France (all)

From Barcelona to Venezia (including [among others] Provence and the Dolomites).

Erik had spent the winter looking at pictures of famous Alpine passes, and that's where we were going. Languedoc and Provence also caught our attention, as did Costa Brava in Spain. We therefore decided to start our journey in Barcelona (which we passed through on our Iberia Tour 1999) and to finish in Venice (where we had been during the Touring Italia 1998).

We both signed up in the winter to participate in the ``Vätternrundan'' (a one-day 300k event in mid-June around the second largest lake in Sweden), and trained more than 1000 km during the spring. This training was absolutely necessary, not only for the ``Vätternrundan'', but also for the very hilly tour. In the end, after five weeks, we saw that we had had no more than three days without mountains. The first day through Barcelona, one day along the coast in Southern France and the last day on the plains to Venice. We were also certain that it would not be our last tour in the Alps. The climbs were hard, but the views and encouragements from other cyclists and car-drivers made it all more than worth-while. You are hardly ever alone as a cyclist. Standing on the summit after an hour or more of climbing you feel just as great as when you sweep through the switchbacks, going downhill for tens of kilometers on end!

From the Vercors of France through Switzerland's Bernese Oberland to the Austrian Tyrol. The itinerary traverses a series of world class bike rides including Gorge de La Bourne, Les Grands Goulets, and Combe Laval in the Vercors; the North Face of the Eiger, Lauterbrunnen Valley, and Grosse Scheideg in the Bernese Oberland; then via the Furka and Oberalp Passes and down the Rhine to Chur and Lichtenstein and by the Tauern Radweg to Zell am See.

I also give full advice and information sources for anyone wishing to cycle this same route or to go elsewhere by Switzerland's National Bike Routes or by Austria's 30 Official Bike Routes. This trip was done in May and June 2001. Will add photos soon.

Elba hat eine wechselvolle Geschichte hinter sich: Griechen, Etrusker, Römer, Spanier, Engländer ständig wechselten die Herrscher. Mediterrane Flora und blau schimmernde Buchten erwarten uns. Aber auch für unsere Begriffe viel zu viel motorisierter Verkehr. Bei Aquaviva treffe ich meine Schwester, die hier ihren Urlaub verbringt und schon sind wir Tagesgespräch im Hotel. Wir nehmen unser erstes und letztes Bad im Meer und uns wird langsam bewußt, daß wir am Endpunkt unserer Reise angekommen sind. Wir wollen noch einmal die Ruhe und Stille genießen und fahren deshalb hoch in die Berge.

Eine erlebnisreiche Reise und 1750 Km mit dem Rad liegen hinter uns. Interessant auch die Tatsache, daß wir uns trotz des Altersunterschiedes (40 62) gut zusammen arrangiert haben. Ein gemeinsames Ziel verbindet eben und schweißt zusammen. Etwas, was in unserer heutigen Zeit zunehmend verloren zu gehen scheint.

I soon was on my way up to Col d'Azet (1580 m) - it was blazingly hot so I was lucky I stayed by the shop before starting the second climb of the day. There were really many cyclists out now as the Tour de France was now only something like three hour behind us ;-). At the start of the real climb there were two italians who passed by me looking very serious and I again could not help but try to figure out just how good these chaps could be. I noticed they got slightly irritated by not be able to shake me off, although they at a few places got away from me a couple of meters, I simply did not give up and always catched up with them. When approaching the top I for some reason got some extra strength and just slowly raised the speed until they both had to give up and they stopped to shake hands with me at the top and a waiting girlfriend (of them) took the photo here. The average speed up this climb was around 14 km/h, which I think is rather good for an amateur like me. The Tour de France riders do not go terribly much faster really (maybe up to 18 km/h perhaps - do not exactly though).

This was a smaller road and, as often on narrower roads, it were very nice scenery around there, as you could see. It was a somewhat hilarious ride down to the valley below and I continued down the valley to Arreau where I had lunch. Now I had taken off from the Tour route for the day (they were going to Plan d'Adet - just across the valley from the Azet col).

I thought I should now take it a bit easier and not compete. I started gently on my way up to Col d'Aspin (1489 m), but soon there were an englishman (from the Docklands in London) passing by me and I changed my speed a little and followed him. We were both raising the speed a little and it thus turned into yet another competition (with almost as many people on the side of the road as previously despite that this was the Tour road for tomorrow). Well, a bit easier than with the Italians I sprinted away from him at the top of the Col and we talked a little and had someone take a photo of us both.

