Club Member Spotlight

Tour de France
Cycling through France by Leo Hartung

Canal and bike trail actually cross over the Loire River
Many of us have dreamed for years of taking a bike trip through France. Well this year my dream began on September 4th along with three other dreamers: Ken Goldman, Bob Head and his brother Bruce, from Delaware. The itinerary included three days of travel, 12 days of riding and three days of kicking back in Paris.  Ken, Bob and I flew nonstop from SFO, and Bruce departed from Delaware, all meeting at Charles De Gaulle Airport. Because this was an unsupported ride, we had to pack everything in our panniers and handlebar bags   After arrival in Paris, we took a three-hour train ride from the airport to Nantes, where we picked up rental bikes the following morning to begin our ride through the Loire Valley, the garden of France. The plan was to take the La Loire-a-Velo bicycle route that basically follows the Loire River and tributaries. The Loire River is the longest river in France stretching 630 miles, from the Cerennes Mountains in the South, first heading north and then east, to St. Nazaire on the Atlantic Ocean.

Coffee stop in a small village
Because we would be traveling on trains that required special procedures for bikes, for our convenience, we decided to rent bikes rather than take ours. This proved to be a good decision as we traveled hassle free on two train rides and stayed three days in Paris, where our hotel had no accommodation for bicycles. Our research located a bicycle rental company that had 20 locations along the La Loire-a-Velo route, with locations stretching a distance of 400 miles. Although most of their rental business involved short term rentals of road bikes, and hybrid bikes equipped for touring, we were able to negotiate an arrangement where they would equip their road bikes with racks to carry our panniers, remove the saddles and pedals so we could mount our own, deliver them to their most western location, Nantes, and then allow us to drop them off at their most southeastern location, Cuffy. The company we used is Detours de Loire, which has a wonderful staff of young multi-lingual employees. We made it a point to meet my main contact when we went through Tours, their home office, where they provided us with souvenir water bottles and extra tubes as we experienced several unrepairable flats along the way.

Fabulous Chateau gardens
After Ken, Bob and I met on numerous occasions, perusing bicycle travel books, bicycling websites and Rick Steves’ travel guides to identify the points of interest we wanted see, we laid out our itinerary. Ken then spent hours with Loire--a-Velo maps, various websites and Google Maps to lay out the detailed route on the “Ride With GPS” website, which he then downloaded to his and my GPS units. The final plan ended up being a 12-day trip covering 449 miles. Actual miles traveled were 485. Through web searches we were able to find compact maps that Bob carried showing the primary and alternate La Loire-a-Velo routes and surrounding areas. As anyone who has planned their own bicycle route understands, even with these preparations, on occasion we found ourselves deviating from the prescribed route due to road closures, missing trail signs, recommendations from locals, avoiding high speed traffic areas and just wanting to travel along more peaceful paths.

Narrow Trail	Pave

The first few days of the trip were long, many days not getting into our accommodations until after 6 o’clock. We had picked certain towns where we wanted to spend the night and our intent was to mix sightseeing with a pleasant ride, so we did not push ourselves. Our typical speed was between 12 and 14 miles per hour. Dinner normally isn’t served until after 7:30 in France, so we learned quickly to enjoy the ride, see the sites and relax along the way, with morning espresso stops and afternoon ice cream breaks. This is our idea of how to tour.

Our favorite B&B in Gennes
We had debated in our planning sessions whether to reserve our rooms in advance or search them out on a daily basis. The advantage of booking as we went is it allowed us to alter the itinerary as needed, but the disadvantage was it required us to stop earlier in the day to start looking for accommodations. Booking in advance assured us of a place to stay and allowed us to arrive late in the evening if we found the day to be more interesting than expected. We also learned that a lot of places don’t have twin rooms, which was necessary for four guys traveling together. We eventually opted for the comfort level of reservations and adjusted to the late dinners and late starts in the morning. Our preference was to stay in B&B’s, but we normally ended up staying in small hotels as B&B’s did not have the twin rooms we were after. Except for the hotels in Nantes and Paris, where we did not have bicycles with us, all of the hotels had secured parking for bicycles.

