Cycling across France

nahchillyo

Anyone cycled across France? I'm cycling from Portsmouth, England to Geneva this July. I've Never attempted a ride this big and was hoping for some tips or some insider knowledge on France. I'm doing it to riase money for The Ellen MacArthur Trust; they take kids recovering form cancer on confidence building sailing trips . My lilttle brother has cancer and he went sailing with the trust and Ellen last summer, he got such a buzz from it, so I thought i'd do something to say thanks, but didn't know what (the cardboard regatta didn't get of the ground!). So, in December after taking a wrong turn I found my self cycling up hill in the rain against gale force winds, I was caked in mud and wet to the bone and all I could think about was how much fun I was having, a few miles later I came up with the trip idea. If anyone has any tips please let me know

Not sure how well know MacArthur is outside Europe so here's some links:

www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org

www.ellenmacarthur.com

Boltonian

If anyone has any tips please let me know

We have done most of touring cycling in Germany, but have done a bit in France. What we have learnt is that the white roads on the standard Michelin road maps are fairly quiet. You can also get good maps from the IGN (www.ign.fr). The company also has a free 1:1000000 map of France with descriptions of signposted routes. You can also cycle on canal and river towpaths, but you will need a permit from the VNF which is responsible for the French canals or so I have read. Canal tow paths have the advantage that they are flatter, but you can't use a road racing bike, you will need a touring bike with wider tyres. Check out the Trento Bike Pages (www.trentobike.org/ )for good tour descriptions all over France. The Lonely Planet "Cycling in France" Guide promises 135 days' cycling and there are reputedly 28000 km of cycle paths in France.
Bonne Route

nahchillyo

[QUOTE=Boltonian]

We have done most of touring cycling in Germany, but have done a bit in France.


Thanks for the advice, had looked a canals but knew nothing about the permit! The white roads tip is VERY useful, have been staring at my A-Z of France with a small amount of confusion and fear!! I shall use the links and do some research.

Merci

beatupoldvet

Join the CTC. they have lots of routes in those foreign parts where you can't get a proper traditional english curry

blackbird05

I don't know if you've already checked in other boards on this forum, but the Touring and Recreational Cycling forum listed below the Women's forum is very useful. Do a search for "france" on that board, and you'll find quite a bit of information.

From my own experience, I second the "white roads" tip. Are you doing a self-supported tour (tent), or are you planning on sleeping in hostels/hotels/B&B's?
What I did for my tour was first get my hands on a rough topographical map of the country. Huge detail isn't necessary, just enough to show you a rough outline of river valleys and mountain ranges. It'll help you narrow down your possible routes if you know what you want to avoid, or what areas you want to travel in (flat, in my case). I chose a starting point based on accessiblity (Paris), and had my route planned for about 3 days into the beginning of the trip. On the way, I stopped by various Bureaux de Tourisme (Tourist offices) - they were happy to provide detailed road maps of the regions I was planning to bike through, lists of accomodations, campgrounds and potential bike trails. More often than not, we had no problem using these free handouts (coupled with a larger but less detailed "official" France map) to get around. Further into the trip, every day we'd decide on a village as our goal, and bike there, following little roads on the detailed road maps.
If you want to bike the whole way, try to avoid larger cities as much as possible - they can mean endless kilometers of suburbia hell, strip malls and cars. We learned that trying to get out of Paris. We also learned the value of the train in getting us out of these situations.
I found that, whenever possible, following larger rivers was very productive. There were often waterfront trails along their entire length, and you knew exactly which way to go.
Towns are very close together, and people generally willing to let you fill up on water if needed. Contrary to the myth, I found french people incredibly friendly and polite. Make an effort to speak their language, if only the polite words, smile, and they'll respond in kind. This being said, carry at least 2 litres of water on your bike at all times, and have a capacity for 3 if possible.
When you meet other bike tourists (and you will), ask them for their route reccomendations. They may have maps to exchange with you, if you're going in opposite directions.
Be aware that most stores in France close for an hour or two at midday so people can have a liesurely lunch. This can cause problems uf you find yourself VERY hungry!
That's about all I've got off the top of my head, but feel free to ask further if needed. Post on the Touring and Rec cycling board, after you've gone through the other old posts. The pople on that board have done exactly what you want to do, and are an invaluable resource.
Best of luck to you and yours!

nahchillyo

Cheers for the CTC advice. My sisters will be so pleased aboutthe curry!