Planning a bike trip? (page 3 of 37)

And you, Escapop? Where are you taking your T800?

My T300 :)

It’ll first do the north of France :) A world tour is planned in 5-6 years. Before that, I think Europe. But for now, money’s tight (the bike’s already gonna make a huge dent in the budget...). Ah, student life! If nothing’s planned (for now) for this summer, it’s because I’m heading to Burkina for a month and a half.

Hi there, a weekend in January near my place and I’m planning a Reims/Corsica trip starting in April

More seriously, and staying on topic, I’m planning a little trip to Innsbruck by train for 2010... and if it still works out, why not a ride around Lake Geneva with the Eurovélogex crew? 😎

For me, I flew with my bike in the baggage hold to Turkey twice—one stay in Kusadasi and another in Antalya. Then I assembled the bike at the hotel and went for rides every morning at sunrise. That lasted 13 days of morning rides. This year, I went to Djerba, where I rented a mountain bike at the hotel reception. I rode around and explored Djerba for the entire stay—13 days of biking. Next year, I’m traveling to Hurghada, Egypt, where I’m looking for a bike rental. Those are my kind of vacations.

Hey janodou, Yeah, I really enjoy the finer things in life—too bad we missed out on a trip last time since I left from Charles de Gaulle. I would’ve loved to go taste and savor some good stuff. If you ever pass through Montreal, let me know! I’ll make sure you try our local dishes and ice wine instead.

Luc

Hi there,

This is where it gets tricky—20 kg max for luggage, then it’s 50 € per extra kilo.

As a result, I’m changing my next trip. I was thinking of leaving Egypt for Greece, which makes sense climate-wise for traveling in winter. But it’d cost me at least 500 € one-way with the bike. Now I’m planning to go from Greece to Egypt and back to Greece. On the outbound trip, I’ll either freeze or leave in March instead of January. 200 € round-trip with the bike on EasyJet. Spend little and adapt to reality to travel longer.

Unless I completely change my plan.

Luckily, I’m totally free.

See you soon, Pierre

Hi Karine,

Just checking in to see if you biked through the Andes Cordillera or did any climbs. If you did any climbs, which ones? Thanks

Hey Janodou, I’ve mentioned it before—traveling from North to South America by trike over a year. The project’s coming together! I had a chat with HR this morning to sort out my leave: planning to leave around Ascension Day weekend 2010 for Vancouver by plane with British Airways (they take the trike for an extra fee—need to check how much that’ll be…). Returning via Buenos Aires (maybe Montevideo or Rio?) in April 2011, also with BA.

Hi Jean-Luc, No, I’ve never cycled in South America yet (it’s a project for when the kids can pedal on their own). So far, my husband and I have climbed various peaks, from Bolivia to Argentina. There are so many! My favorite was Tocclaraju in Peru for its beauty and technical challenge. For my husband, I think it’s Aconcagua—he climbed it three weeks before our daughter was born... If you’d like any info, feel free to DM me. We did everything independently, on our own.

Karine

Hi there,

So glad to read that you’ve always enjoyed your trips to Germany. This will be our first time!

One question: do you think we can wing it for accommodation (guesthouses, hotels, youth hostels, or any other "roof-over-head" option)?

Is knowing English enough, or should I start learning German during these long winter months?

A Grenoble-to-Arcachon crossing through the Massif Central with a couple of friends who are young parents like us: 4 bikes, 2 trailers, 2 babies. Bought the trailers at the start of the year, and now I’m looking at the map. If you’ve got any route ideas, don’t hesitate! ;-)

@Valmondois: first mooring line’s cast off! :-)

We're heading to Bangkok in early January and hope to buy second-hand bikes there. We'll leave Bangkok by bus, then from Rayong we'll follow the coast toward Cambodia, the 1000 Islands region in southern Laos, and then the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. If anyone has tips for buying a bike in Bangkok, we'd love to hear them. Good addresses and advice about the region are welcome! We'll share updates from our trip regularly. Pilan

