Je prévois un voyage cyclotourisme avec mon père et comme il vieillit je veux lui donner une chance de tenir le coup pour les 1500 et quelques km d'itinéraire prévu. Je songeais donc à faire le voyage en vélo tandem, j'aimerais avoir les avis de gens ayant fait ce choix pour savoir si cela est une bonne option.
Je voudrais aussi sasi faire 1500km en 1 mois c'était raisonnable et combien de km par jours maximum vous me recommandez pour ne pas être mort de fatigue à la destination.
Je prévois un voyage cyclotourisme avec mon père et comme il vieillit je veux lui donner une chance de tenir le coup pour les 1500 et quelques km d'itinéraire prévu. Je songeais donc à faire le voyage en vélo tandem, j'aimerais avoir les avis de gens ayant fait ce choix pour savoir si cela est une bonne option.
Je voudrais aussi sasi faire 1500km en 1 mois c'était raisonnable et combien de km par jours maximum vous me recommandez pour ne pas être mort de fatigue à la destination. En vous remerciant Martin
Bonjour Martin
Je voyage en tandem avec ma compagne. J'ai aussi autour de moi un groupe d'amis qui roulent aussi en tandem, que ce soit localement ou en voyage.
Le tandem est un vélo fort à propos pour permettre les longues sorties alors que deux cyclistes ne soient pas à l'origine de la même cadence. Je l'ai fait longtemps avec ma fille (qui avait 7 ans quand nous avons acquis notre tandem), puis avec ma compagne, en Italie, à travers les Pyrénées, en Angleterre, ou lors d'une traversée USA d'est en ouest en 2014.
Vous ne dites pas l'âge de votre père, mais si durant sa vie il était un cycliste averti et habitué aux longues sorties, il est fort possible que vous soyez plus que surpris de sa contribution sur le tandem avec lui ... 😉
1,500 km en un mois, ça fait 50 k par jour si vous ne faites aucune pause, et 60 km par jour en supposant une journée de pause par semaine. Ce sont des distances modestes, qui représentent moins de 4 heures de selle par jour, et vraisemblablement moins de 3 heures si vous roulez en terrain plat et que vous êtes le moindrement en forme.
Nous avons 60 ans et 47 ans, nous voyageons avec 75 livres de bagages sur notre tandem, et notre moyenne est plutôt de 80 km/jour, incluant des terrains parfois très montagneux comme la traversée des Rocheuses ou de Blue Ridge Parkway en Virginie. En fait, nous ciblons plutôt ne pas dépasser 4 à 6 heures de vélo par jour, indépendamment du kilométrage. Nos vitesses moyennes sont trop variables selon la force et la direction du vent, selon les dénivelés quotidiens ou selon la grosseur des villes que nous devons traverser.
Néanmoins, prévoyez une sortie ou deux d'entrainement et de préparation en tandem avec votre père; Vous verrez ainsi son endurance, sa capacité à rouler vite ou pas, son intérêt aux visites en cours de route. En Europe, le charme des villages et la fréquence des monuments intéressants (églises anciennes, châteaux, vignobles) affectent davantage la durée du trajet quotidien que la difficulté du parcours ... En Amérique, la distance plus grande entre les villages, les grands espaces et les grands parcs font allonger les distances quotidiennes ... et les vitesses moyennes !😊😊😊
Je termine avec quelques liens qui vous permettront de consulter ou de discuter avec d'autres cyclistes Québécois, dont plusieurs sont des tandémistes aguerris.
Bonne préparation, et surtout bon voyage avec votre père!
Quelques-uns de nos blogs les plus récents:
http://tandemetcie.com
www.crazyguyonabike.com/...cie-tdm-pion-giguere
www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/NormandetHelene
J'ai aussi repéré cet hiver les blogs d'une vingtaine de cyclo-voyageurs Québecois, Certains d'entre eux ont été pour moi une grande source d'information... et d'inspiration!
