3 week Touring France in September - Using the opportunity wisely

[Ryan Dixon]

I've reposted this because i'm looking for different info now.

My heart is telling me to start the ride and end it in Lyon - there is no logic to this just that its a city i'm curious to visit. Part of me thinks just get a return train ticket to Lyon and see where I end up.

I have 3 weeks to play with and plenty of time to prepare my fitness levels.

How to i get my bike to lyon??? I plan to travel by rail from preston, Lancashire.

Here's my route plan I want to know from experienced cyclers if possible if i'm being masochistic or maybe expecting to much - there is a lot of elevation involved in this route!

Lyon - Dordogne - Bordeaux - Biarritz - Lourdes - Narbonne - Millau - Lyon.

I kn ow this route will change but its just a guide for now. It seems there is so much beauty in France that can't all be seen in 3 weeks of cycling so I'm going to have to make some decisions!.

I will be travelling on a touring bike with luggage. I want to enjoy the trip really and feel I have nothing to prove. My main concerns are the between Lyon and Dordogne and Millau and Lyon. Maybe Lyon is a bad place to start and end because of the difficulties?

I am open to suggestions really at this stage as to how to make the best use of 3 weeks in France in september with a tent and a bike.

 

[vernon]

Three weeks is plenty of time to do a channel to the med ride. I did mine in about two weeks. You could use the European bike express to get you to Calis and to pick you up from Montpellier.

Alternatively,

catch a ferry to St Malo pedal south to hit the Loire at St Nazaire and follow the Loire eastawrds aiming to get picked up by the European bike express at Beaune. It's a nice route with enough places of interest along it to make three weeks a very leisurely ride. Google for Eurovelo Six for route details. There's a good set of maps available from Amazon.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Hi

To get to Lyon it is possible to take the plane. The airport is biggish and cycling from there to wherever should be fairly easy. Alternatively, you could try the train option - but it can be tricky avoiding the TGV (it is difficult to travel with a bike on some TGV routes). It can be done though - you just need a bit of planning. As for your route - it looks very good to me, but perhaps you could include a map? My first thoughts are that you may find there's a lot of climbing. The Dordogne area is lovely, but there are lots of little climbs that by themselves aren't too bad but at the end of the day can seem exhausting! You'll also possibly find the section going back to Lyon hard work. The Cévennes is stunning, but hot and hilly - but if you fancy it I can't recommend the Florac area enough: it truly is a wonderful place. From there, there will be more climbing up to around Saint Etienne - but by that time you'll be so used to hills it'll probably seem easy! So, yeah, I think you've hit the spot as far as scenery is concerned - but make sure your bike has granny grears! Three weeks? Yeah I reckon that's feasible.

 

[oldfatfool]

European Bike express calls in at Lyon.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I made a point of going around Lyon on the eastern side on my channel med ride....just didnt see the point in navigating through a busy town...am glad i did...lot's more fun away from the towns.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

I lived near Lyon for many years (on the Eastern side - just where the moutains start). The centre is lovely - well worth the trouble to get there. However, like Paris, once you're out of the centre it's much less interesting altogether. It's very busy, hot in summer and densely populated. There are cycle lanes - but they're very ofen taken up by parked cars (although the situation might be better now - the year we left they started toughening up on bad parking.)