General discussion

Casual Cycle Hire

Patricia — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:54:49 +0100

Hello looking for casual cycle hire while Iam in Mericourt-L'Abbe, my great uncle is buried in the Heilly Station Cemetary there, if anyone has information regarding cycle hire it would be most appreciated

Patricia

Bordeaux along the waterways

les tocknell — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:32:05 +0000

Hi,

I am planning a trip for two of us along the waterways from Bordeaux until we run out of steam or reach the Med next summer. I would like to use trains from a ferry port (pref St Malo) without going via Paris but it is beginning to look expensive. The alternative is to use the car to Bordeaux but where to park?

Anyone any info on any of these ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Breath test kits now compulsory for drivers in France

Lyn — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:40:02 +0100

It is now compulsory to carry disposable breath testing kits or breathalysers in your car if you are driving in France. There is a short grace period (until November 2012) for drivers, after which they will face on-the-spot fines for not having these little numbers in their car.

You can buy a single pack online before you arrive or a twin pack here.

Probably best to plan ahead to avoid any run-ins with the gendarmes.

Cycling in Provence

Lyn — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:10:00 +0000

Here is a really useful website for anyone interested in cycling in Provence:
http://www.provence-cycling.co.uk/

It's from the tourist board, and has some great information and links.

Cycling in Brittany

Lyn — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 04:50:46 +0100

Hi

I've added a few profiles for towns the Tour de France will pass through in Brittany:
Lorient
Redon
Carhaix
Dinan

Brittany is probably the best covered region on the site now, thanks to Wendy Mewes, author of the Footprint guide to Brittany and the Nantes-Brest Canal guide.

Here's some other stuff we have on Brittany:

Overviews
Brittany regional guide
Cycling in Brittany
Nantes-Brest Canal
Cycling Brittany's greenways

Town/city profiles
Brest
Vannes
St-Malo
Rennes
Quimper

I'll endeavour to continue adding articles on all the other regions to ensure we cover as much as possible. As always, any contributions are most welcome if you know a town/city/department/region well.

Cheers
Lyn @ FF

BOOKINGS FOR BIKES ON FRENCH TRAINS

howham — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:50:50 +0100

We want to make a booking on a train for August. On voyages-sncf.com we can't see how to make a booking for the bikes. The booking form shows that you can take bikes on the sectors we want but I cannot see how to make a booking for them. I don't want to leave it until August in case they do not have space left. Can anyone shed any light on this?

French cycling terms

Lyn — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:25:01 +0100

We've started a dictionary on the site for French cycling words and phrases.
It's its first incarnation, so we'll be adding to it as we go.
Suggestions/additions/amendments welcome!
http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/320

New book - France On Two Wheels

Lyn — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:53:13 +0100

Here's a link to info on a nice book just out. It should be of interest to anyone keen on cycling in France. It's called France On Two Wheels, and it's by travel writer Adam Ruck.
http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/books/france-on-two-wheels.html

2012 TdF Programme has been reprinted.

Lyn — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:15:45 +0100

The 2012 Tour de France Souvenir Programme has been reprinted.

You can get your souvenir copy here:

http://bit.ly/KeyrdN

Buying/Selling Used Bikes in France

vruedebu — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:13:54 +0100

Hello,

I'm going to be spending a couple months in a village about an hour from Toulouse. I'd like to have a bike available but as far as I can tell renting is far too expensive for a period that long. I'm debating whether to ship my bike from the US or try to buy a used one in France which I would ideally sell before returning home. IF anyone has done such a thing I would appreciate your insights!

Thanks in advance!

Posting luggage ahead

mike — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:58:06 +0100

Hi All planning to ride from Bordeaux to Nice soon, will be flying to Bordeaux with our bikes in bike bags and would like to post them (bags) ahead to a post office in Nice. Does anyone know if La Poste offers this service.

Bradley Wiggins souvenir magazine

Lyn — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:59:57 +0100

From the people at Procycling comes a special magazine marking Bradley Wiggins' historic Tour de France win.
You can order the magazine here for £5.99.

Bradley Wiggins souvenir T-shirts

Lyn — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:30:33 +0100

Wiggle have released a souvenir T-shirt to commemorate Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France win.
You can see it here.
Apparently they are selling like hotcakes.
Wiggle is the official Team Sky retailer. You can see the rest of their Sky Pro Cycling range here.