Le lien ci-dessous est un chiffrier qui regroupe chacun de ces voyageurs à vélo Québecois, incluant leurs principales statistiques de voyage et le lien Internet de leurs blogs respectifs.
docs.zoho.com/...she...916311c150192d
Aussi, tu peux consulter Velocia.ca, le plus gros regroupement de cyclistes et voyageurs à vélo Québecois.
La section cyclotourisme y est passablement animée et la traversée du Canada à vélo y a souvent été abordée et discutée, faites simplement une recherche par mots-clés.
www.velocia.ca/...voyages-equipements/
bonjour martin
nous voyageons en tandem en couple , la soixantaine . on roule en général 70 km par jour avec une moyenne de 10 km/h en comptant les arrêts: visites , repas ou pique nique , parfois une sieste. nous roulons plutôt sur les voies vertes avec peu de dénivelé, mais la moyenne ne change pas beaucoup quand nous sommes en Auvergne ou en Ardèche, dans les Cévennes . clairement les alpes déclencheraient une mutinerie!
50 km> confortable avec une bonne partie de tourisme
entre 60 et 80 km > ce que nous faisons en général . le tourisme est plus réduit
>80km : pour nous c'est plus désagréable, même s'il nous arrive de faire plus de 100 km
la distance dépend beaucoup de la forme physique. si vous faites déjà 8000 km par an , notre expérience n'a aucun intérêt. il me semble que rikimiki est plus dans ce créneau
bienvenue en france . vous voulez faire quel parcours ?
gerry
Je prévois un voyage cyclotourisme avec mon père et comme il vieillit je veux lui donner une chance de tenir le coup pour les 1500 et quelques km d'itinéraire prévu. Je songeais donc à faire le voyage en vélo tandem, j'aimerais avoir les avis de gens ayant fait ce choix pour savoir si cela est une bonne option.
Je voudrais aussi sasi faire 1500km en 1 mois c'était raisonnable et combien de km par jours maximum vous me recommandez pour ne pas être mort de fatigue à la destination.
En vous remerciant
Martin
Bonjour Martin !
Rikimiki vous a donné des renseignements pertinents !
En ce qui me concerne ça fait 20 ans que je fais du cyclotourisme en tandem. Pour moi et ma conjointe c'est super ! Je suis plus fort qu'elle, donc ça équilibre nos forces. Pendant qu'on roule, c'est toujours possible de discuter, contrairement à ceux qui voyagent sur des vélos conventionnels. Pour plusieurs c'est une merveilleuse solution. Mais ce n'est pas garanti que c'est une solution universelle...
Ma suggestion serait de faire la location d'un tandem, et d'apprivoiser celui-ci avec votre père.
Avez-vous déjà utilisé un tandem (sans transporter de bagages) ?
Pour des gens comme Rikimiki et moi, avec une bonne expérience sur ce type de vélo, nous avons acquis quelques trucs afin de rendre son utilisation plus agréable.
Est-ce que vous les connaissez ?
1500 km raisonnable en 1 mois ? Pourquoi pas !
J'ai fait environ 3000 km en 6 semaines de Vancouver à San Diego sur une route au relief accidenté.
Et un autre voyage de 1380 km en 24 jours en Europe, dont une partie en Suisse avec des côtes plutôt raides.
Il existe bien des éléments inconnus qui peuvent faire varier votre kilométrage quotidien:
- Votre niveau de forme et celui de votre père
- Le type de terrain sur lequel vous allez rouler: Plat, vallonné, très accidenté ?
- Les vents dominants: De dos, de face, ou sur le côté ?
- Votre expérience en cyclotourisme: Vous êtes novice ou vous êtes expérimenté dans la préparation des bagages et de la logistique.
En ce qui concerne mon voyage en Europe, la météo avait été difficile: Beaucoup de pluie. Deux étapes ont été faite en train compte tenu de l'impact de la température. Donc, nous avions un plan B, juste au cas où...
