June 2005:
Dordogne, Charente, Marais Poitevin, Loire and Loir valley, Normandy,
Seine.
4 ½ weeks, 1500km
June 2006: Valleys of the Lot, Tarn and Aveyron, and
Camargue.
4 weeks, 1400km
June 2007: Loire valley, Nantes-Brest Canal, Northern
Brittany and Mayenne/Sarthe.
3 weeks, 1250km
June 2008: Germany - Rhine, Mosel and Saar. France -
Alsace and Burgundy. Switzerland - Jura, Lakes Route. 5 ½ weeks, 2550km
June 2009:
France - Gascony, Canal du Midi, Cevennes, Provence, Drome, Savoie and
Haut Savoie. Switzerland - Rhone and Rhine. 4 weeks, 1800km.
Read our impressions and recommendations of these areas: France and Switzerland
Bikes, equipment and Transportation
Bikes:
Scott flat-handlebar road bikes with 700CX28 tyres. Packed for
the flight by removing the pedals and turning the handlebars
sideways, tying up the chain, and wrapping the frames in
bubble wrap. At the airport we deflate the
tyres and sometimes lower the saddles.
Luggage carried
in panniers which weighed approx 10kg when packed. (Panniers
bought overseas, as we couldn't find them for sale in South
Africa) and click-on handlebar bags.
Clothing:
Two sets of riding outfits - tops and shorts. Two
long-sleeved t-shirts for underneath on cold days, two vests
for intermediate days. All in easily washable fabric. One
pair of cycling longs for really cold days. Anorak, helmet,
cycling gloves, pull-on takkies (trainers for non
South-Africans) for riding - no laces to get caught.
Tip: Avoid yellow clothing. In certain areas of
France, a type of midge is attracted to anything yellow.
When I wore my yellow cycling shirt on our first tour, I had
to strip to my vest when stopping for lunch as I would be
landed on by vast clouds of midges!
Casual clothes
- minimal. We travel in zip-off longs that convert to
shorts. One long-sleeve and one short-sleeve shirt,
additional pair shorts, light jersey. All in fabrics that
can get away without ironing. One pair sandals. Underwear
tip: avoid taking thick cotton socks - they take forever to
dry after washing!
Bike
tools -
no.15 spanner for pedals, allen key bike tool,
chain lubricant. One spare tube per bike. Puncture kit. Latex gloves to
keep hands clean when performing repairs.
Kitchen tools
- one serrated knife, small plastic cutting board,
corkscrew, spoons. Other catering supplies were salt, olive
oil, powdered energy drink (Game). Two large water bottles
on each bike. Small cool-bag for carrying cheese and
chocolate. Small pair scissors.
Washing:
Own shampoo
and bath soap - many B&B's do not provide soap. Sunlight
laundry soap for handwashing in basins - one bar lasted a
trip admirably. About once a week, when spending more than
one night in our chambre d'hote (B&B) we would ask our hosts
to use the washing machine, which was usually kindly made
available.
Maps:
Michelin Local series (yellow, or Carte Jaune) scale 1:150 000 or 1:175
000. Easily available everywhere in France, and more practical to us
than the IGN cycling maps. Map holders: home-made from plastic
sleeves bought at the stationery shop and rigged onto the handlebar
bags with velcro and cord. Michelin Regional series maps (orange) are
now published in 1:200 000 scale, and have the same amount of detail as
Local maps. They cover larger areas, so you will need fewer maps, but
may need your glasses!
Other:
Journal, pen. Camera each. Small pair binoculars and
pocket guide to European birds. For entertainment, playing cards. Sunscreen and medical kit. French-English
dictionary.
Download Bike Trips Equipment Checklist:
Excel Spreadsheet | OpenOffice Spreadsheet
Land
Transportation
From
Charles de Gaulle airport into Paris, we once loaded
the bikes onto the RER suburban train, (look for the
coaches marked with a bicycle, usually at the ends
of the train.) Twice we used the Air France bus, but
got protestations from the baggage handler about the
bikes, who was the same guy two years apart - we won
him over in the end!
From
Paris, we took trains to our starting point. We had
researched the timetable for trains which accepted
bikes - see the SNCF website. The TER and regular
Corail trains take bikes free, but Corail Teoz and
TGV trains required a payment of 10€ each. The TGV
has a very limited number of trains which accept
built-up bikes, usually one, if any, per day on a
certain route.
We
occasionally took trains for intermediate journeys
to cover busy or less interesting sections.
Conductors were helpful. At smaller stations, they
helped load the bikes on and off the trains. One
disastrous day, we inadvertently left one helmet,
gloves and sunglasses on the platform. From the
train, the conductor used his cellphone to phone the
station, and arranged for it to be sent on the next
train. It arrived, neatly labeled with the contents!
Tip: Avoid train travel on Saturdays if possible! Trains get crowded - half of France
appears to travel. The bike area will probably be
filled with luggage which you will have to move
yourself in a mad scramble to get your bikes on
board before the train moves off.
Buses: We also took long-distance buses, both TER and private bus
companies. The drivers were always happy for us to load the bikes into
the luggage compartments underneath.
Tip: Remove the pedals to make loading much easier.
|
Bikes, equipment
and Transportation
- Planning, Accommodation and Security
- Impressions of France
- Cycling in Germany and Switzerland
Other Extras:
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Linux
Advice
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Self-Catering Accommodation, Wilderness
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Aviation Humour
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