September 11, 2011
Some general observations after two cycling tours in France
Accommodation:
Booking the accommodation from home ahead of time gives Eva a chance to check out many options. She uses Tripadvisor and other online review sites to choose well located, good value, interesting accommodation, preferably with a mention of a good breakfast. Two star hotels or B&Bs (chambres d'hotes) have worked nicely on both our tours. Travelling off-season tends to mean lower rates, and we paid an average of about 60 euros per night for very satisfying accommodation.
We like to stay in the centre or old sections of towns and cities so that we can walk to historical attractions and restaurants. Sometimes,though, there have been particularly nice (and very reasonable) country homes that provide good stopping places between towns. These often serve dinner.
Researching accommodation ahead of time stretches out the trip for us. Several months before we actually leave home, we get to think in detail about all our destinations. We look at town maps, peruse restaurant menus and compare various hotels. This extends our sense of anticipation, and becomes part of the trip later. With email reservation confirmations in hand, we never arrive somewhere after a long ride to find all the accommodation full. It works for us.
Breakfast:
Since French hotels usually charge for breakfast, many travellers go elsewhere. We usually find the hotel repast more substantial and economical than buying coffee and pastry separately in a boulangerie or cafe. Hotel breakfasts for 7 or 8 euros often include fruit, yogurt, cheese, sometimes eggs, and more than one cup of coffee, along with the usual croissants and baguettes. B&Bs or chambre d'hotes generally provide the best value accommodation with superior breakfasts included in the rate.
Lunch:
Lunch is taken very seriously in France, and we enjoy participating in the national preoccupation! Offices and stores generally close for at least an hour around midi. We did picnic a few times, but most days after 30 or so kilometres of cycling, we were hungry and ready to get off our bikes and sit in comfort for awhile. We found the 10-12 euro menu du jour lunches--many enjoyed ouside--just perfect for our energy requirements. They consist of two or three courses, and sometimes include wine and/or coffee. In the small towns these interludes give us some insight into the daily lives of the locals, from construction and office workers to old ladies with small dogs (who get a seat of their own). Unfortunately many small towns don't have restaurants any more, so we usually check out possible lunch stops on the internet ahead of time.
Notes about our route and the cycling:
At the end of this trip, we both felt that the actual cycling--the roads, the grades, the vistas, the variation in surroundings--was even more pleasant than we experienced the year before. (And that was really good!) So, while we didn't have as many "world-class" destinations on our route, we were equally satisfied because of the overall fit of the route to our abilities and interests. There was also added satisfaction in wandering essentially from sea to sea by pedal power alone.
Except for short uphill stretches into villages and towns, the first five days of cycling were relatively flat or moderately rolling, and much of it followed river valleys. Most of the rest of the trip alternated moderate climbs with easygoing descents, generally on quiet to very quiet roads, with plenty to look at and mercifully few headwinds (well, maybe a few "head breezes"). The changes in terrain, climate, and vegetation along the route kept us continually interested.
As we've said, going over the route in detail beforehand has its advantages and disadvantages, and we understand that it might not suit many people. On the plus side, we can control to some extent the spacing and severity of climbs, we can mull over at leisure our alternative choices of villages to pass through, and we can research more carefully any (sometimes obscure) attractions that may be along our way. Al particularly likes the way this close scrutiny helps him get to know the different areas in their broader geographical context and also adds to the sense of "extending" the trip.
We also avoid accidentally going many kilometres out of our way, cycling on unpleasantly busy roads, and in general 'getting lost'. We only have a certain amount of time and energy, and this way we don't waste either.
The combination of maps and Google Earth works well for us. Al photocopies sections of a map that fit in the map holder and display each day's route. In addition, he writes out a sequential description of each day's turns, forks, junctions, grades, and landmarks, with distances, and that also goes into the map holder. Most of this information has been gathered using Google Earth, which is also the major source for choosing quiet and interesting roads (sometimes tracks, and pistes cyclables). Sometimes alternate routes are plotted/described to allow for optional attractions, questionable road surfaces, or to take into account possible construction that older images on Google Earth don't show. Google Earth images are very useful, but can be some years out of date and we have encountered a (very) few instances of new construction that made us alter our route somewhat.
Equipment:
We are very satisfied with our Bike Friday Crusoes, which have taken us nearly 10,000 kilometres in two and a half years of riding. The Schwalbe Marathon tires work well for us, and we had no punctures on the 2010 trip.
There hasn't been much rain on our tours, but during our 66 kilometre drenching ride between Cahors and Montauban, the Ortlieb panniers and rack pack performed beautifully, keeping all our clothing and electronics nice and dry. The classic back roller panniers are easy to open and close if we need to retrieve a jacket or pair of shorts quickly while enroute. After we returned to Vancouver, Al bought a Derecho jacket (the new incarnation of the Whoosh, which worked so well for Eva) at MEC and we both purchased waterproof Axiom gloves, which we hope will actually be waterproof in heavy rain.
Our Asus Eee computer gave us trouble-free internet access for email and route-checking. Most places we stayed had WIFI, and we find the computer very useful for keeping a basic journal while traveling. We both have fairly old digital cameras.
Our 2011 tour in France starts in early October. We're flying to Lyon, then touring Burgundy for two weeks before taking the train south for another three weeks of cycling. Our plans are in full swing and we're getting excited!
January 2013 note: The photos below were taken on our first French tour in 2009. No journal for that trip had been written when these photos were posted. We've just now completed a journal for the 2009 trip, "France Highlights" (https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/francehighlights/) in which the photos can be viewed in their proper context.
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