Where to watch the 2012 Tour de France in the Alps (July 11 - July 13)

Lyn — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:00:17 +0100

Here is a link to the excellent Grenoble Cycling website that has these 3 stages covered in more detail, including local advice re the best vantage points.

See http://www.grenoblecycling.com/TourDeFrance-2012Preview.htm

Tour de France 2012 - Where to watch Stage 13 (July 14)

Lyn — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:30:03 +0100

Gerry Patterson, who arguably knows more than anyone about cycling in Languedoc, has this blog on where to watch stage 13. It's worth a read if you're around those parts on July 14.

Road closures in the Jura for the Tour de France 2012

Lyn — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:27:51 +0100

This website has a map, plus times etc for road closures for the Jura stage on July 8.
http://www.rfj.ch/rfj/Services/Infos-routes/Infos-routes.html

Canal du midi

Fiona — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:48:35 +0100

We
are a group of 6 people planning to cycle from Lezignan to Cap d'agde
later this month - can anyone recommend any accommodation ( will need 2
doubles + 2 single rooms) around Argeliers for the first night in
the Bezier area for the second night

thanks

Fiona

Luggage

buenavista — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:29:50 +0100

Hi guys,
We are planning to cycle from Fontainebleu, outside Paris to Strasbourg via Dijon. This is part of a 6 week trip to Europe from Australia. We will hire bikes. Does any one have a suggestion about luggage? We will cycle with panniers but will need to leave the rest of our luggage in Fontainebleu or where ever we start. We will have to return the bikes and so will be able to collect our luggage.
Thanks
Buenavista

Bjarne Riis Q&A in London

Lyn — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:53:06 +0100

Ex-Tour de France winner and Team Saxo Bank owner will be in London for a public Q&A.
Full details here: http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/books/302.html

Don't forget our Facebook page!

Lyn — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:02:16 +0100

Hi guys

Just a note to remind you all that you can also post general queries about cycling in France on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/freewheelingfrance

As the site is a one-woman spare-time/lunch break project, it sometimes takes me a while to get round to all my email and site queries. It is often quicker (especially if your France cycle tour is fast approaching) to post a note on the Facebook page so other cyclists in the Freewheeling France community can help you out if I'm a bit snowed under.

As always, general feedback, route suggestions or general musings on cycling in France are also welcome.

Cheers
Lyn @ freewheelingfrance.com

Bike Hire near Saint-Brieuc, Brittany

wooley — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:15:46 +0100

Any ideas if there is bike hire in or around Saint-Brieuc area?

Bill

Canal du Midi - Can anyone help?

Lyn — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:18:17 +0000

Can anyone help with this enquiry, received via email?Lyn @ FF
**
We are a couple from Bilbao, North of Spain, with one year old little kid. We are planning to travel by a bicycle along the Canal du Midi, starting from Agde, towards Toulouse, from the 5th or 6th April (for a week)

We will bring our bicicles and a bike-trailer with us. Is it possible to rent a trailer to carry luggage (camping-tent, mattress, sleeping bags,....)
How is the path for the kid? Are there too much holes ?

We do not know how far we will be able to travel. Is it possible to take train back to Agde from any village?
Thank you very much for your attention
Mila and Asier

Bike hire in Nantes, Loire (includes tandems)

Lyn — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:28:29 +0100

I had a query via email from Jere, who asked if he could hire tandems in Nantes. Thanks to the guys at Nantes tourisme, we've found him L'ilôt familles.

They have tandems, as well as kids' and adults' bikes, plus cargo bikes and lots of other fun stuff for
cyclists of all ages. (Including electrics for anyone who needs a little boost.)

We've added this, and others, to our listings for bicycle rental in the Loire.

Bilingual cycling guides wanted for work in France in July

Lyn — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:34:12 +0000

This posted on http://dordogne.angloinfo.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=39690

Spyns TDF Tours is a Canadian Tour operator that specializes in guided
cycling tours in France. We are looking for bilingual cycling guides for
July 2012. If you are bilingual (French/English), a strong cyclist,
love the Tour de France, enthusiastic, hard working and interested in
this position please send your resume to vicky@tdf-tours.com.

Formule 1 Hotels

Zinzan — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:16:03 +0000

Does anybody have any experience of how welcoming Formule 1 Hotels are to

cyclists and if they are generally able to provide secure storage for bikes?