Covering the Loire and the Coast.

The summer of 2001 took my wife Carol and me (and our bikes, of course) back to France for the 14th time. This time we would be joining 4 friends (Sue Fleming, Patty Keeble, Chris McGee and Sue McDonald) for a tour of the Pays de la Loire and northern Burgundy after we had cycled by ourselves for 10 days from Toulouse to our meeting place in the Vend e. Our frequent cycling companions, Peter and Heather Stark, had also planned to join us with the others but a family illness caused them to remain behind in Canada - a great loss to our group. Carol and I had not been to the Loire region since our first cycle trip in France in 1984. Both Sue's had also cycled the Loire valley in the past but this would be the first cycle tour anywhere for both Chris and Patty. Because of the size of the group, all our accommodations had been booked before we left. As with all my tour reports you will be seeing my personal view of the trip, colored by my many biases, and a disturbing tendency to verbosity. As I always say: Caveat emptor! (Let the buyer beware!)

Eine anspruchsvolle Radtour in 14 Tagesetappen über insgesamt 1281 km durch Deutschland, Österreich, Italien, die Schweiz und Frankreich; Tagesetappen zwischen 73 und 144 Kilometern. Die Radtour München - Provence führt von München über das Timmelsjoch nach Meran, dann weiter über den Gampenpaß und Passo del Tonale nach Edolo. Entlang an den oberitalienischen Seen geht nach Turin. Über den Montgenèvre erreichen wir Frankreich. Krönender Abschluß ist eine Umrundung der Gorge du Verdon. In Fayence in der Provence endet die Tour.

This web site is really just a day to day account of my 2000 mile lone cycle ride undertaken in July and August 2000. Most of my friends thought I was mad to try it at the age of 56 especially since I had never cycled much further than the local pub before. Had done no training, and my fifteen year old MBK mountain bike and heavy tent and things were hardly high tech. Yes I probably was mad but as things turned out most of the trip was great fun and I had very few problems, not even any aches and pains after the first couple of days.

A 2200km ride starting from Bordeaux on the French side of the Pyrenees, and finishing at the rock of Gibraltar off the South West of Spain. We averaged 100km/day, taking a mountainous route through 4 major mountain ranges - the Pyrenees, El Maestrat/Sierra de Cuenca, Sierra de Alcaraz/Cazorla and the Sierra Nevada.
Includes Map, Diary, Kit List, Pictures, Mechanicals, and Quotes...
``The pain in Spain falls mainly on the moun-tain''
``May the flies of a thousand camels infest the armpits of your children''

The 450 km London-Eindhoven tour will take place at June 24th of the year 2000 when we will start at 02.00 AM Greenwich Mean Time at the Piccadilly Circus. The London-Eindhoven tour is part of our project ``Europe is small'' because the center of major European cities are all within 24 hr cycling distance from Eindhoven. In 1997 we did start at the Arc de Triomphe for Paris-Eindhoven. This year we will do the London-Eindhoven tour and in 2002 Berlin-Eindhoven will be on the program.

Nice report - includes route details and photographs.

Starting at the mountain acropolis of Najac, I biked for 17 days along incredibly scenic rivers--the Aveyron, Lot, Cele, Dourdou, Truyere and Tarn--rivers that meander through deep gorges and loop around ancient villages and majestic chateaux. En route, I rode through some of the most delightful villages in France, which in Languedoc included several fortified cliffhanger villages built by the Cathars in the 12th century and looted by Simon de Montfort. Other highlights on this ride included medieval Conques, St. Cirque La Popie, Entraygues, Estaing, Florac and the Cevennes, the immense Gorge du Tarn and an exciting ride over the mountains of Haut Languedoc to Carcassonne. The day-by-day report not only describes my experiences but also tells how to duplicate my route.

Ascoli Piceno is an almost perfectly conserved medieval town. The buildings are ancient, and many roads are narrow, winding, cobblestoned paths. We stayed at the youth hostel, which is an 11th-century tower. We were the only guests. The picture on the right shows the hostel tower. (Trust me, it's not easy to make good pictures of tall structures from narrow winding streets.)

This sets the theme for most of the towns and villages we visit for the rest of the tour - they are all incredibly charmingly ancient and authentic, unspoiled by tourism and past centuries and, in some cases, millenia. It's like people living in big living monuments of the past, and making it look as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I don't think you can find this anywhere else in the world; even the French are much quicker mingling old with new.