Vous pourriez aussi avoir un plan B, juste au cas où votre père en sente le besoin.
la pratique du tandem nécessite un peu d' habitude ... je crois qu'il faut déjà intégrer cela avant de se lancer sur un voyage d'un mois ... mais, une fois que l'on a pris ses marques, c'est super (un peu difficile en côte, mais très performant à plat ... à intégrer en fonction de l'itinéraire ...)
Pour le reste : 1.500 km en 30 jours : même en programmant des jours de repos, ça ne fait que 60/70 km par jour : c'est tout à fait à portée
les limites de l'exercice : l'habitude de rouler avec la machine et l'équipier (entrainement préalable ..) mais aussi : pas trop de place pour les bagages de 2 personnes avec des sacoches ... et les difficultés éventuelles si l'on a à "faire voyager" la machine (avion / train ou autre ...)
Mais, le tandem, c'est super ... notamment sur les parties plates (une vitesse de croisière de 30 km/h est assez facilement atteinte à plat !!!)
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Hi there, I’m planning a cross-Canada bike trip, and I’ve got a question that might seem silly, but could someone tell me how to pack a bike (in a box, with a fragile sticker... I don’t know) for a flight? Thanks in advance!
This summer, we’re planning to cycle along the EV 19 that follows the Meuse River from Langres all the way to Rotterdam.
My question is about getting back to Nantes.
Do any of you know what the best return option might be? I’d love to hear about your experiences.
I saw that FlixBus doesn’t take bikes.
By train, I think it’s possible but would involve multiple local trains.
We were also wondering if there’s a boat from Rotterdam to Saint-Nazaire that could take passengers with bikes.
Any tips or experiences you can share would be really helpful—thanks in advance!
Have a great evening
I’ve got my flight ticket sorted—departing in mid-November and returning in mid-March. I’ll arrive in Santiago and leave from Buenos Aires.
I’ve already been to southern Argentina, specifically Torres del Paine National Park, and I’d love to go back to do the full W trek (I only did the shorter version last time).
I also want to do some hiking and maybe even tackle a summit. I climb and occasionally do some mountaineering, so I’ll definitely be going with a guide.
I plan to start around Temuco in Chile, with the idea of heading toward the lakes, then taking the Carretera Austral.
I’m not sure if I’ll go all the way to Ushuaia—it’s supposed to not be *that* worth it, except for the bragging rights of saying you’ve been to the end of the world.
I saw there are lakes in Argentina too.
I don’t have a precise itinerary, but what I’d love is, once I reach the southernmost point of my trip, to take a mini-cruise to see some wildlife. Any tips for that?
What kind of sleeping bag did you take? Is a 0°C (32°F) one enough?
And one last question: white gas stove or can I get by with my gas stove?
I’ve gotten used to crossing Europe by bus to return by bike.
It was really convenient to take the bike without having to disassemble it.
But FlixBus no longer accepts bikes...
What alternatives do you know about?
Thanks.
Hi there,
I’m planning to ride the Dutch section of the EuroVelo 19, from Maastricht to Rotterdam.
Since it’s too complicated to bring my bike on the train, I’m looking to rent one locally.
I’d love any tips or bike rental shop recommendations—I’m struggling to find options even in Rotterdam.
The plan is to rent in Rotterdam, take the train to Maastricht with the bike, then cycle back to Rotterdam.
Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!
Nath
I’m planning to cycle from Morlaix to Brest (via Roscoff and the V45 coastal route). We’ll start riding on August 16th for 13 days (with stops for island visits, surfing, etc.). Is there a lot of traffic at this time of year? I’ve got two kids, 11 and 13, and we don’t like riding in the middle of cars (we’ve already done the Vélomaritime—Caen to Cherbourg—the Loire route from Orléans to Saumur, the Vélodyssée from Nantes to Royans, and the canals like the Nivernais and Bourgogne, where there were plenty of bike-only lanes, which isn’t the case on this route).
Thanks for your help if you’ve already done this route in late August!
Virginie
Hi there,
I’ve been road cycling for several years, and I’m about to switch to gravel in the next few days—I’m waiting for my bike, which should arrive this week.