Books blog - new section

Lyn — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:53:23 +0000

HI all

I've just started a books blog as our book reviews and interviews have been
some of the most popular pages on the site. I've duplicated all previous
book-related things in the new section - in future all books-stuff will
be published here instead of in the regular blog. Feedback welcome!

Please check it out at http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/books/

Cycling around Lake Constance

Merle — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:15:54 +0000

Just returned from a walking holiday in Austria and stopped overnight at Meersburg on Lake Constance - now we are planning a cycle trip around the lake next year. Anyone know of good guide books/maps in English?? Any tips??

Thanks,

Merle

Does anyone know what the rules of wild camping are in France?

Elliot — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:01:14 +0000

What are the rules for wild camping in France? In England I know that I can stay anywhere out of sight, for no more than two nights, provided it's more than 100metres from the road. Are the rules similar in France?

It would make a good cycling holiday, I think.

Loire Eurovelo 6 info

Lyn — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:58:20 +0100

I received this great email from Bob MacQueen, who's just returned from trip to the Loire. Just posting it here as it's got lots of useful info.
Lyn @ FF

***
Hi
We have just returned after a real enjoyable trip but there are a couple of pieces of information that may help others going that way.
Firstly crossing the pont St Nazaire is not really recommended by bike unless you are 1. Fit 2. Mad and 3. Fearless! There is a bus that carries upto 8 bikes across for just €2, but the information I had was that it ran every half hour and no booking was required. Well, not true. The bus – number 17 – leaves St Nazaire at 07.47, 08.47, 12.15, 16.19, 17.17, 18.27and 19.47 from the station at St Nazaire. It leaves St-Brevin-les-Pins at 07.15, 08.15, 09.15, 13.30, 16.42, 17.45 and 18.50.
Also booking is necessary – you need to telephone 02 40 21 50 87 24 hours before you intend crossing.
The bikes hang off the back held vertically and the driver expects you to help lift them into place. The hooks are a little large and were a tight fit between the spokes on my small-wheeled Moulton, but it didn't fall off! Luggage has to be taken off and goes in the bus with you. The crossing is fast and I'm glad I never attempted to ride it!

The other bit of information is about the"Loire a Velo train service. This is new this year and runs from Orleans to Nantes and has a special carriage for bikes, looks like it can carry a large number. It costs €5 and seems a good idea. However we were returning to Orleans and when we booked the train we asked about the service and booking and were told at Nantes station that no booking was necessary. So we duly turned up for the train and as it was mid-morning mid-week, we did not expect a problem. Well we were told by a man in the special carriage that without a ticket and booking we could not put the bike aboard. As the train was about to leave and the tickets were only available a long way back, we looked like being stranded. Then we noticed that three carriages had 2 bike spaces in the end lobby – hanging vertically, but all were taken!
We pushed our bikes in and hoped we could fit them somewhere. Luckily the two spaces were taken by a very resourceful and helpful German cyclist who had some straps, so we strapped one bike to one of his vertically, put one across the bikes and bungy corded it in so you could get passed. This left one bike – mine – which luckily was a Moulton. So split it in half and put the two halves on the luggage rack! We got away with it.
When we reached Orleans there in the concourse of the station was a booth advertising the service and taking bookings! So OK if you are heading west – probably the best way to go as we had bad headwinds on two days heading east! Apparently you can book – 48 hours in advance – by phoning 09 69 32 81 50.

Hope this helps someone.

Regards,
Bob

Tour de France road closures - Rhone-Alpes

Lyn — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:06:19 +0100

Stages 16-20 on July 19-23, plus the rest day in the Drome on July 18, all take place in and around the Rhone-Alpes.

For information on road closures and deviations, the Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement durable, des Transports et du Logement website has a breakdown of each major city and major routes affected by changed traffic conditions.

It should be ueful if you're following the Tour and want to know what roads are open and when.

The site is in French but it's best bits are the interactive maps on the click-thrus (which are easy enough to work out with the help of Google Translate if you don't read French and get stuck).

When you click through to a city/area usually has a link starting with 'Accès à la carte ...[name of area/route]'. The is an interactive map with changed traffic conditions on it. There is a daily update, as well as (sometimes) a 6-day forecast.

eg the one for Grenoble, where the individual time trial will be held on July 23.