None of this, of course, stops the Italians from hurtling through their charming cobblestoned streets with noisy little automobiles or deafening two-stroke motorcycles.

These pages are a recollection of our 2000 summer tour. Ending a century, and even more a millenium, should be memorable. As you will read, it was, but not exactly for the best of reasons:-) This year destination was suggested by Martine: not directly and not consciously thought. Not even willingly:-) One day, she mentioned lakes as a good holiday destination. She was refering to Chambon, secretly hoping we could pitch the tent once and for all near a nice beach where she could find inspiration for excuses for letting me going alone on daily rides:-) Lakes? Yes, that's an idea! What about visiting some of the great Alpine lakes: Annecy, le Bourget, le Léman, Neuchatel, ..?

This table is a summary of the route I followed on my 81-day quest to cycle up all 71 surfaced mountain passes above 2,000 metres in the Alps. Coming soon: The ``Official Website'' of all surfaced mountain passes above 2,000 metres in the Alps and a pictorial travelogue of the trip.

Il seguente viaggio cicloturistico ripercorre una delle vie di pellegrinaggio utilizzate fino dal secolo IX per raggiungere le ``estreme terre della cristianità'' e il sepolcro dell'Apostolo Santiago (San Giacomo Maggiore). Durante questi 2000 chilometri si attraversa ogni paesaggio, dalle Alpi ai Pirenei, dal Mediterraneo all'Atlantico passando per zone montane e pedemontane, altopiani, prati, campi coltivati, fiumi, città d'arte, semplici villaggi, ecc., ecc. Il tratto in territorio spagnolo è meglio conosciuto come Camino de Santiago, Chemin de St. Jacques o Cammino Reale Francese ed è stato dichiarato ``Patrimonio dell'Umanità'' dall'UNESCO e ``Itinerario Culturale Europeo'' dal Consiglio d'Europa dal 1987.

The trip was an attemp to beat Fritz Hansens record from 1999. He did the trip in 20 dayes and nights, 3 hours and 12 minutes. I also went for his average of 289 km a day.

Why alone? It gives you some satisfaction, to know you did the trip alone, and without any help. If you bike in a group, you have to adapt yourself to the groups choice of route and daily distance. When you are alone you are completely free to follow your own rhythm.

The statistics are frightening, the Tourmalet is a ``Hors Catagorie'' climb, the most difficult of all, and a rare beast indeed. The Col is at 2115 m, nearly 7000 feet, the second highest in the Pyrenees and by repute, the most difficult. If you look at the Michelin map you'll see the road, previously marked in yellow, becomes made up of red and yellow dots. I've only seen this on a couple of sections of road in France and means that the road is very dangerous. But for the cycletourist it has two saving graces, firstly it is generally a steady though hard climb, the second is that it is so stunningly beautiful that by the top the part of you which will hurt most will be your neck from craning around at some of the most spectacular scenery in cycling.

In autumn 2,000, I spent 19 days cycling around this compact Mediterranean island on some of the most spectacular seacoast and mountain roads on earth. Day after day, I pedalled along clifftop roads high above the sea with a balcony view of the wild, rocky coast. In the interior, I cycled on quiet backroads through rugged gorges and to ancient villages perched high in the mountains. Traffic was mostly light and each night I stayed at a comfortable hotel in mountain villages or at beach resorts or fishing harbors or under the massive walls of medieval citadels. My route took me completely around Cap Corse and to the awsome heights of the col de Bavella, and I visited Corte, Bastia, St. Florent, Ile Rousse, Calvi, Porto, Ajaccio, Propriano, Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio. Day by day, this report describes exactly how I did it with loads of advice to help you experience Corsica by exactly the same route.

Avignon - Nîmes - S.tes Maries de la Mer - Arles - Avignon.

Our annual European cycle trip took us (my wife Carol and me) back to France (of course - this was the 13th tour there!) We chose this particular route because it included areas we had not yet seen (for the most part). As usual, we travelled unsupported (no sag-wagon) but we stayed in hotels or B&B's and ate our evening mealsin restaurants. We averaged about 70 km a day, a lot of it in mountainous terrain - not bad for a 60 year old geezer (and his wife who is 2 years younger. I won't tell you her age). Once again, this trip log is far too wordy and full of a lot of personal observations which expose many of my biases. Consider yourselves forewarned!