I’m planning a bikepacking trip in a few weeks along the Véloroute V81, also known as the Vélosud, from Biarritz to Le Barcarès.
Has anyone here already done this route? Any info is welcome, whether it’s about the route itself, gear, or accommodation. I’ll prioritize staying with locals as much as possible. On that note, I just signed up for the brand-new site *Guidon et Couette* ((www.guidon-et-couette.fr)), which offers free accommodation between cyclists across the country, but there’s almost no one listed along my route!
Thanks in advance.
Laurent.
I’m planning to build a new touring bike.
I want to prioritize lightness.
That said, I’m tempted by a suspension fork that could offer some comfort on rougher roads.
The recent appearance of gravel suspension forks on the market might meet my needs—at least on paper.
I’m particularly considering the RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR fork.
Unlike MTB forks, its travel is short: either 30 mm or 40 mm.
It weighs 1400 g, which is 400/500 g more than a steel fork.
Any thoughts or real-world feedback on this?
I’m also wondering about the durability of magnesium (lower leg) for long-distance bike touring.
And what’s the impact of skipping the manufacturer-recommended maintenance every 50 and 200 hours? That’s bound to happen on a long trip unless you carry extra gear.
More generally, how reliable are these kinds of forks?
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share with you the incredible feat my friend José, who’s 72 years old, is currently undertaking. He left Auterive near Toulouse on Monday, May 18, 2026, on his non-electric bike, heading for the North Cape in Norway!
You can follow his route on the link below—he’s currently in Sweden:
https://thierry-thomas.travelmap.net/jose-de-toulouse-a-nord-cap-2026
You can zoom in on the map and click on each stopover town to see the photos
I’m making an exception and creating a separate post this time, since it’s all about France. In May, we spent a week in Provence, specifically in the Luberon, exploring the cycling routes *Autour du Luberon à Vélo*, the *Véloroute du Calavon* (part of EuroVelo 8), and the shorter *Les Ocres à Vélo* route. Together, they gave us an amazing journey through rolling hills, vineyards, lavender fields still green in spring, and some of the most stunning landscapes in southern France.
It was, of course, the perched villages that impressed us the most. We visited Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lacoste, Lourmarin, Ménerbes, Oppède-le-Vieux, Cucuron, and Lauris. Many of them are among the most beautiful villages in Provence, and it’s hard not to agree with that reputation.
One interesting point is the route of EuroVelo 8 in this part of the region. The official path mainly follows the old railway line of the *Véloroute du Calavon*, which is very comfortable and safe. But in our opinion, cyclists traveling EuroVelo 8 around the Mediterranean would discover even more treasures if the route passed through villages like Bonnieux, Lacoste, or Oppède-le-Vieux.
We were also pleasantly surprised by how safe cycling felt. Most of the route takes small local roads, but traffic is light, drivers are respectful, and road design really takes cyclists into account. It’s one of those places where you can ride peacefully even without separated bike lanes.
Our full story:
Around Luberon by bicycle - the most beautiful villages of Provence
You can also find all our cycling travel stories on the forum:
Cycling Thread - Europe’s most beautiful bike routes
Hi there, we’re a group of 4 cyclists looking to get from Treviso in Italy to Munich with our 4 non-folding bikes. It seems complicated! Are there any solutions? Thanks so much.
hello fellow cycling enthusiasts
here’s a travel journal of the cycling tour through the Rhône-Alpes Auvergne region by Claudio
zouli
it was the plan
http://cbandiera.free.fr/parcours/auvergne-Ralpes/
the trip was completed
story being posted online soon
1100 km in 11 days
beautiful and varied regions
Hi there, we’re planning a Munich to Venice bike trip at the end of June 2026. Getting back from Venice to Toulouse by train with 4 bikes isn’t straightforward. What return options have others who’ve done this trip chosen? Any tips or great deals would be much appreciated. Thanks a bunch! !
Hi everyone,
Happy owner of a Pegasus Estremo bike with a Rohloff hub, which is giving me trouble with the SF11-NCX-FT-E-LITE 700C TS 300/0 fork (serial number TD01329060). It’s starting to show its age, and I’d like to repair it to extend the life of my beloved bike.
