The Loire has always been one of the most bicycle-friendly routes in France with well signposted and maintained roads, lots of cafes, places to stay and establishments that are always welcoming. Now the region is becoming a leader in providing free portable tools for English-speaking bicyclists visiting the region. Last week I wrote about a new app just released by Loire a Velo. Another new app called Cyclopedia has been released for the Anjou area in the western Loire. Cyclopedia has been around for a couple of years but was only available as a rental device. Fortunately its scope has been expanded and it’s now available from iTunes. Later this month, will also be available from the Play Store.

The Anjou is a wonderful, very undiscovered part of the Loire and one of my favorites for exploring by bike. Cyclopedia helps enrich this adventure by highlighting points of interest, background on different areas and stories about the region. Cyclopedia illustrates the itinerary along 70 km of the Loire between Gennes and Montjean-sur-Loire. A detailed map of the region is also provided.

Points of interest are automatically displayed when you pass them. You’ll know this by a little “ding” on the phone.

If you need directions from Point A to Point B along the route, there is help for that too.

Kudos to the Anjou Department of Tourism and its development partner, Camineo for developing such an easy to use app, and for making the investment of offering it in English. Tools for bicycling don’t get any better than this, and offering it for free makes it even that much better.

For me, this app gives me, and hopefully you just one more reason to consider Anjou for your next bicycling trip in France!

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved.

If you are lucky enough to be bicycling along the Loire River this summer, you’re in luck. A new free app for smartphones has been released to complement the popular Loire a Velo website, as well as to insure that you can access needed information when you are bicycling along the Loire. From lodging information to opening hours for attractions along the way, to locating a bicycle repair shop, this new app is basic, easy to use and a great resource to guide you along your itinerary.

The app is available at Google Play as well as at the iTunes store. It is very easy to download and ready to use in less than a minute. Once the maps download, the app uses GPS technology to follow  your itinerary. The best news of all, the app doesn’t require an internet connection to work, so you can really use it in the middle of nowhere when you may be lost and you need help! Brilliant idea!

If you’ve built a travel file of your itinerary as well as places you want to visit, places to stay and other resources on the Loire a Velo website, this file can be transferred to your portable app so everything is accessible when you need it.

The bike path along the Loire a Velo near Brehemont

This free app ushers in a whole new generation of user friendly tools that are just one more reason to bike in France, as if we needed more. I’m not even traveling to the Loire this summer, but I was so excited to download the app to try out all its features. Now I am anxious to plan another trip to the Loire to try out this new tool!

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved.

If you are planning to be near Paris or Mont St-Michel this summer, and you are looking for a challenging bike adventure, look no further than the Veloscenic, one of the newest long distance bicycle routes.  The resources for the Veloscenic have improved a lot since the last time I updated the route last summer.  The main benefit for those interested in the route is that the website is finally available in English, and it is full of helpful information on stages of the route and other information to help with trip planning.

This is the logo for the route, a slight change from the original name Veloscenie. The logo appears on the directional signs that have been installed on most parts of the route, letting you know that you are on the right route.

The Veloscenic has it all:  some of France’s most popular attractions including the Eiffel Tower and Mont St-Michel, and in the middle, the Chartres Cathedral and the Chateau de Versailles.  This 440 km route could become one of the most popular bike routes in France, but beware, this route is not totally flat.  There are 22 stages along the route, 2 are rated expert, 11 intermediate and 8 family. Most of the family stages are greenways, which make these stages safe for traveling with children, as well as for recreational cyclists.

The following stages are rated suitable for families and or/recreational cyclists:

• Paris to Massey, 18.7 km, mostly along a TGV track
• Nogent-le-Routrou to Remalard, 17 km along the Huisne River
• Remalard to Mortagne-au-Perche, 21.1 km greenway which continues along the Huisne River, through the Parc Naturel Regional du Perche
• Mortagne-au-Perche to Le Mele-sur-Sarthe, 15.4 km greenway through the Parc Naturel Regional Normandie-Maine
• Le Mele-sur-Sarthe to Alencon, 23.1 km mostly greenway through the Bourse Forest along the Vesone River
• Domfront to Barenton, 17.7 km which begins with a steep hill leaving Domfront with quite a bit of traffic, then becomes a greenway through the Normandy countryside
• Barenton to Mortain, 14.4 km, all greenway except for the stretch into Mortain
• Mortain to St. Hilaire-du-Harcouet, 14.9 km, mostly greenway once you get out of Mortain, past the Cance waterfalls.

According to the latest maps, the greenway is now complete to Ducey, with the greenway continuing on the last stage to the mouth of the Selune River.  From that point, there is a cycle path along a shared road which leads to Mont St-Michel.

