Planning a bike trip? (page 19 of 37)

Hello,

We totally get why you’d want to hit the road again! 😊 Props to your son too! 😛

Cheers,

My partner and I are planning to start from Toulouse in August, following the Canal de Garonne, then Bordeaux, the greenways along the ocean, Pointe de Grave, Royan, and Île d'Oléron.

We’ll be wild camping or not, depending on the day.

We’ll see how the return goes! ;)

For us, this summer’s plan is a loop along the Loire, starting from Angers. When I say "us," it’s my wife, my 8-year-old son with his own bike, and the two little ones (5 and 2 years old) who I’ll be towing in a two-seater trailer with my bike :)

"Talk to me about me, that’s all I care about" was the title of a book by José Arthur, the eternal master interviewer. What’s the connection with the title of this thread? Guess! If Janodou gets a cut from the posts, he’ll be able to fund his next trip. Best, Jean

Hey, all this brings back memories. Maybe they’ll be useful for you. Last year, we set off to cycle the Loire by bike. But in the early morning after a night of partying and a few hours of sleep at a super small, cozy campsite—with a cabin more comfortable than a caravan and even bigger—we stuck our noses outside, and ugh, a main road with trucks roaring by. Bummer. We loaded up the bikes, packed our gear, and then—vvvroom! Our six-and-a-half-year-old on his trekking-ready mountain bike, the three-year-old in her trailer nearly taking off. It wasn’t exactly like the photos on the website we’d been dreaming over. We weren’t feeling it, a bit put off, to be honest.

Then luck struck: we found a map of Brittany’s greenways while paying at the campsite—*ding!* We reloaded everything and headed for Fégréac, the Nantes-Brest canal. And there, a whole different world: no traffic, the kids zooming ahead on the path without constant supervision, birds, trees, people smiling on their bikes, a tourist office with free detailed maps, landscapes, folks strolling leisurely, and often in the evenings around the pasta pot, we’d end up with a bunch of genuinely nice people and friends for the kids to share their little adventures with.

Seriously, for a first trip with kids, avoid stress at the start. For the first ten days, pick routes *without* traffic so the little ones can taste the freedom we all came to sip from our bikes. After that, everyone’s more independent, and you can safely dive into traffic when needed (like along the coast). And inland Brittany? It’s the real deal—proper wilderness.

This summer, we’re heading back to some remote spot with hardly any traffic, just trees and birds.

Hi there,

Thanks for the tips. I’ve already mapped out our route, which will mostly be on greenways and a few mixed zones.

What’s your destination for this summer?

Hi there, if all goes well, in two weeks I’m setting off from Forez to Dunkirk via Évreux. Then on June 6th, a cycling buddy with a recumbent bike will join me, and we’ll cross France along the "Green Meridian" route.

From Perpignan, I’ll head back to Forez, still by bike.

Maybe—I’ll see how I feel!!!—I’ll stop by the "EurovéloGex" meet-up, but I’m not there yet. Have a great day

Wishing you a great vacation! We’ve still got 2 months to wait, but our time will come 😜

Well, we’ll definitely see each other—I’ll be at Eurovélogex this year too! 🙂

So many great rides ahead for everyone... I wish you all good luck! As for me, I’ll be waiting until the end of May 2012 for my trip to the States. Here’s a little preview of the blog I’m setting up: http//ontheroadavelo.over-blog.com Also, take a quick look at the blog of a young woman who’s wrapping up her solo trip across the western U.S. using nothing but her own pedal power and sheer determination—she could use some encouragement, so let’s rally to support her: http://aveloavecflo.blogspot.com Thanks on her behalf! Marco

Hi there,

After a very short experience (one night) as a family a few years ago (my 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son were riding, and the 1-year-old was in a trailer), and a slightly longer one along the Canal du Midi (5 days), where my 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son rode while the 3-year-old was in a follow-me with his mom and the 1-year-old in the trailer—it was an amazing experience!

