Cycling in France

[Whatsup!]

Hi All

 

I will be in France in July and want to go watch a stage at La Tour, followed by 4 or 5 days cycling in France.

I am hoping that some Hubbers have some experience and can give any advise or recommendations.

I am thinking of the south of France (Provence) or the north eastern part.

Should I look at road trip or mountain biking?

Anyone used a tour company that they recommend?

 

I am not sure how much you can actually see watching the tour live, so not sure if it is worth trying to see more than 1 or 2 stages. I don’t have final dates yet, so don’t know if it will be flat or mountain stages.

My thoughts are to see 1 or 2 stages and then get away from the crowds and enjoy some cycling through small towns with good food and drink.

 

Any other advice (or probably abuse) is most welcome.

[jamiecanter]

Hi there

 

I went to the Tour last year and have been to France on numerous holidays. Any part of France is worth seeing apart from maybe the north east imo. Very industrial area and usually horrible weather.

 

I was based around the North West last year visiting the Normandy D-Day beaches, Mont St Michel and some nice towns before going to Chartres to watch the Time Trial. Watching a Time Trial is great because you get to see every rider and you get a whole day of action whereas on a normal flat stage the peloton just goes by within a second.

 

The mountain stages on the other hand are absolutely crazy and since Alpe d'Huez is being done twice this year it would be worth a visit especially to the dutch corner if late night parties and drinking are your thing However because of the mountains, unpredictable weather can be an issue. Best bet for weather would be the South of France (similar climate to Cape Town) but comes with an increase in food prices etc.

 

When I went over from the UK I used my road bike and car. This meant I could easily find a good campsite and make good time on the roads. French and European drivers are more aware of cyclists and usually give plenty of room for overtaking. Cycling in Paris especially on the day of the tour was absolutely horrible coming from me having plenty of experience cycling in central London. Bad roads, lots of traffic and tons of people. Got completely lost and had to have my bike put in a nice Frenchman's car to get back to mine by Versailles but that's another story .At least I got to cycle down the Champs Elysee when it was closed otherwise it is a complete death trap of a road. Be prepared to wait 5+ hours to get a good spot to watch on the Champs Elysee.

 

If your going the Alps there are a few mtb parks on some of the ski resorts making use of the ski lifts to get your bike to the top. Dont really know much on this being a roadie.

 

I've never used a tour company before so cannot comment,but I always planned and booked my holidays myself adding to the drama and unpredictability. Last one in Belgium I managed to stumble upon the BMC service course

 

Best advice I can give you is pick an area of France you want to visit and focus on that area and go exploring with a vague idea of where some of the attractions are. The food and drink will turn up sometime or another

 

If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

[Whatsup!]

Thank you for your very usefull information.

I rode the Champs Elysee on one of those hire bikes in the middle of a Saturday morning last year. Traffic was hectic, but I had fun and was was one of things that just had to be done!

[cat-i]

Look at this link: http://www.trans-provence.com/guideweek.shtml - riding the trans Provence route, but not racing it

 

It's on my ever-growing to-do list.

[Whatsup!]

mmmm.. that looks very good.

A bit out of my budget at the moment though.

I was also looking at the Cube Bike days but apparenlty they have not confirmed the venue yet. It was in Austria last year, but hey have closed some of the trails.

[Sportsworld.co.za]

Hi jamie/Whatsup,

 

I have a bucket list, which is actually very short, but one of the things on it is to go and see the battle fields, cemetries, memorials etc from WW1. I've done parts of France, - Brittany, Normandy, Ardeche, Provence, the West Coast etc but never the NE or E of France. I would love to take my bike and go and do the tour in that area. When you were touring around, did you have pre-booked accommodation or did you just wing it and hope for the best depending on where you ended up? Cheers Stephen

[Guest Omega Man]

Thank you for your very usefull information.

I rode the Champs Elysee on one of those hire bikes in the middle of a Saturday morning last year. Traffic was hectic, but I had fun and was was one of things that just had to be done!

I'm going to Morzine in July (3rd trip) we are more gravity orientated but take a look at this thread. I'd pick a spot (preferably the Alps) watch a stage or 2 and then ride the area.

 

http://www.thehubsa....wiss-alps-2012/

 

In 2014 myself and a mate are doing a guided trip to the same area. Also check out forevermorzine. They are more roadie orientated.