For recreational cyclists and families that are interested in bicycling the greenways of this route from Nogent-le-Routrou, but don’t want to deal with the provisional section from Alencon to Domfront, it is possible to take a train from Alencon to either Domfront or Flers(and then bicycling to Domfront).  The connection is through Le Mans, but it can be done in under 2 hours.  From Domfront, it would then be possible to bicycle on to Mont St-Michel.

There are several stages of the itinerary that are considered provisional, meaning that there is still work going on developing these sections. These stages include Massey to Limours, Limours to St. Arnoult, St. Arnoult to Rambouillet, Alencon to Carrouges, Carrouges to Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, and Bagnoles-de-l’Orne to Domfront.  Some of these segments do not have completed route signs, so be sure to download the road book or pick one up at the local tourism office when you are there.  It is also possible to download GPS route for each segment.  All that is required is to register online, then it is possible to keep all your route information in a file ready for your trip.

The maps that are available online for each stage are a wealth of information that can help with trip planning.  If you use the maps in full-screen mode and do a bit of enlarging, you can easily see where train stations are, access the location of tourism offices, bike repair shops, local attractions, farmer’s markets, picnic areas and places to stay and eat.  All of these resources are so much more useful now that they are in English!

With most of the Paris to Epernon stage still in development stage, you may want to consider taking the train from Paris to either the lovely town of Rambouillet or directly to Epernon.  Trains to either location leave from Gare Montparnasse, and take less than 45 minutes.  Both routes are local trains that accept bicycles.

Updates will be published as work on provisional routes is completed, and as new services become available along the route. In the meantime, if you have the opportunity to travel part or all of this route, please send along your comments and reviews of the route that I can share.

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved.

If there is one common theme running through my upcoming bicycling trip, it would be three of my favorite things: wine, food and market days!  In the wine department, I’ll begin my trip in the vineyards of the Medoc on the Atlantic Coast, follow them to Saint Emilion, then along the Canal du Midi in the Languedoc, to the vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape, ending in the vineyards of the Luberon.  

In the food department, I will enjoy the best that France has to offer:  seafood in Aquitaine, canale in Saint Emilion, Cassoulet along the Canal du Midi, AOC Pelardon cheese, lots and lots of olives and olive tapenade, anchovies from Collioure, oysters and sardines from Sete, Agde and Marseillan, and I haven’t even gotten to Provence yet!  We will enjoy some of the best summer markets, from the Sunday markets in Bordeaux and L’Isle sur la Sorgue to daily markets in Avignon, Cavaillon, Carcassonne, Bonnieux and every other market we can find.  

Are you wondering where the bicycling comes in?  I’m happy to report that there will be plenty of time for that, understanding that I am definitely not one to feel obligated to ride 75 km+ a day.  Several days exploring the vineyards around the Medoc and the Gironde, a week along the Canal du Midi and a week in Provence will provide plenty of challenging time on the bike.  Cycling along the Canal du Midi will be slow in some parts, based on recent reports I have read.  This is probably the biggest unknown on this trip as there are few online resources about the route along the canal.  Most of the books on cycling the canal are outdated.  I have received reports that signage is poor and that sections of the route are impassable or difficult at best.  The good news is that the weather should be dry in late June, so we hopefully won’t have to worry about rained out or muddy paths.  Regardless of the condition of the route, the chance to be immersed by the plane trees before they are cut down and replaced will be priceless.

Plane trees lining the Canal du Midi

And then there is Provence.  I forgot how much I love the simple things about Provence:  local honey for breakfast, Cavaillon melons, tomatoes the color of fire engines, ratatouille, aubergines, peaches from Roussillon, chilled rose wine, fields of lavender as far as you can see….and smell.  And then there are the fields of sunflowers, a picture that forever stays in your mind. And I can’t forget to mention the people of Provence.  Perhaps it’s because they live in paradise that they are so warm and welcoming.  Perhaps it’s just the way they are.  Makes me wish I was spending a month bicycling there!  Maybe I will go back in the fall.

This trip I will also try out a new way of bicycling in France.  For two days, I will rent an e-bike to explore some of the most famous hill towns in the Luberon:  Lacoste, Menerbes, Roussillon, Gordes, Loumarin, Bonnieux, Maubec and Apt.  Judging from the many responses I received to my last post about e-bikes in the Luberon, it looks like this is something that a lot of you are interested in, so stay tuned for more.  I can’t wait for this experience!

My itinerary is finally finished and I have made all of my lodging reservations.  I was quickly reminded how popular Provence is because it was challenging getting reservations at several places that I wanted to stay.  Lesson for the future:  book early when going to Provence in June or July and just stay away in August.  I still need to finalize my reservations for bikes.  I will be renting from O2cycles from Bordeaux to Sete, and from Luberon Biking in Provence.  I will use Sun-e-Bike for the electric bike.

I am preparing a list of some of my favorite resources used in my planning, so watch for this list in the next few days.

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved.

