Cycle Touring in France

Focuses on eight one- or two-week bicycle tours. Covering some of the picturesque parts of Brittany, Picardy, Alsace, Auvergne/Languedoc, Provence, Dordogne/Lot, the Alps and Pyrenees, the tours in this guide are accompanied by route descriptions and maps, lists of campsites, bed and breakfasts and hotels, airport and rail connections, and more.

Autorentext

A couple of muddy mountain biking weekends in Wales with the evenings spent reading Robin Neilland's Walking through France whilst wet gear dried in front of a crackling fire, followed by daily doses of Channel 4's coverage of the Tour de France in July 1989 inspired Stephen Fox to attempt his first bicycle tour a month later, a 600 mile coast to coast charity ride across France from Caen to Montpellier. Smitten ever since, he has cycled extensively in France and also central Italy, where he lived for several years. In 2001 he completed a challenging and exhilarating cycle tour of Norway's spectacular Lofoten Islands situated 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle. He now lives in southern England with his wife and daughter, and works in the photographic industry as well as being a freelance writer and photographer.

Klappentext
Concentrates on eight selected one or two week bicycle tours of various levels.

Zusammenfassung
Guidebook for 8 cycle tours of between 1 and 2 weeks duration exploring France's diverse landscapes and superb scenery. Suitable for most levels of ability and experience, the routes are in some of the most picturesque parts of Brittany, Picardy, Alsace, Auvergne/Languedoc, Provence, Dordogne/Lot, the Alps and the Pyrenees.

Inhalt
Introduction Which Route and When To Go? A Short History Getting There Bicycles on Trains in France Roads Maps Passports, Visas, Health and Insurance Money, Banks and Payphones Public Holidays French Food and Wine The Tour de France About the Bike What to Take How to Use this Guide Cycle Tours Route 1 Finistere, 'the End of the World': Brittany Stage 1 Morlaix to Le Folgoet/Lesneven Stage 2 Le Folgoet/Lesneven to Lanildut Stage 3 Lanildut to Brest Stage 4 Brest to Le Faou Stage 5 Le Faou to Huelgoat Stage 6 Huelgoat to Morlaix Route 2 Champagne and The Kings' Forest: The Marne Valley and Picardy Stage 1 Aeroport Paris CDG to Charly-sur-Marne Stage 2 Charly-sur-Marne to Dormans Stage 3 Dormans to Villers-Cotterets Stage 4 Villers-Cotterets to Pierrefonds Stage 5 Pierrefonds to Compiegne and back Route 3 The Wine Road and Bas-Rhin: Alsace Stage 1 Colmar to Barr Stage 2 Barr to Saverne Stage 3 Saverne to Niederbronn-les-Bains Stage 4 Niederbronn-les-Bains to Haguenau Route 4 An Alpine Experience: Geneva to Grenoble Stage 1 Geneva to St Jean-de-Sixt Stage 2 St Jean-de-Sixt to Albertville Stage 3 Albertville to St Jean-de-Maurienne Stage 4 St Jean-de-Maurienne to Le Bourg d'Oisans Stage 5 Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez and back Stage 6 Le Bourg d'Oisans to Grenoble Route 5 The Land of Lavender: Provence Stage 1 Arles to Cavaillon Stage 2 Cavaillon to Caromb Stage 3 Caromb to Buis-les-Baronnies Stage 4 Buis-les-Baronnies to Sault Stage 5 Sault to Mont Ventoux and back Stage 6 Sault to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Route 6 Meadows and Mountains: Pyrenees Stage 1 Foix to St Girons Stage 2 St Girons to St Bertrand-de-Comminges Stage 3 St Bertrand-de-Comminges to Arreau Stage 4 Arreau to Bagneres-de-Bigorre Stage 5 Bagneres-de-Bigorre to Argeles-Gazost Stage 6 Argeles-Gazost to the Col d'Aubisque and back, then Lourdes Route 7 Rivers and Castles: Dordogne and Lot Stage 1 Brive-la-Gaillarde to St Cere Stage 2 St Cere to Figeac Stage 3 Figeac to Cahors Stage 4 Carhors to Monpazier Stage 5 Monpazier to La Roque-Gageac Stage 6 La Roque-Gageac to Souillac Route 8 Rugged and Remote: Auvergne and Languedoc Stage 1 Meymac to Riom-es-Montagnes Stage 2 Riom-es-Montagnes to St Flour Stage 3 St Flour to Marvejols Stage 4 Marvejols to Florac Stage 5 Florac to Ales Appendix A Glossary: Bicycle Parts and Other Useful Cycling Terms Appendix B Accommodation Appendix C Further Reading Appendix D Regional Specialities and Wines of France Appendix E Information Centres Appendix F Embassies and Consulates