Tandem cycling in France  Page 3
by Rick Rinestine  03/19/08

Eating in France was an experience, lunch was usually from noon ‘til two, whether you liked it or not!  Actually, once you sat down at a restaurant, you were expected to stay until lunch was over, dinner was the same!  All of the stores closed during lunch, so if you wanted to ride and eat a picnic lunch, you had to pick up food early and carry it with you until you found a good place to stop. This was fairly easy for us, since we stopped a lot on the hills, on the way up to rest and on the way down to cool off the brakes. 

Every hotel we stayed in had a unique menu or a special dish, such as fish, rabbit, duck or lamb.  We loved the food and the atmosphere; we usually sat outside for most of our meals, including breakfast.  Vegetarians beware, ignore what the tour information says, the French have a really hard time accommodating a veggie-style diet!  If you decide to try cycling in France and you’re a vegetarian, be prepared, talk to the kitchen staff as soon as you check-in to your hotel, bring food supplements, or buy extra food to keep in your room! 

We left the Alps by way of the Col de Limouges, by accident really!  The map had us going over a different pass, but a local cyclist described the descent as “très difficile” and picked up some gravel to demonstrate that they had just chip-sealed the road and that traction was poor!  We stopped at the beginning of the descent on our new route to take in the view, a grand sweep that allowed one to see for miles.  The descent was magnificent and we rolled along to Chabeuil, our next stop at over 25-mph. 

The next day we cycled to Vaison-la-Romaine, at the foot of Mount Ventoux. Three days in town allowed us to shop during the local Market Day, ride Mount Ventoux, or visit some local wineries. We didn’t ride Mount Ventoux, the grades were very steep and not acceptable for tandem usage, however, the rest of the participants enjoyed that unique challenge!  (And paid for it the next day by requiring a shuttle to the next hotel!)  Actually, the climb didn’t sound all that great, lots of biting flies, hundreds of French tourists, parked cars on the side of the road, packed restaurants, slow cars on the downhill, just for bragging rights.  We chose instead to do the wine circle, five small towns, each with their own winery on the main street. We were a little wobbly by lunchtime (just kidding), but we did buy some local wine to bring home.  And everyone shopped on market day, kind of like a traveling mall, with food, clothes, everything! 

We left Vaison-la-Romaine and cycled to Sisteron, home of the Citadel, and stories of Napoleon, and then on to Castellane.  Staying in Castellane is a lot like going to the New River in West Virginia, rafters, boaters, and mountain bikers were everywhere.  The group cycled to the Canyon du Verdon, including some double chevron climbing on roads that resembled goat tracks, great views, as long as you were stopped by the side of the road.  We chose, instead, a short trip to the lake and dam above town that feeds water to the rafters.  Great road, cool pines and a splendid view of the lake. 

Our final ride was to Vence, a suburb of Nice.  We entered the area by high meadows and descended into town, past the Village of Gordon – a high and ancient feudal outpost with an eagle’s view of the Mediterranean Sea.   We arrived at our hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon disassembling the bike for its return trip to the US. 

Dinner was within walking distance of our hotel and in the middle of the older part of town.  Great food and excellent wine, a fitting end to a superb cycling trip.  We only spent a few hours sleeping, as our flight left early in the morning.  Next trip we will build in some time to relax before flying home!

| 1 | 2 | 3 |Back To News

Last Updated 03/19/08