Includes very nice pictures. I had come for a holiday in the pyrenees to ride some of the cols I had seen during telecasts of the Tour de France . ,I decided to to tackle something over 2000m in altitude inspired by a picture I had seen and a sense of adventure I made my decision . The Port d'Alua at 2260m on the French/Spanish border . Although myself a roadie (now converted roadie /mountain biker ) at my hosts advice I geared up for this ride as a mountain biker as the last 12km or so are on a gravel road and mountain and mountain trail.

Here are some notes from the cycling holiday that we did in September 1999. It was a leisurely trip from Bordeaux to Toulouse passing through more interesting places than we expected. The tour included several spectacular medieval towns, picturesque villages, vineyards and chateaux. The landscape was varied, with rolling hills, impressive gorges and the odd cave to visit.

Nicely done, with pictures and practical information.

Wir folgen nun weitgehend den Spuren der Pilger, wobei wir mit unseren Rennrädern natürlich auf der Landstrasse bleiben. Das erste Pässchen - die Hulftegg - fordert etwas Schweiss und wir geniessen die Wärme in der Abfahrt. Das Tösstal ist am Montagvormittag von Autos entvölkert und schnell erreichen wir Schmerikon am Zürichsee. Hier gibt's Kalorien für die nächste Stufe. Die Sattelegg lässt uns reichlich schwitzen und bei leichtem Rückenwind beginnen wir langsam zu kochen. Die Passhöhe erläst uns und bis Einsiedeln sind wir schon wieder abgekühlt. Wir zünden in der Klosterkirche eine Kerze an, fällen die Bidons am grossen Brunnen und weiter geht's über den Sattel nach Schwyz, mit einem herrlichen Blick auf den Lauerzersee.

A logbook with photographs of a tour starting in Paris.

We stopped at the gazebo with two flavors of rusty, bubbly mineral water, that give strength to those who dare climb this hill, before heading up the Gavia. It starts as a smooth wide two lane road with center stripe and a collage of warning signs that might make the wary traveler wonder what's going on. Land slides, falling rock, dangerous narrow road, and a chain requirement from September to July, are not the usual fare for mountain roads. After a short climb, past the first hairpin, reality strikes as the road goes from highway to driveway width and the 16% sign of poster fame sets the tone.

I was impressed with the aesthetics of ANAS, the highway department. They seem to have grasped the beauty of the Gavia and stopped the march of man against nature, right there where it meets the mountain. The road has lost nothing through paving. It is exactly the same narrow one lane Gavia that it always was. I have never seen a road so thoughtfully restored without a gratuitous widening job, but here it is. I hope it never changes. We continued through the thinning larch forest, up the east side of the canyon, finally rising above tree line. Here only thick bushy grass and wildflowers cover slopes where going off the road assures a long tumble to the Frigidolfo, far below.

The Iberia Tour 1999 is our longest journey so far, both in distance and number of days. We went by air from Norrköping in Sweden to Paris on the 9th of June. From Paris, we first travelled southwards to Orléans, then followed the River Loire to Tours, went on to Bourdeaux where we turned towards southeast and followed River Garonne to Toulouse. From Toulouse we began to climb up the Pyrenees and arrived in the mini-country Andorra on the 20th of June. One day later we left Andorra and rode down to Barcelona in two days, then followed the coast to Andalucia, left the coast for Sierra Nevada, Granada and Ronda and arrived in Gibraltar. After a short visit to the African continent, we went on to Seville and then followed the coast to the Portuguese border and further on to the most south-western point of the European continent; Cabo de São Vicente. We arrived in Lisbon five days later on the 29th of July. The total distance amounted to 4630 km and we had 49 days of active bicycling and 4 days of resting. It was just not our longest journey so far, but also the hilliest and the hottest journey, in Spain the temperature at daytime was steadily above 30 degrees Celsius.

These pages are a recollection of our 1999 summer holidays. As summer approaches, the usual question comes more pressing: Where? For Martine with a bit of worry, for Nicolas with the ``I-will-be-against-anyway'' enthusiasm of youth, and for the grand-parents with a ``what-will-they-invent-this-year'' nod of the head. Of course, Simon will say as his brother. Satisfying everybody will be hard:-) There are two innovations this year: Simon will peddle his way on his trailer bike and we will try mountains. The general theme then begins to take form. We will ride through the mist of time, first with geology, then with prehistory.