E-Bikes.  Who would think that these six letters would help bring about revolution in recreational bicycling in hilly parts of France?  In areas such as the Vaucluse region of Provence, recreational cyclists are enjoying the exhileration of cycling to gorgeous hill towns such as Bonnieux, Lacoste and Menerbes effortlessly, the e-bike way.

Sun-e-Bike, located in Bonnieux and St-Remy-de Provence is one of the leaders of this revolution.  Not only has this company set up a service network where cyclists can exchange batteries, but they provide every kind of assistance you may need to have a great bicycling experience.  I’ve been so impressed with the service network set up by this company, that I’ll be trying out one of their e-bikes on my upcoming trip to Provence this summer.  I can’t wait for this experience.

Sun-e-Bike electric bicycle

First, a bit about the bikes.  They are bikes in which a battery, motor and electric circuit have been added.  Electric Assist Bike is the term used to describe the bikes because the rider needs to pedal to activate the motor. The motor automatically stops when you stop pedaling or when the bike reaches a speed of 25 km/h.  Compared to a normal bike, these particular e-bikes make hill climbing and pedaling against the wind much easier.  For those of us who love cycling the flats, the e-bike provides this type of experience even on hills.  What a brilliant idea!

The battery has a range of 40km, which means that bicyclists can enjoy a full day of cycling with no problem.  When the battery is low, you simply exchange it for a new one at one of the 18 battery exchange locations throughout the Luberon.  Partners are located no farther than 20 km apart, so there is never a chance that you will get stranded with a dead battery.  No effort is needed on the users part, just pick up a new battery and go!

Locations to exchange batteries

Next, a bit about the itineraries. Sun-e-Bike has designed specific itineraries for exploring the best parts of the Luberon and Alpilles region.  Itineraries are provided when you leave the rental agency either in the form of a roadbook or as a download onto your Smartphone.

Sun-e-Bike itineraries

Other services available include pickup from the Marseille Airport, the Avignon TGV Station or the Aix-en-Provence Station to one of the rental points where you can pick up your e-bike.  The company also provides a luggage transfer service.

The cost for e-bike rental is 35 Euro/day and 2 Euro/day for insurance.  A baby seat is available for 10 Euro/day and the company also rents a trailer which allows 2 children between 5 and 10 to ride behind a parent.

Sun-e-Bikes has put together a great package of services geared to recreational cyclists in the Luberon and Apilles.  I can’t wait to try them out and report back to you on my experience.  In the meantime, I will also be on the lookout for other similar services in other areas of Provence, such as Velo Relax du Ventoux, which is located in the town of Villes sur Auzon, east of Carpentras and Mazan.  This location is perfect for exploration of the cycling itineraries near Mont Ventoux.

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved.

Experience France by Bike is a nominee for an international Cycling Visionary award through Velo-city 2013, which will be held in Vienna in June.  The website is competing in the Advocacy and Social Projects category which includes more than 50 projects from around the world.  Here is an excerpt from the entry:

“Experience France by Bike advocates recreational cycling in France for all ages, fitness levels and budgets by empowering people with the information needed to plan and take a bicycling vacation.  It also strives to promote social change by advocating cyclotourism as a way to experience the culture and history of an area in a way not possible when touring by car.”

If you enjoy reading Experience France by Bike, I hope that you will take a moment to visit the awards website and vote.  Please note that this is a two step process:  you vote on the following page, and then you will get a confirmational e-mail that you must confirm in order for your vote to be recorded.  This is to prevent people from voting a number of times.  If you don’t click on the confirmational e-mail, your vote will not count.  So here is the link to vote for Experience France by Bike:

http://velo-city2013.com/?page_id=2337&project_id=247

Voting will be open until April 15.  Thanks again for reading Experience France by Bike, and thanks for considering voting for me for this award!

Following in the footsteps of other bike-friendly cities like Copenhagen and London, the City of Strasbourg has announced the development of a bike network that will link the suburbs to the central city. When completed, Velostras will provide a secure network enabling bicyclists to reach the city center from any part of Strasbourg in 30-40 minutes. The goal of the project is to encourage residents to bicycle to work as well as for short errands close to home.  Of course there will also be pass along benefits to tourists to Strasbourg as the new network will provide an ideal way to explore the many tourist attractions of this gorgeous city!

This project is just another example of the forward-thinking European attitudes regarding cycling as an important element of urban transportation.  This type of project, together with development projects like Eurovelo just keep making bicycling options for cyclotourists better and better.

The announcement of this initiative is pretty amazing based on the fact that Strasbourg is already regarded as one of the most cycle-friendly cities in France and Europe, with over 130,000 cyclists and well over 500 km of cycling paths. Velostras will build upon the cycling network that already exists in Strasbourg, adding another 130 km of paths, linking segments of different routes. The end result will be a series of bicycle highways into and around the city.  The plan provides for three rings around the city and 9 spoke-like routes from the various suburban areas.

