Planning a bike trip? (page 24 of 37)

For me—well, for us, my wife and I—we did a Corsica tour in mid-May 2012 over about a month and a half. We took it easy since we had the time and knew the terrain’s topography calls for caution... Short stages, time to meet the locals and explore the backcountry, and, of course, a few swims. We live in the Doubs region and plan to drive to Toulon (where we’ll take the ferry) with our car. I’m still looking for a secure parking spot (like a private space from an individual) to leave our vehicle within a 30 km radius of Toulon for the duration of our trip, which we’ll do entirely by bike. Wishing you all great rides...

Hi,

I’ve been preparing my next bike trip for a few months now. I’m planning to hit the road for about 3 years!!

First part - 2012: From Geneva to Beijing, following the Silk Road for around 10 months. Switzerland-France-Italy-(Boat)-Greece-(boat)-Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan-(boat)-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-China. That’s about 12,000 to 15,000 km.

Check out the more detailed itinerary on my blog: http://ensemble.uniterre.com

Second part - 2013 to 2014: From British Columbia to Chile. I’m thinking of crossing the two American continents via the Rocky Mountains and the Andes, but I haven’t planned this part yet. I’ll take my time preparing it from Vancouver in the first few months of 2013.

There you go! :) And I’m really excited to talk about it!

Joy and prosperity.

hi there

for me it’ll be the Loire starting from Saint-Étienne down to Saint-Nazaire, the first two weeks of June, then back by train

May :: nothing planned yet !! 😛

hi there, I biked the Loire two years ago—such a great memory! But watch out for the Saint-Nazaire bridge—it’s really dangerous for cyclists. Happy trails!

😉ok thanks

in May!! the Cévennes, not too much rain?

July ;; no idea yet

September; Costa Brava

October; I don’t know yet

I’m picking up ideas from VoyageForum 😐😏

Hey Claisse, you leave every month or what??

😉 hey there

whenever I can, yeah—perks of being retired!

if it’s not by bike, it’s by kayak or camper van

Jumping in! In May 2009, my wife and I did a really lovely bike-and-bivouac tour in the area: Les Vans - Genolhac - Mont Lozère - Causse du Sauveterre - Causse Méjean - Gorges du Tarn and de la Jonte. Over 2 weeks: one full day of rain and just a few hours here and there, nothing more. The broom in bloom with the remaining snow on Mont Lozère in the background—it’s a treat, and so is everything else... If you bivouac with the right gear, it’s safer; some spots are pretty isolated. Great tips anyway, but it’s hilly... Ciao

For 2012, I’m continuing my Silk Road journey. I’ll be setting my wheels down in Tajikistan... here’s my itinerary: http://globecyclo.free.fr/Tadjikistan2012/tadjikistanpresentation.htm

Hi Lorday,

For your Corsica tour, if you change your departure port from Toulon to Nice, I can keep your car in a quiet private alley right across from my house. I live in Auribeau near Cannes, and you can reach Nice by following the coastline through Antibes. From Nice, the Italian company Corsica Ferries offers great rates for the crossing. As for me, my next project will probably be a French trip from Cannes to Arcachon along the Mediterranean coast and the Canal du Midi. See you! Bye, fx

Good evening fix06, thanks for your interest in my request! I can leave from Nice or Toulon, it doesn’t matter, since the main thing for me is to find a safe place to park my vehicle during my trip. Maybe I’ll have 1 or 2 more offers by April (fingers crossed). I’ll keep your message and get back in touch with you at the start of the year. I live in the Doubs—if your bike rides take you to my area, let me know, and you’ll have a place to stay and meals. My phone number: 0637577110. Thanks again, cheers.

Just to clarify that at the end of my "Island Hopping" 2011 trip, I took the TER to Menton and then the Lunea to Nice for Belfort. In a couchette in the carriage next to the bike storage, this option can be considered.

And you, how’s your 2012 travel plan coming along?

Route prep is done—just need to figure out the dates for this summer’s vacation.

And what route are you taking?

Crossing the Northern Alps from north to south down to Nice, following the Gulf of Lion to reach Perpignan, crossing the Pyrenees to Biarritz. Following the Atlantic coast up to Bordeaux and crossing the Massif Central back to the starting point, in northern Isère between Lyon and Chambéry. Trip of about 1 month and 3,000 km.

If you're traveling in July, you might run into a great group of cyclists between the Alps, Pyrenees, and Massif Central... Sounds like a beautiful route anyway.

Cool project—good luck! I’m planning a little "Tour de France" and want to take the Alpine pass route like you did. Thanks for the photos. Julien.

Wow, all these different projects are so inspiring!

For us, if all goes well, it’ll be Germany by bike. With the kids, we need a place where we can ride on car-free paths—basically, well-equipped bike routes—and it seems like Germany is perfect for that. I can’t wait; it’s the only time of year we break out of our routine. The whole family is counting down the days. Plus, for the kids, it’s their first time leaving France, so... Anyway, this forum with all the personal sites where we check out bike customs, southern Spain... it fuels our dreams, and that’s a good thing.

@Lydie 33 Maybe we’ll cross paths in Portugal.

Gaétan, We’re actually leaving from Porto around April 30th, heading east through the Douro Valley... totally improvising... 😉 toward Lisbon (in a zigzag) and we think we’ll arrive in Lisbon 10 to 15 days later. Then we’ll head back up the coast to Porto. If you’re passing through Bordeaux from May 25th, let us know—we’d be happy to host you. (Same username on http://www.warmshowers.org/ )[;]