So cool,

Look at the run-off on the road! Yikes. You know riding in bad weather literally makes you all badasses.

Bauhaus-ian (or maybe Bauhaus-ish) looking!

Glad you’re enjoying your trips.

Neat! Looks like it was cut with pinking shears.

I’m glad to see you all made it’

Hi Carolyn - In brief, I think the TGV is a better option. Not only is it faster, you don't have to hang bikes from hooks as you do on the Intercities trains, and the TGV may be more likely to depart from platform 1A or 1B, which alleviates the stairs. I have some other comments/tips/experiences to share, but maybe we should move this to email. My gmail account is susanlongcarpenter if you want to contact me there.

They are suppose to announce the track ~20 min before departure, so that would leave you adequate time to find the bike car. If you book early, your seat should be in the same car as the bike and the car/seat indicated on your ticket. You can always ask one of the conductors which is the bike car(s).

Another advantage of the train originating in Toulouse is that when you the bike car before the luggage space is filled with luggage.

Thanks Scott - no harm done in fall except some scrapes and bruising to left knee and ankle. Thankfully.

Hi Susan, glad you're unscathed after your fall!
I'm just in the process of booking tickets from Toulouse to Paris in October. Currently I will be able to book the only 2 spaces available on the TGV INOUI (for fully assembled bikes) and there is also an option for the intercity which takes 7hrs. I remembered that you had taken the TGV from Toulouse last year and looked up your account of it. We're not going to be faced with the same chaos you encountered on a public holiday but I'm still a little nervous about how easy it will be to get up to the platform, find the bike car and hope there are no suitcases in the way. How much time is there to get onto the train from when the platform is announced? Can you remember whether the bike section was at the front or back of the train? I'm wondering if it would be less stressful to take the 7hr intercity option with slightly more capacity for bikes? Would love if you are able to offer up some advice!

Must be the week for mishaps. I slid on wet flooring and also landed on my back, but my tailbone stopped it. Sore, but I will continue to bike in this Belgian rainstorm daily ( !) adventure!

I’m glad you the weather improved when you got to Rocamador!

Sorry to hear about your fall, Susan. Hope it was no worse than it sounded.

Interesting news about needing a bike pass on a TER. I’ll have to remember that for this fall.

Thanks Rich - I'd not previously viewed Rocamadour from this vantage point and was happy I could get this shot of Leah

A classic shot! Nice job!

It was so nice to be back in Gramat/the Lot and remember all the great times we had together back in 2022

Sad to say, I haven't been there, but I have visited and "revisited" most of his Highway 61. So I've got that going for me. I've also ridden my bike outside the gates of Prince's Paisley Park Studios.