Work will begin on the project this year with completion planned for 2020.

Stay tuned for my next post on some of the major cycling paths in and around Strasbourg as well as some of my favorite planning resources.

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved. 

After several months of not being able to decide where to bike this summer (yes, I have the same decision-making problems as you), I finally made a decision.  Sort of.  I’ve decided to divide my time exploring three different areas and I couldn’t be more excited! It took a bit of time to work out the logistics, but with that behind me, it’s full steam ahead with the planning.

First, the specifics:  I’ll spend one week bicycling the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to Sete with some deviations into the vineyards along the way, one week in Provence and almost a week exploring the vineyards in the Medoc and St. Emilion.  It’s a trip that will enable me to sample some of the best bicycling itineraries in Southern France, visit 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and share more insight with you on these popular cycling areas.

Here are a few thoughts on each area of this year’s bicycling adventure:

Canal du Midi

I’ve wanted to bike along the Canal du Midi ever since last summer when I learned about the fungus that has infected 42,000 trees along the Canal.  I wrote a post about this fungus, called canker stain (http://experiencefrancebybike.com/42000-canal-du-midi-trees-threatened-by-fungus/) and from that time the Canal du Midi has been on my list of top itineraries to do.  While a major redevelopment project is underway to replace the 300 year old plane trees, this 10-15 year project will forever change the appearance of the Canal. The current plans estimate that 4,000 trees will be cut down and replaced each year, beginning this year. Bicycling the Canal during the initial phase of this project will enable me to enjoy the majestic beauty of the decades old plane trees, while at the same time get a sense for what the future look will be.

Trees along the Canal du Midi

The trip along the Canal will be full of incredible experiences including the opportunity to explore over 20 towns and villages along the route, including Carcassonne, Europe’s largest walled city.  I’m also looking forward to seeing the operation of the 64 locks along the route and learning more about the mechanics of the Canal, considered one of the greatest engineering achievements of modern times.  And then there is the wine.  We will definitely need to set time aside for the tasting the wines of Corbieres, Minervois, St. Chinian and Faugeres and also for exploring the daily markets along the route.

The Vaucluse Region of Provence

What a difference 5 years has made in the development of cycling itineraries in the Vaucluse. While I have been off exploring bicycle routes in the Loire, Burgundy, Brittany, Aquitaine and the Atlantic Coast and the Dordogne, Provence has been busy establishing itself as a cycling destination, not just for the Tour de France enthusiasts, but also for recreational cyclists like me. The expansion of cycling in this region is just another example of the French commitment to cyclotourism.

Bicycling in the Vaucluse

Divided into 5 areas with 1,500 km of mostly signposted cycling routes and over 250 Accueil Velo service providers, the Vaucluse just may become my new favorite cycling destination.  The area has something for everyone from killer rides up and around Mont Ventoux to easy, weekend and longer itineraries for families and recreational cyclists, and everything in between.  There are famous wine towns like Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras,  several of the most beautiful villages in France including Seguret, Bonnieux and Menerbes, the little Venice of Provence, the town of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse, the Mont Ventoux Biosphere Reserve, lavender fields in bloom from late June through July, the Luberon Natural Regional Park, Castles of Pays d’Aigues, local markets, and the list goes on and on and on.  My only regret is that I will only have one week to spend in an area one should spend the summer!

Bike routes in the Luberon

I am still in the process of developing my itinerary for this region but I will be sampling some of the more popular routes in the Luberon including the Veloroute du Calavon, the itinerary through the Land of Ochre which includes the famous town of Roussillon, and the Veloroute of the Luberon.  Information on all of these routes are available in English from Velo Loisir en Luberon, a resource that I wrote about several weeks ago.  This organization along with Vaucluse Tourism in Provence are not only some of the best bicycling resources, but their customer service is top notch!  You quickly get the feeling that this region really wants you to come to visit. They will do everything they can to provide you with exactly the information you need to plan the perfect trip.  Your biggest problem will be trying to zero in on where you want to go!

St. Emilion 

Last but not least, I will spend several days exploring the vineyard routes around St. Emilion, including Pomerol and Fronsac. These itineraries are perfect for a weekend cycling trip if you are visiting Bordeaux or the Charente Maritime, so I’ll look forward to providing you with information on these routes and the attractions along the way.

View of St. Emilion

For those of you who know how much I love canale, the incredible breakfast treat that come from this region, it should come as no surprise that when I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days here, I didn’t have to think twice.  In addition, it gives me the opportunity to stay at one of my favorite places in Aquitaine, Chateau Franc-Pourret.

Bike routes through the vineyards

For now, I’ve got to get back to planning…….and dreaming about fresh canele!

©2013 Experience France by Bike.  All rights reserved.