would be appreciated. Mark |
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02-01.-2004, 12:48 AM
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#6 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 79
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Re: touring france
Mark
I've been to provence many years ago but not on a bike. Most of my French touring has been around Normandy/Brittany and the Loire and Pyrenees. If you've never been there then France is a great place to tour. Good food, bike friendly roads and motorists in the main tho' the towns can be a bit intimidating. Be aware of some of the local opening hours it can mean that you follow the weekly half day closing around. our worst case meant that we arrived at one area on Monday - local half day, next place Tuesday - local half day ' moved on on wednesday to find that it was the local Half day - you get the picture, and when some of these small places close - they really close right down I'm not sure where everyone goes to, probably to the next village where its not half day closing! If you need any details on trains etc I can give some general advice, let me know Steve D Quote:
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02-01.-2004, 08:28 PM
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#7 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sweden
Posts: 848
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Re: touring france
Quote:
I've done some riding in France, and contrary to the other guys I wasn't too impressed with the food. It was tasty enough, but the French idea of a sustaining breakfast seems to be to take cream with the morning coffee and croissant. I strongly recommend that you pick up some items from the local supermarket and make every breakfast a picknick instead of eating at the hotels. There are some simpler hotels/youth hostels that cater specially to hikers, campers etc that are an exception to the rule though. Dinners aren't much better, there were several occasions when we stopped for a pizza on our way back to the hotel after dinner. Two crossed asparagus and a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards is not enough to refuel after a 80 km ride with a 2500 m climb. But besides the trouble of finding the "right" kind of restaurants France is a good place to bike. Hotels can usually provide safe overnight storage of your bike, and once you're out of the big cities the other people on the road usually show a surprising amount of tolerance for cyclists. Beware that once you hit the countryside it can be a fair distance between LBSs. Carry some crucial spares unless you're willing to spend a day on the buses if you burst a tyre for instance. |
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02-01.-2004, 11:29 PM
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#8 |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Ontario
Posts: 7
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If you camp in France (and EVERYONE does) you will find the campgrounds to be incredible! You will also find that you can order a fresh baguette or croissants to be delivered to the campground in the morning......fresh from the bakery.
All shops shut at noon on Sunday and the small towns usually take Tuesdays to close. The restaurants will still be open. |
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05-01.-2004, 03:18 AM
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#9 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 79
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Re: Re: touring france
You are right they can be a bit thin on Breakfast etc, but I tend to do my own thing and there are loads of bakeries around and they open very early so carb loading is not difficult!.
If you are staying in hotels look at the Logis de France chain they are all family owned and run and range from basic (the best) to quite luxurious. They are quite reasonable by european standards and cheap by british standards. Regards Steve D Quote:
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08-01.-2004, 02:42 AM
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#10 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 156
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i've cycled solo from paris to calais and back. i've also cycled solo in the bordeaux area. both were very great areas to travel via bicycle.
the people are friendly to bikers, lodging is plentiful (i stayed in hotels each night), and roads are in good condition. |
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08-01.-2004, 04:09 AM
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#11 |
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 16
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Re: Re: Re: touring france
Logis de France chain they are all family owned and run and range from basic (the best) to quite luxurious. They are quite reasonable by european standards and cheap by british standards.
Regards Steve D [/B][/QUOTE] Thanks for that tip! I went online and discovered thatit is an extensive chain, and far cheaper then the B&B's that I have been researching. Not so many in the Luberon area, but enough, I think. Mark |
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08-01.-2004, 09:38 PM
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#12 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 79
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Re: Re: Re: Re: touring france
no worries
There are Logis at reasonable distances all over France and you can always stay in the odd 3 chimney one (top of the range) for a bit of luxury, generally a friendly bunch and keen to please. At one of the best I've been to the owner kept adding more food to our table, a huge bowl of pasta and extra bread "pour la velo" and most have some secure storage nearby He than followed it up with some advice on routes that we would have missed completely. Another one to keep an eye on is "Gite de France" mostly B&B and self catering again often good value have fun Steve D Quote:
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08-02.-2004, 03:57 PM
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#13 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 22
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Re: touring france
[Hi Mark,
Go you'll love it. Have been touring France since the 60's. Look here for personal experiences. www.todmoore.net |
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09-02.-2004, 08:52 AM
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#14 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 11
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Re: touring france
Quote:
Hi Mark My husband and I are also planning to tour Provence and hopefully Tuscany by bike in June (maybe we'll cross paths). I've never done anything like this, and I was hoping to ask a few questions of my own. Hope you don't mind. I would love advice on: 1. What to pack - since I've never toured before I'm guaranteed to take too much stuff, what do I really NEED. 2. Is it easy to find accommodation in June or would you need to pre-book everything (takes some of the spontaneity away). 3. How easy is it to travel by train with a bike? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards Kathy |
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09-02.-2004, 09:39 AM
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#15 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 264
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Re: Re: touring france
Quote:
It's quite easy - as long as you are well prepared. Don't do what I did and just take your bike on a train because you'll get kicked off. You can take your bike on the local 'bus service' trains but not the inter-city trains. It's straightforward (and reasonably cheap) to deposit your bike at any decent sized station and send it freight to your destination, but it can take up to three days to get there (you can usually do it at small stations too but that can take even longer). So my advice is plan your trip accordingly and book up train tickets (for both yourself and your bike) as far in advance as possible. With careful planning you might be lucky enough to get your bike on the freight section of the same train you're travelling on. Me and my mates got thrown off the train out of Nice, heading overnight to Calais, and ended up having to take a different train that meant changing in Paris at 5am rather than waking up at the ferry terminal at a leisurely 10am. We had to go back to France a few days later to collect our bikes. Fortunately, I lived just the other side of the Channel at the time so the day trip wasn't a great hardship. We had even taken the wheels off and wrapped up our bikes to make them look as much as possible like hand baggage but the guard on the train was having none of it. Bloody French bureaucracy at its finest. |
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