The suspension is gone, and there’s an oil leak from the seals.
Does anyone know how to repair it? Where can I find parts that are about fifteen years old? Or where to find an identical replacement fork? Just to clarify, the Magura HS11 brakes are mounted using Firm Tech, meaning they’re on pivots behind the fork, facing the frame.
Hi, I'd like to know if anyone has done this route recently or has reliable info.
Does the track exist, and most importantly, is there sand (for biking)?
Any info is welcome.
Cheers,
diego ambilobe: mangaoka, manondro, ramena
vohemar sambava: masondrono, tanambao
Hi there,
New to bike touring,
I’d love to start with a section of the Via Rhona to explore and share (route to be decided).
Looking forward to exchanging tips!
I’m landing in Madagascar with a buddy before the end of April 2026. We’re planning to bike around for about twenty days or so. We don’t have a specific goal other than exploring the country and meeting the locals.
Ideally, we’d prefer a loop route starting from Antananarivo with a good chunk of it along the coast. On the bike side, we’re used to riding 6 to 8 hours a day, depending on the needs, encounters, and mood 😉 Any feedback or tips from trips around this length?
A big thank you to Lazarou for all the info you share in this forum!
I'm passionate about Morocco, which I cycled through back in 2009.
Last year, my wife and I explored the High Atlas by tandem. Completely smitten, we're heading back in April (Anti Atlas) and May (High and Middle Atlas), still on our tandem.
Do you have any info on the track between Amezri and Ali Ait Nito? Are the river crossings in the Tessaout still there? It's not easy to navigate with a loaded tandem... especially if the river level is high due to this year's heavy snowmelt!
Thanks in advance for any tips you might have, and best wishes for health in this new year!
Claudio specializes in the route of the Savoie lakes
Here are his travels
Between Bornes, Chartreuse, the Savoie foothills, and Dauphiné
Five lakes: Léman, Annecy, Paladru, Aiguebelette, Bourget, not to mention a few ponds along the way
Plenty of accommodation options: camping, hotels, and more...
A lovely route not far from his place
Rural and quite peaceful
A road cycling route created by Serge B...
First of all... happy New Year! Wishing you great roads in 2017!
I’ve been traveling for a few years now with a high-quality mountain bike, but it’s equipped with hydraulic disc brakes. I live (pedal) with the constant worry of a breakdown (leak, air bubble, heat causing the fluid to...). My bike mechanic tells me it’s impossible to switch them out for V-brakes.
What do you all think? Am I taking a big risk continuing (alone) with these brakes? Thanks in advance for your great tips!
First post here to share a quick recap of our west-to-east bike trip along Algeria’s coast in January 2025.
It was just the two of us—my partner and I—with French passports and not a word of Arabic. No friends or welcoming hosts in the country.
Under those conditions, we’d strongly advise against going.
Our original plan was to follow the coast from Algiers to Tunis. We ended up cycling from Algiers to Béjaia, then took the train from Béjaia to Annaba (with a stop in Constantine), and finally biked to the border.
We were tailed by police the whole way—whether on our bikes, on the train, or even on foot while exploring towns. On top of that, we couldn’t wild camp and were limited to the few state-approved hotels that accept foreigners. Under those circumstances, connecting with locals was especially tough.
With such an omnipresent and intrusive police presence, we’d definitely recommend against this destination for bike touring. A really sad situation that completely cuts you off from the local population...
We’d been warned, we went to check it out, and we weren’t disappointed!
Hi there,
I’m planning the route to cycle from Lille to Nordkapp with my partner.
Duration: 3 months, from May 1st to July 31st, 2026.
In the attached details below, I need to add some "non-riding" days (rest days, basically).
So I’m looking to "shorten" the trip by taking ferries or trains for some stretches. Which areas could I skip?
Thanks in advance for your great tips.