Section of riverbank trail
We rode mostly trails and lightly traveled country roads. The road surfaces ranged from blacktop to gravel, but the ride was so pleasant that the surface of the trails were not important - the more rustic the trail the more pleasant the ride. We did run into some heavy traffic in a few of the larger cities we traveled through, but the drivers in France are very respectful of riders. The trails were just delightful, and we found as we were taking pictures of the pleasant surroundings, the pictures were getting repetitious as everywhere we looked there was another photo opportunity. At times we would see canoes, kayaks or working-boats on the river. Sometimes we traveled close enough to the river you could chuck a soft croissant into it, but we would never waste a croissant. Fishermen sat on the banks lazily waiting for a bite. Traveling along the canals, we rode beside pleasure boats, watched them navigate flower adorned locks, or passed by harbors filled with many types of boats. At the locks, we would stop and talk with the boaters as they were raised or lowered to the next level. And of course there was usually a café close by which would invite us to have an espresso, lunch or ice cream.

Sleeping Beauty Castle--Chateau de Usee
The paths at times meandered through forests or through fields of corn, grapevines, apple orchards or sunflowers. The paths went through small farming villages where you could reach out and touch the buildings as you rode by. Many of these villages were the delights of the trip and were wonderful to explore. At times we would spend an hour or more just cajoling the bikes through the winding narrow and sometime cobblestone streets or dirt paths. During the week we didn’t see a single person in some villages, but on the weekends they were all alive with people. Colorful arrays of flowers hung from window boxes or in pots and planters throughout yards. Sometimes the cycle route would take us through small villages with streets entering at an array of angles. It was a challenge to meander through the streets to discover the town square or a sidewalk café. On one occasion the route took us through a flea market along the river’s edge. This was touring as it was meant to be, and the way it can’t be done by car.

The waitress said it was like fish and chips...
Bob had discovered a website of “The most beautiful Villages in France”, and we took detours to see some of them. We all agreed the most beautiful village we saw was on the last day of riding; St. Parize-le Chatel. This entire town is owned by an 80 year old woman who lives in the chateau on the hill above the town. Houses and buildings were rustic and charming and were adorned with flowers and the formal hedges. The town sat on the river’s edge with a pedestrian walk way on a park like setting between the river and the adjoining houses, with benches and a little café in the center that was perfect for an afternoon ice cream break. Another town, Beaugency, also ranked high on our list. We entered the town on a Saturday morning in the midst of the weekly farmer’s market in the cobblestone town center. What a great place to stop and have an espresso and watch the activity. We spent in excess of two hours in this town sitting and meandering through the streets experiencing the culture of rural France.

View of the Loire from Champtoceaux
In addition to the lovely villages, the Loire is home to most of the chateaus in France, from the Sleeping Beauty castle of Chateau de Usay, to the huge hunting lodge of Chambord and the gorgeous and beautifully furnished Chenonceaux.  We passed or visited chateaus every day, but like overdoing beautiful old churches, one can also overdo visiting chateaus, so we were cautious to limit the ones we actually entered.
And then there is Paris which was NOT the highlight of this vacation. We did enjoy the food at some very good restaurants, including our best meal on the trip, and visited all the typical tourist sites, including the famous Paris Sewer Tour, but this trip was all about the bike.

My complete luggage with panniers folded up inside--all carry-on
This leads us to the food, the goal of many of us who cycle, and also a good reason to visit France.  The normal French breakfast is coffee, orange juice and a croissant. This was not enough to sustain us until lunch, so we normally had a full breakfast with a variety of cereals, meats, eggs, breads, fabulous croissants and pastries, juices and good dark rich coffee. Breakfast was rarely part of the accommodation package like it is elsewhere in Europe, but the hotels always had a reasonably priced buffet available for guests. Lunch was normally ham and cheese on a croissant or baguette. Dinner was the meal we looked forward to. We always ate in nice restaurants and were very adventuresome, trying most every delicacy that France had to offer; escargot prepared in a variety of ways, pate (but we skipped the foie gras), duck, lamb, a multitude of different fishes, and of course chicken, beef and pork. Normally we would have three or four course meals. On two occasions I had a complete meal that figuratively knocked my socks off. Most of the time at least one of the courses was outstanding, with the rest very good. Only once do I recall that we had a so-so meal. But I recall my last trip to France where nearly every evening we had a fabulous meal. I think some of this difference is because we are spoiled in this area with so many excellent restaurants that our tastes and expectations have changed.
The French are warm and inviting and very helpful. Many now know English, and even if they don’t, they were most helpful in finding restaurants and providing other directions. There were many other European cyclists that were always interested in helping us or engaging in travel discussions. A common discussion revolved around our rear view mirrors that piqued almost everyone’s interest, regardless of their nationality.

Four guys on Bikes
Overall this was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone interested in bicycle touring. Following the La Loire a Velo route can be done by following the well-marked trails, with a map supplement for side trips. Complete information about Loire-a-Velo can be found at:  http://www.cycling-loire.com/what-is-cycling-loire.

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