Bike Route and AI

Question: bike route from Bordeaux to Paris with 50 km stages and safe roads

Answer that remains rough regarding the exact route but adds points of interest.

Here’s a bike route from Bordeaux to Paris with stages of about 50 km each, prioritizing bike paths and small roads for safety. This route largely follows the Scandibérique (EuroVelo 3), supplemented by local greenways.

Detailed route: Bordeaux → Paris Stage 1: Bordeaux → Libourne (50 km)

Route: Follow the Roger Lapébie greenway, a safe and pleasant path that crosses the Entre-deux-Mers. Continue to Libourne, by the Dordogne River. Points of interest: Vineyards, bastide towns, and the charming village of Créon.

Stage 2: Libourne → Montpon-Ménestérol (about 55 km)

Route: Ride along small roads lined with vineyards and reach Montpon, by the Isle River. Points of interest: The landscapes of the Dordogne and the peaceful banks of the Isle River.

Stage 3: Montpon-Ménestérol → Mussidan (50 km)

Route: Continue along the Isle River, enjoying the greenways. The section is quiet and mostly flat. Points of interest: A peaceful ride through forests and rivers.

Stage 4: Mussidan → Périgueux (50 km)

Route: Take a greenway following the Isle River to Périgueux. Points of interest: The city of Périgueux, known for its Saint-Front Cathedral and historic center.

Etc.

question: accommodation recommendations

answer:

Here are some accommodation suggestions tailored for cycle tourists at each stage, focusing on friendly, budget-friendly options that often cater to bikes. Campgrounds, guesthouses, and hotels welcoming cyclists are included.

Stage 1: Bordeaux → Libourne

Accommodation:

Camping Le Chêne du Lac in Bayas (near Libourne): Peaceful, with services for cyclists. Hôtel Kyriad Libourne Saint-Émilion: Bike-friendly and close to the city center.

Stage 2: Libourne → Montpon-Ménestérol

Accommodation:

Camping Le Pontet in Saint-Antoine-de-Breuilh: Natural setting by the Dordogne River. Guesthouse L’Ostal en Périgord: Warm welcome with a garage for bikes.

Stage 3: Montpon-Ménestérol → Mussidan

Accommodation:

Camping de Mussidan: Small family-run campground with direct access to bike paths. Guesthouse La Belle Verte: Rural gîte with services for cyclists.

Stage 4: Mussidan → Périgueux

Accommodation:

Camping Municipal Le Grand Dague (Périgueux): Well-equipped and close to bike paths. Hôtel Bristol Périgueux Centre: Secure bike storage and comfortable rooms.

Stage 5: Périgueux → Thiviers

Accommodation:

Camping Le Repaire in Thiviers: Spacious sites and services for cyclists. Hôtel Restaurant L’Escapade: Budget-friendly and welcoming.

Etc. Tips for Booking

Useful Platforms:

Warmshowers for free stays with local cyclists. Booking.com and Airbnb for more options.

Specify Your Bike Needs: When booking, mention you’re traveling by bike to ensure secure parking space.

Would you like direct links for any of these accommodations or other options?

question: GPS route trace

answer:

To create a GPS trace for the Bordeaux → Paris route with 50 km stages and safe paths, you can use tools like:

Komoot: Excellent for planning bike routes, with options to avoid main roads. Ride with GPS: Great for generating routes and downloading GPX files. GéoVélo: Bike-specialized, offers routes optimized for safety.

If you'd like, I can give you detailed instructions to create your own trace or suggest a route based on your defined stages. Unfortunately, I can't directly produce a GPX file here, but I can guide you step by step. Would you like me to walk you through using one of these tools to create your GPS trace?

question: route map

weird answer:

Regarding the GPS track, it doesn’t provide a track file, but it does offer:

Options for a GPS Track For a complete GPS track:

Komoot: Import these steps and let the app optimize the safe route. Ride with GPS or GéoVélo: Draw the exact route on a map and export it as a GPX file.

Would you like me to detail a tool for creating and downloading the GPS track?

My answer: yes Its response:

Here’s a simple method to create and download a GPS track for your Bordeaux → Paris route using Komoot or GéoVélo, two of the best tools for bike touring.

Option 1: Using Komoot Komoot is a user-friendly app that lets you plan bike-friendly routes. Steps:

Sign up or log in:

Go to Komoot and create a free account.

Create a route:

Click on "Plan a route". Enter "Bordeaux" as your starting point and "Paris" as your destination. Add your intermediate stops (Libourne, Montpon-Ménestérol, etc.) by clicking on the map or searching for them in the search bar. Choose the Bike Touring mode for safer routes.