Have a good evening.
https://www.komoot.com/fr-fr/collection/4023980/-lille-cap-nord-1er-mai-au-31-juillet-2026?ref=collection
I’m planning to bike back from Poland this summer. Does anyone know a way to ship it there without having to take it apart? Otherwise, it’s a real hassle to fine-tune all the settings before departure!
Thanks in advance.
Hi, has anyone recently bought Primus or Butagaz gas, possibly puncture-style, in Dubrovnik or the surrounding area? Same question for Albania... thanks. aichatou
Just a few words about the loop I did by bike in Yunnan.
Entry and exit
I entered China through the Sino-Vietnamese border crossing at Lào Cai / Hekou under the 30-day visa exemption currently available to French nationals and others.
The process was simple and quick. A Chinese police officer even helped me complete my electronic pre-registration at a computer kiosk. I wasn’t aware this formality was required—it’s similar to Thailand’s TM6.
No issues with the bike.
I left the country via the Sino-Laotian border crossing at Mohan / Boten.
The atmosphere was a bit chaotic there, but again, no problems with the bike.
The timing
I visited Yunnan in February 2026.
Weather-wise, at higher altitudes (between 1,500 and 2,000 meters), it was around ten degrees at night and in the mornings, and around twenty degrees at the hottest part of the day.
I had two days of rain, so I took the bus to keep moving. Otherwise, clear blue skies.
Culturally, Chinese New Year fell on February 17th (and the 15 days following), right in the middle of my trip. Because of this, my take on the traffic might be off.
Accommodation and food
I always found a hotel to stay in for prices ranging from 8 to 15 €. Except in Kunming (the capital), where many hotels were fully booked (Chinese New Year). I ended up at a 100 € hotel with great value for money.
A bowl of noodles costs about 1.5 € on average.
Onboard electronics
Since my smartphone doesn’t support eSIMs, I subscribed to a China plan with my carrier. Otherwise, for much cheaper, Alipay offers eSIMs for foreigners that allow access to services usually blocked for Chinese users (WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.).
An internet connection is essential for paying with Alipay or WeChat, as this payment method is widespread.
I only managed to use Alipay.
Either way, always carry cash because sometimes there’s no signal, or the merchant only accepts WeChat.
Also, it’s best to bring a power adapter when you arrive rather than struggling to find one.
Traffic and roads
The Chinese aren’t reckless drivers. They follow traffic rules and watch out for cyclists. This is slightly less true in Xishuangbanna (the region bordering Myanmar and Laos).
In urban areas, there are almost always wide bike lanes, separated from other roads, where bikes, electric mini-scooters, and scooters share the space pretty harmoniously.
The roads are in great condition, and traffic is generally manageable—even light—except for one stretch (Eshan -> Yangwu).
Most traffic is absorbed by expressways, China’s equivalent of highways: toll roads that are off-limits to slow vehicles.
You’re never far from these expressways; sometimes you even ride alongside them, which can be noisy at times.
The climbs are usually reasonable, around 5% to 6%. From what I remember, the steepest section was between Menglun and Mengla, with gradients of 8% to 10%, sometimes more.
Riding at these altitudes—though modest—took a bit of getting used to.
The route
I didn’t plan anything in advance. My only goal was to reach Kunming. I don’t know why, but just hearing the name of that city, like Yunnan, always felt dreamy to me.
Hi! I’m planning to visit the Stockholm Archipelago by bike in early April.
Do you know if the boats will be running between the different islands at that time of year? For those who’ve already been, all your tips and recommendations are welcome—accommodation, etc. Also, do you know where I can rent a bike in Stockholm? Thanks so much in advance for your help!
Hello there, pedal-powered Young Boys!
Claudio (still from Faverges)
dreaming about a cycling getaway in Italy from Faverges (train all the way to Turin)
from Turin down to Venice along the Po River and back via the Padana (Alta Italia da attraversare – Northern Italy to cross)
The tricky part is getting from Chioggia to Venice.
I read it’s possible by hopping on a boat from island to island,
but it sounds a bit stressful.
Has anyone already tackled this route?