Good evening! You’ll find "zimmer frei" guest rooms everywhere for prices ranging from 34 € to 54 € for a double room—sometimes even a little apartment (which just shows how we’re getting ripped off in France). Meals with a main course for 6 € are common in Bavaria and elsewhere. Sure, we don’t have France’s culinary diversity, but we like it just fine. That’s for rainy days! Otherwise, there are the AJs (still noisy) and campsites at modest prices. And on top of that, the cleanliness of public spaces puts ours to shame when we get back home... Oh well, as Gide (I think) said, the French are Italians with bad tempers... Ciao!

hi "Janodou"

In late April and May 2009, an informal continuous Tour de France along rivers and waterways (Nantes-Orléans-Nevers-Lyon-Marseille-Montpellier-Toulouse-Bordeaux-Golfe du Morbihan) with *wine-fueled doping* during the crossing of the best terroirs and fine local wines. A few "must-see landmarks" like St Étienne to Bourges, ND de Fourvière, la Bonne Mère in Marseille, St Sernin in Toulouse, ND de la Fin des Terres in Soulac... to reignite my "non-faith of a heathen" and complete my collection of "votive candles." Solo and/or accompanied on certain sections of the route. Afterward, "Mout-Mout," my trusty metal donkey, will rest from its journey through the best wines and terroirs so its rider can lace up the hiking boots and hit the road this time on foot for the "Shikoku" (in Japan—the 88 sacred temples loop) with sake doping. http://danydarminichi.over-blog.com see you later

Good evening, This will be our first family bike touring experience. The Vendée loop via cycle paths sounds really pleasant. We’re planning three weeks in August. A trike for my husband, a recumbent bike for me, and upright bikes for the kids (16, 14, and 7 years old)—unless our youngest meets the height requirement for the recumbent bike she’s been eyeing (1.35 m)... “Daddy, can you measure me?”—a question she asks every three days. Two trailers to carry all our gear. I’m still looking for a solution for the car (three weeks on-site).

As for Germany, I can confirm—it’s fantastic for cycling, and Switzerland is great too, by the way...

Will 2010 be the year I finally resume my Silk Road journey? I’m hoping so, starting again from Yerevan in Armenia and continuing through Iran. To keep things simple visa-wise, I might just fly round-trip from Lyon to Tehran and focus on exploring a single country: Iran. A 3-week getaway in August, from the Armenian border to the Turkmenistan border. I’ve got all winter to prepare for this next adventure...

I'm getting ready for La Route du Nord and the Transtaiga in Quebec, two remote gravel roads. I’ll be leaving for two weeks in early June.

I'm preparing for La Route du Nord and the Transtaiga in Quebec, two remote gravel roads. I’ll be leaving for two weeks in early June.



The North Road is another route providing access to the southern part of the James Bay Road. It’s a remote road stretching from Chibougamau to kilometer 275 of the James Bay Road. It’s a recent gravel road spanning 406 km. It has gentle curves and slopes but isn’t paved. There isn’t much traffic—it’s mostly used by heavy vehicles. Be very careful! There are several warnings about this. There are no towns along this road, except for Nemaska, 10 km north of kilometer 300.

Travel guide Driving on the Transtaiga Road General map Virtual tour The Transtaiga Road is a gravel road extending 666 km eastward, connecting to the James Bay Road at kilometer 542. It was built to provide access to hydroelectric plants and reservoirs along the La Grande River. This road is extremely isolated, stretching 666 km east across the province—almost to Labrador—without passing through any towns or cities, except for Hydro-Québec worker camps (closed to the public). At the eastern end, you’ll be 745 km from the nearest town! It’s the farthest you can get from a city by road in North America! (Not counting Hydro-Québec’s private camps, which are off-limits.) On this road, you’ll also reach the northernmost point accessible by car in eastern Canada.

From Biarritz to Perpignan? Depending on the date, and if you go through the Col de Jau (66), we can put you up (or put you all up). About your photo of the Mont, we have the same one, taken during our 2009 France tour on June 22, 2009. So, maybe see you soon! 😉