Last May we cycled from Lyon to Avignon on the Via Rhona cycle route and spent a week exploring the Provence region of France. The riding was excellent. Some friends thought it would be great if, this year, we could rent a house in the Luberon for a week and together, cycle the area. The idea was hatched. Pat and I will put together a 3 week tour with the plan of meeting up with our group near Gordes and spend the next week cycling the Hill Towns of the Luberon. So we are going back to France again.  This is great. We both like France – The riding is good, the food is great and there are always interesting places to stay.

Scott played around with a number of cycling options but decided upon a west to east ride from Bordeaux to the Avignon area. The plan would be to cycle along three rivers, the Dordogne, the Lot and the Tarn.  When linked together, these waterways will take us most of the distance that we need to get to the Luberon. The cycling in these areas is very highly regarded; in fact many reports indicate that the summer months can be exceptionally busy. From that perspective, late May seems to be a perfect time. We are counting on the weather gods to also see it that way.

We will be arriving in Paris tomorrow and we will spend three nights adjusting and preparing for our tour. We enjoy being not rushed as we begin our ride. This time allows us to adjust to a new time zone and  if an issue arises -  then we will have time to fix any unforeseen problems. There have been several discussions on Cycleblaze concerning personal approaches to booking or not booking overnight stays. There are good arguments each way but my methods falls on the side of being well prepared. We have GPX files and hotel bookings for at least the first week on the road. From there we will build upon the plan but I have a good idea where we will be going and the schedule necessary to fit the distance. Most days are very reasonable riding of between 50 to 70 KMs per day.

We are packed and the Bike Fridays are in their suitcases. It is time to go!

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