Once the general theme is defined, the route planing process is straightforward. Start point: Clermont-Ferrand, end point: Surzur. Must see places: Le Puy de Dôme, Bort les Orgues, Padirac, Rocamadour, Pech Merl, Les Eyzzies, Lascaux. In between, the detailed route will be planed on a day by day basis, depending on weather, tiring, and mood of the gang.

Our annual European cycle tour took us back to France this year - 12th time for me, 10th for my wife, Carol. (We like it there.) This was only our second ``solo'' trip. We usually travel with one or two other couples. And this was our first French tour outside of the two summer months. As always, we travel unsupported (i.e., no ``sag wagon'') but we never camp. Rather we stay in small hotels or, occasionally, chambres d'hôte (B & B's). The following is a log of the trip - as usual it's far too wordy and filled with comments based on my personal bias. Caveat emptor! We averaged nearly 65 km per day in fairly mountainous terrain but since we are both ``banging on 60'', YMMV (your mileage may vary).

We have done the Bicycle tour of the Loire some 14 times with a variety of friends. Many times with our friend Bill Ransom [...] who passed away this year. We have toured other areas of France, but nothing quite compares with the Loire. We also enjoy trips to Civil War locations and we are eager for cycling companions.

This trip and variations of it have been ridden about 14 times by us. [...] This is a moderate mileage trip with the longest required riding day of around 50 miles. The shortest is about 22 and the rest fall in between. It can easily be extended in mileage or in time by spending two days in each location and riding a loop one day from each location.

A nice job, with particularly good pictures.

A solo, 21 days, 1300 km (800 miles) tour starting from Toulouse and ending in Marseille, going through the Canal de la Garonne, Quercy and Périgord (a very good place to start a bicycle tour in France), the prehistoric sites in the Dordogne and Vézère Valleys, the Aveyron uplands, the Canal du Midi, a string of medieval cities from Carcassonne to Arles, and the Mediterranean Coast.

A tour through Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria by Bill Venners, from Autumn Leaf Cafe - an anthology of ideas and adventures.

From September 7th through October 8th, 1998, I rode my bicycle through the towns, forests, fields, hills and mountains of Europe. I was accompanied by my friend Matt, with whom I'd taken two previous bike trips.

This web site is a travelogue of my European bike tour. [...]

Table of Contents - Annotated links to all the pages; The Travelogue - Stories, data, and pictures from the trip; The Numbers - A table of bicycle and push-up data; The Not-Anal-Retentive Packing List - What to take (and where to put it).

The whole trip lasted for 918 kms which I covered with average speed of 17.7 km/h climbing 20,310 meters vertically. I used my touring steel bike with triple chain ring (52/42/30) and 7 speed rear block (12-23). I had two bags - one on the handlebars for maps, camera and some food and expandable Trek bag on the rear rack containing all my clothes, toiletry, and spares.

The 7-week adventure had consisted of a solo cycle tour, which started in Chamonix and finished in Lyon visiting the Alpine regions of Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France.

The well-written, well-illustrated report of a grand tour of the Alps. The 7-week adventure had consisted of a solo cycle tour, which started in Chamonix and finished in Lyon visiting the Alpine regions of Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France. This article covers my journey of almost 2200miles.

Having cycled and mountain biked around my native Peak District for many years, I decided the time had come to venture further afield and to try my hand at cycle touring. I had both backpacked and cycled on many occasions, but never had I combined the two together. Graduating from university gave me a sufficient opportunity, since I had a lengthy vacation to fill and the commencement of work later in the year would inhibit such a trip in the future. Preparations were made, panniers purchased and on the 1st August 1998, I found myself heading for Chamonix.

A beautifully illustrated report. The whole trip lasted for 918 kms which I covered with average speed of 17.7 km/h climbing 20,310 meters vertically. I used my touring steel bike with triple chain ring (52/42/30) and 7 speed rear block (12-23). I had two bags - one on the handlebars for maps, camera and some food and expandable Trek bag on the rear rack containing all my clothes, toiletry, and spares.

Middle of June 1998, we [...] started the trip we had dreamed of for a long time: by bicycle from top to bottom through Europe. A view on the map shows that this journey covers 36 degrees of latitude and in total has a length of 7200 km. The trip started in Norway and from there led us through Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and finally to Gibraltar. Not the shortest route, but also an exploration of the better parts of Europe. This on-line trip-report was built up while cycling.