 

If you want some tips you are elcome to message me.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Omega Man

[Ovenboi]

We are also going to France again this year. Awesome Holiday with great food and riding !

 

We stay in Le deux Alpes at a place called Chalet Mounier http://www.chalet-mounier.com/en/. It's a ski resort with some nice climbs available to ride very close by. You can do road biking and loads of downhill if you feel like it. This hotel comes highly recommended for location food and facilities !

 

borg d'oisans (Where alpe d'huez is located) is just down the road and we cycle down there when we want to go do some nice climbing routes.

 

We go just after the tour goes past there to avoid the masses of people but the vibe is great !

 

you can rent a bike in Borg from http://www.cyclesetsports.com/en/ for much cheaper than taking your own bike in and

they have Pinarello's Specialized and Cannondales.. Speak to Dan

 

Here is one of the rides we did

http://app.strava.com/activities/15700043

 

Hope this helps

[Whatsup!]

^{Thanks for all the very usefull info. I need to find some time to work through all this and make desicions.}

^{What is interesting, as pointed out by Omega Man's link, it is cheaper than Epic, with these awesome options and rides available}

[jamiecanter]

Hi jamie/Whatsup,

 

I have a bucket list, which is actually very short, but one of the things on it is to go and see the battle fields, cemetries, memorials etc from WW1. I've done parts of France, - Brittany, Normandy, Ardeche, Provence, the West Coast etc but never the NE or E of France. I would love to take my bike and go and do the tour in that area. When you were touring around, did you have pre-booked accommodation or did you just wing it and hope for the best depending on where you ended up? Cheers Stephen

 

Hi

 

Most of the time in the summer months I just go and hope there is a camp site somewhere in the area. They are a lot more common than in SA and cheaper than hotels providing you have a tent. When the tour is nearby they fill up pretty quickly. In the autumn and winter I usually pre-book at Hotel Formule 1, Etap Hotel or Ibis Budget depending on which is cheapest. These are usually found on the dodgy outskirts of town near motorways so dont expect the Hotel de Paris

[Guest Omega Man]

^{Thanks for all the very usefull info. I need to find some time to work through all this and make desicions.}

^{What is interesting, as pointed out by Omega Man's link, it is cheaper than Epic, with these awesome options and rides available}

Careful there. You gonna open a big can-o-worms. Hahaha. But ja it is cheaper than the epic. I've done 2 trips and I'll be going on a 3rd in 38 days and I've not spent more than 22k on each trip. And that includes flights. And I was NOT scrimping at all.

[MAK]

The best stages to watch are the time trials. As mentioned, you see every rider individually. If you get to the start area, you can usually walk around to see the coaches/bikes/equipment close-up and the guys warming up for hours before their start times.

I went to a few prologues [when they are a short T/T] which are brilliant to be at. Watching a flat road stage is all over in a matter of a few seconds.

Try to get on a route before the race comes through to watch the caravan - a must-see.

Being on a mountain stage is great, but you have to get there hours [day?] in advance, and remember that at any spot you watch a stage, once it is over, you generally have to leave - and there are plenty others with the same idea, and traffic is worse than hectic.

I found that the start area a few hours before is a good place to be, as you are able to see more.

[Guest Omega Man]

The best stages to watch are the time trials.

Interesting. I always thought the mountain stages would be best to watch. I do like your logic tho of seeing every rider.

 

Love France. I'm frothing for those little 250ml beers already. Perfect little bite sized post ride beers. The Courfour in Morzine has a WHOLE ISLE of beers. We'd go and buy 2 of each that caught our eye every day and sample them. There was one that I really enjoyed. It's green and is quite herby. My mates hated it but i thought it was quite interesting.

 

Oh and the Baguettes that are 80% baked that you put in the oven to finish the job. That, some butter and Camembert. Lovely. The food is AMAZING in France. The riding isn't too bad either.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Omega Man

[Whatsup!]

Some feedback

Through the bit of research I have done, it looks like I am going for the Morzine option.

Book 1 week accomodation. I few cheaper options but +- 500 Euro for a week (sleeps 4)

Will hire bikes (would prefer my bike, but will be on business in Poland and Paris before hand so cant drag it around)

Hire mountian bikes for 3 days and a road bike for a day or 2.(=- Euro 50 per day)

The advantage is that I can do a bit of big travel, cross country and road.

 

The guided tours through Provens are all +- Euro 1000 per person, will not all meals included. So that is at leat 2k for 2 of us.