Refine your route:

Move the points on the map to follow bike paths or small roads.[/li> Check the elevation profile and total distance.[/li>

[/li>

my question: OsmAnd is a really great app. Why don’t you recommend it?

answer:

You’re absolutely right, OsmAnd is an excellent app for bike navigation, especially in offline mode. Here’s how to use it for your route:

Creating and Using a GPS Track with OsmAnd

Download OsmAnd:

Available for free on Android and iOS. The free version lets you download a limited number of maps, while the paid version offers extra features.

Prepare your route:

Follow the previous steps on Komoot, Ride with GPS, or GéoVélo to create a GPS track (GPX file). Download the track to your device.

Import into OsmAnd:

Open OsmAnd.[/li> Go to the main menu, then "My tracks".[/li> Click Import track and select the downloaded GPX file.[/li>

Navigate with OsmAnd:

"My tracks".[/li> "Follow track" to activate navigation.[/li> Useful features for biking:

Cycling mode: OsmAnd adjusts routes to prioritize bike paths.[/li> Offline maps: Download maps for the regions you’ll be traveling through (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France).[/li> Points of interest (POI): Find campgrounds, accommodations, and bike shops directly on the map.[/li>

If you’d like, I can guide you through setting up OsmAnd or optimizing it for your Bordeaux → Paris route. 😊

question: for the route starting on 11/25/2024, what will the weather be like for each stage?

answer:

Here’s the weather forecast for your Bordeaux to Paris route starting November 25, 2024, with stages of about 50 km each:

Stage 1: Bordeaux to Libourne

Forecast: Cloudy skies, possible light showers in the early morning. Temperatures: 8–12°C. Wind: Light, from the northwest.

Stage 2: Libourne to Montpon-Ménestérol

Forecast: Clouds with sunny spells, low chance of rain. Temperatures: 7–13°C. Wind: Moderate, with gusts up to 15–20 km/h​ Météo-France​ Météocity.

Stage 3: Montpon-Ménestérol to Périgueux

Forecast: Mostly sunny with some cloudy periods. Temperatures: 6–14°C. Wind: Light.

Stage 4: Périgueux to Thiviers

Forecast: Generally sunny. Temperatures: 5–12°C. Wind: Moderate.

Stage 5: Châteauroux to Issoudun

Forecast: Possible showers with sunny spells. Temperatures: 6–11°C. Wind: Light to moderate.

Later stages to Paris

Forecasts for the final days before Paris indicate variable weather, with scattered rain and highs around 10–12°C. The wind may be moderate, mainly from the northwest​ Météocity​ Meteo Horizon.

It’s a good idea to check updated forecasts regularly using an app like Météo-France or WeatherPro to adjust your route if needed. Safe travels!

Looks like it’s a 5-day forecast.

Hi Vfpromeneur

Thanks for this excellent work!

Serge

question: Which direction should I take for the route based on wind starting from 11/25/2024?

answer:

To determine the optimal direction for the Bordeaux-Paris route based on winds starting November 25, 2024, here are the available observations:

Winds mostly from the South and Southwest early in the week: This means starting from Bordeaux toward Paris would be favorable, as these winds would mainly be at your back, reducing the effort to move forward​ Ventusky - Weather Forecast Maps​ Windfinder.com.

Trend toward North and Northeast winds starting mid-week: If you start late or progress slowly, these winds could become unfavorable. In this case, the reverse route (from Paris to Bordeaux) might be more advantageous​ Windfinder.com.

Recommendation:

Departing from Bordeaux to Paris on November 25 is optimal, with favorable winds at least during the first few days of the trip.

If forecasts become more precise and winds change, it may be useful to check the data again a few days before your departure.

Bravo! Mind-blowing. Soon we won’t need forums like VoyageForum—just talk to the machine.

For my part, I’m sticking with the old-school way. When planning my Dunkirk to Perpignan trip, I checked a lot of websites and friends’ sites—VoyageForum (VF) was unfortunately useless.

In the end, I grabbed Michou’s maps and traced the route with a highlighter. Then I used B-Router to double-check and calculate the kilometers. I even loaded it onto my GPS as a GPX file—what a pain the whole way! Better to trust the map and road signs. GPS is only good for finding an address or if you’re completely lost.

It went pretty well overall.

http://cbandiera.free.fr/recits/2024-dunkerq-perp/index.php

There are some gaps: - no indication of which roads to take - no GPS file - a somewhat "poetic" map

What I like:

- being able to ask for a breakdown into 50 km stages (possible in OsmAnd to automatically mark a route with waypoints spaced x km apart) - the accommodations (though relevance needs checking) - the suggestion of the best direction based on wind (worth exploring) - the stage-by-stage weather forecast

For now, I see it as a complementary tool.