We’re counting down the days until summer for a bike trip down the Loire River, starting from near Angers all the way to Pornichet. The two oldest (8 and 6) will ride, and the 3-year-old will take turns riding or being attached in the follow-me, while the little one will be back in the trailer. It’s not a long distance, but it’s all about the shared moments. And my 3-year-old son, who we told we’d go again during the holidays, has been asking every vacation since last summer if we’re leaving by bike… so the excitement is mutual!

We’re heading to Burgundy this summer. Though after your trip, I’d love to hear about your route and any tips you picked up about the area.

Hi there,

No problem. Just like we did for last summer’s route, we’ll post the story of our Loire trip on the blog.

Have a great time in Burgundy!

Hi there, for my part, this summer I’ll be heading from Fréjus to Barcelona via Béziers along the southern route. http://www.decitre.fr/livres/La-route-du-Sud-a-velo-de-Menton-a-Beziers.aspx/9782737353543 Then on to Barcelona. After that, it’ll depend on how much time I have left from my 4 weeks of vacation, but I’m really hoping to make it from Barcelona to Corsica. From a previous trip to Corsica, I heard about a boat connection between Barcelona and Ajaccio. Does anyone have any info on this route? I can’t seem to find anything about it.

Hi there,

I’m about to start the Grande Traversée du Massif Central (GTMC) by mountain bike in a week—BUL edition!

For the occasion, I set up a blog:

http://bul-d-oseur.over-blog.com

Hi everyone,

A loop in the works for mid-July— bivouac / Bob trailer with my wife and... no kids this time!

Departure from Briançon, back to Briançon. Between the two 😉 I’ll be taking secondary / local roads, GR trails, and maybe even fields—who knows... Based on my measurements, it’s around 1,300 km. Elevation gain: I gave up calculating; it made my head spin 🤪 => Hautes-Alpes: 35 km Isère: 140 km Savoie: 60 km Haute-Savoie: 10 km Savoie: 30 km Ain: 80 km Jura: 100 km Doubs: 70 km Haute-Saône: 90 km

Vosges detour: 60 km, then heading back east, so:

Haut-Rhin: 1 km (let’s be precise 😉) Haute-Saône: 70 km Doubs: 100 km Jura: 80 km Ain: 50 km Haute-Savoie: 90 km Savoie: 120 km Hautes-Alpes: 35 km

Okay, it’s twice what we usually do, so if there’s an issue, we’ll cut the loop short 😊

There you go!

hi everyone,

this is an ongoing project for me, and I currently need advice and info from the cycling community! :-)

I’m in the middle of a solo round-the-world bike trip, following the successive revolutions in the Arab countries... a coincidence of my space/time with History, so I’m readjusting my departure plans (not crossing Libya, for example).

Here we go again today! Syria is no longer an option... I need help and advice right now to get to Turkey: I’m back in Jordan after being turned away at the Syrian border (no visa arranged in France).

What options do I have to reach Turkey at a reasonable cost and with acceptable safety conditions? (Through the East and Iraq? Nah, not great. Through the West and Israel, then take a boat? Take a flight from Amman directly to eastern Turkey?)

Thanks for your feedback, tips, and invaluable help during these moments of doubt.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts,

Hello there,

My project is really starting to take shape. After quitting my job and freeing up my apartment, I’ve got about a month left to prepare. Then, it’s off to the east by bike for roughly 14 months. Here’s the planned route:

(June 2011) Italy - Croatia (July) Greece - Turkey (August) Georgia - Azerbaijan - Caspian Sea - Uzbekistan (Sept - Oct - Nov) China - Nepal (Dec 2011 - April 2012) India (May - June) Southeast Asia cargo followed by a few months in Latin America: riding down the west coast from Panama to Santiago de Chile

All of this with stops along the way, including a 2-month break in India (woofing, meeting with associations...) and without ruling out bus or train rides to spend more time in places I love.

Anyway, a blog is in the works—I’ll share the link soon.

Happy trails to all! !

Great project...🙂 We hope to get updates on your adventures. Enjoy your trip.

Hi there, reading your posts like this before heading to work—wow, it really sparks some dreams. 😮 So, safe travels to everyone!