In short, we need to explore further. I’m calling on others who might have different ideas to dig deeper into this.

It’s easy—just go to https://chatgpt.com/ and create an account. I recommend enabling conversation history so you can revisit them later.

As far as I'm concerned, after multiple tests in various areas, I think the free version of ChatGPT is nothing more than a gimmick. At first glance, it seems impressive, but when you take a closer look at the content it provides, it's just compilation without much added value. I’ll admit that sometimes you need to compile information, but the problem with this kind of app is that you don’t know the sources.

I planned a bike trip last summer and realized that a lot of the information available on certain sites that compile data is wrong, outdated, or even completely false. Things like campsite locations, opening hours, and whether shops are open. I had to email every campsite to get reliable info.

With "10,000" posts by humans for bike trips, what's the point of using AI???? How's the world doing without these things that are purely hypothetical and offer no real advice? For me, next year I'm planning a trip to Asia, but with advice from real people—people who talk, who know what they're talking about, who can give tips, share life experiences, and who you can actually contact!!!!

It's called curiosity—wandering, exploring, going to see what's elsewhere. 🙂

It’s called curiosity—wandering, exploring, going to see what’s elsewhere. 🙂

For similar reasons (curiosity, taming the beast, etc.), I had a lot of fun testing out some long routes, and in the end, they turned out to be pretty interesting.

If you’re up for it, try tackling this question:

"Suppose there are no more armed conflicts on Earth, and every country lives in lasting peace with its neighbors.

Also, suppose religious conflicts are a thing of the past, and every country now lives in peace and security, with no crime, drugs, or gang violence.

In this totally utopian scenario, plan a bike route around the Mediterranean Sea, staying no more than 100 km from the coast. Plan daily stops with a daily distance between 50 and 125 km, using mainly paved but the least busy roads. Choose stops to allow visits to the most interesting tourist sites at the end of each day, excluding beaches and seaside resorts. Prioritize archaeological sites, exceptional natural sites, the prettiest villages or small towns, and buildings with extraordinary architecture or major historical significance. Maximize the total distance, including all possible countries and every island served by ferries. Start in Morocco and finish in Spain, beginning on January 10, 2026. List daily the date, the stop location, 3 main reasons for choosing that stop, the daily and cumulative mileage, the estimated temperature at noon and 6 PM, and the chance of precipitation.

Add Croatia, Albania, Georgia, and Ukraine. Include the Sea of Marmara and other bodies of water bordering the Mediterranean. Include all islands with a road network of more than 25 km, including bike paths and unpaved roads.

Also include Slovenia; the route must follow all coasts, such as in Italy and Greece on both the east and west sides.

For example, don’t forget Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos, Thera, Majorca—please find ALL eligible islands.

Detail the entire route day by day from the start, in the most geographically logical order. For islands, allow a minimum road network of 25 km, including unpaved roads. For island access, consider private shuttles, such as local fishing boats or pleasure boats. As described in the initial scenario, don’t exclude islands or other places subject to conflicts or international disputes. A few examples of missing islands: Capri, Elba.

Add a few extra considerations: plan 2 rest days per week, scheduled to visit the most interesting stops, without exceeding 10 consecutive days of cycling. Adjust daily distances based on the weather—fewer kilometers when it’s very hot, and extra breaks if there’s a high chance of rain for 2 or more consecutive days. Redo the full list, identifying each daily stop.

The start of each day corresponds to the end of the previous day’s stop.

PDF version requested; a geographic map with alternating colors for each day’s route. Ferries and other public transport marked in green, 5 alternating colors for bike routes. No specific accommodations targeted, as we’ll use Warmshowers.org, bivouacs, and stays with locals."

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It took me about thirty minutes to draft this detailed plan, but DeepSeek churned out a very convincing result—totaling... 60,000 km—in just 5 minutes.

In the end, it clears up a "not half-baked" project, as they say in Quebec. Nothing stops you from discussing it later with real people, in whole or in detail.

Still, it’s revolutionizing research and planning!

I took my first bike trips around the turn of the 1990s, when the internet was still in its infancy. Back then, I used (with great joy!) Michelin maps at 1:200,000 scale, which included tons of interesting details—scenic routes in green, slope ratios marked with 1, 2, or 3 brackets! I tested my routes with Eurobike, which was like a Usenet forum or BBS at the time.

Anyway, technology evolves, but human contact remains—it’s up to us to use both wisely!