Anyone ever considered moving abroad for the better cycling experience?

[Bonus]

If you think France is paradise for cycling then go cycle in Spain. There is no country better for cycling In regards to the way car drivers treat cyclists.
Its my dream to retire to Southern Spain and spend the rest of my days cycling on their wonderful mountain roads.

I live in Spain and I can tell you that around here drivers give road riders a good couple of meters when passing - usually crossing right over to the other side of the road to pass you. If they can't pass safely they wait.

Compared tp the UK - I lived in the SE - it's heaven!

 

[avecReynolds531]

I live in Spain and I can tell you that around here drivers give road riders a good couple of meters when passing - usually crossing right over to the other side of the road to pass you. If they can't pass safely they wait.

Compared tp the UK - I lived in the SE - it's heaven!

+ 1
That was my experience of Spanish drivers: with regard to the bike - patient, aware, respectful.
Like Belgium & France, Spain is a country that values cycling as an important sport, with a large participation, and a significant history.

'Compared tp the UK - I lived in the SE - it's heaven!' - That is my experience of the SE too.

 

[Mattk50]

Sorry I may have mislead, I personally did not apply for NHR as it means registering to become a Resident, something which we weren't interested in.

N.B. NHR Non Habitual Tax Residency was a way to entice wealthy Northern Europeans to Portugal giving them a ten year tax break on money earned, UK pensions etc. Civil Service pensions however did not qualify. It meant if you had a tasty occupational pension it would be paid from UK but received in Portugal and the UK government couldn't tax it.
Portugal in the last couple of years has included France in this scheme and certainly where we are is now becoming like mini France.
It is my understanding that no new UK applicants after Brexit is done.

It's my understanding that the NHR scheme is being withdrawn due to the EU looking on it unfavourably i.e. not all EU countries are doing it or similar. I may be wrong though. But the NHR scheme seems enticing to me, 10 years of drawing down your pension pot tax free and only having to spend 6 months a year in Portugal.

 

[Mattk50]

Yes I think it is 183 days a year to qualify, but who would know, anyway you will need to be quick as I am pretty sure it goes on Dec 31.

Plenty of topics / info on here.

https://britishexpats.com/forum/portugal-89/

Unfortunately I'm only 51 so have 4 years left to go to start withdrawing my pension pot. My wife says she wouldnt go anyway as she likes the winters here........ that is not a joke lol!

 

[Johnno260]

'Compared tp the UK - I lived in the SE - it's heaven!' - That is my experience of the SE too.

I’m in the SE and it’s horrible 2 or 4 wheels people are in too much of a rush I think and leave zero extra time for journeys.

Tunbridge Wells where I work I ended up stopping my partial commutes due to down right dangerous and obnoxious drivers, the final nail was someone not stopping at a roundabout while I was on it and I had right of way, they turned right in front of me and I dropped the bike and fell off, instantly the car behind leant on the horn and started hurling abuse, he then floored it and almost crushed my hand, I never rode in T Wells again after that.

Using the car isn’t much better, too many people and too many impatient people which is a bad mix.

 

[avecReynolds531]

I’m in the SE and it’s horrible 2 or 4 wheels people are in too much of a rush I think and leave zero extra time for journeys.

Yes, sounds very familiar, unfortunately. Sorry to hear of the hassle you've encountered.

An old colleague used to say: "Everyone takes half an hour to get to work, but they leave at twenty five to..."

 

[cyberknight]

I do but the rest of the family might find me

 

[gavroche]

+ 1
That was my experience of Spanish drivers: with regard to the bike - patient, aware, respectful.
Like Belgium & France, Spain is a country that values cycling as an important sport, with a large participation, and a significant history.

'Compared tp the UK - I lived in the SE - it's heaven!' - That is my experience of the SE too.

That is what makes it so different from the UK. Cycling in those countries is part of the culture and is a top sport with many followers, hence the respect from drivers as many of them also cycle.

 

[Ridgeway]

That is what makes it so different from the UK. Cycling in those countries is part of the culture and is a top sport with many followers, hence the respect from drivers as many of them also cycle.

That summarises it very well. When i say to people in the UK that i like road cycling i get some "argh one of the lycra brigade" looks where as in Italy, France or Spain i often get asked about which climbs, where do you ride, did who was your favourite Pantani, Indurain, Hinault etc and just nice comments about what a wonderful sport it is (as well as an odd dig about Sky/Ineos)

 

[avecReynolds531]

That is what makes it so different from the UK. Cycling in those countries is part of the culture and is a top sport with many followers, hence the respect from drivers as many of them also cycle.

+ 1
well said... & that's what I was trying to put across earlier in this thread (post 55). It's important & undoubtedly does create a better cycling experience.

That summarises it very well. When i say to people in the UK that i like road cycling i get some "argh one of the lycra brigade" looks where as in Italy, France or Spain i often get asked about which climbs, where do you ride, did who was your favourite Pantani, Indurain, Hinault etc and just nice comments about what a wonderful sport it is (as well as an odd dig about Sky/Ineos)

+ 1
My experience too

It's also common when out riding, to receive messages of encouragement, often from people who live on the sides of the road, often other cyclists and drivers: I've heard "Bonne Chance!" & "Bonne Route!" in France, "Venga Venga!" in Spain, "Vai Vai!" & "Buona Salita!" in Italy, "Hup Hup!" in Belgium & the Netherlands. For some reason, this is multiplied a lot when we've been on a tandem

Edit - included drivers & tandem.

It's a fine contrast to variants of "Get off the f***ing road!" which you get to hear all too often.

Factor in weather, road surfaces & the geography that provides such stunning routes, then it's not surprising that many of us enjoy turning pedals elsewhere.😊

 

[matticus]

It's also common when out riding, to receive messages of encouragement, often from people who live on the sides of the road, often other cyclists: I've heard "Bonne Chance!" & "Bonne Route!" in France, "Venga Venga!" in Spain, "Vai Vai!" & "Buona Salita!" in Italy, "Hup Hup!" in Belgium & the Netherlands.

2 weeks ago on a long climb in the Dales, young woman driving down shouted out "Youre nearly there, go go!" (I was nowhere near, but anyway ...)
Took me a minute to comprehend what had actually happened!

Might be a while before that happens again in the UK :P meanwhile, on my first Belgium trip I spent a morning with a local cycle-tourist. I asked him how the locals (drivers) reacted when a town was disrupted by a big ride, or cycling festival etc. he said:
"It's no problem. Everyone in town will join in, in some way."

 

[Blue Hills]

I live up a big london hill, dead end, often get "encouraging" comments from pedestrians when I'm hauling my shopping up it.
Also sometimes get bits of french from kids in the countryside.
Of course being britain I think they are very often taking the P but I can live with it.

 

[dodgy]

I live up a big london hill, dead end, often get "encouraging" comments from pedestrians when I'm hauling my shopping up it.
Also sometimes get bits of french from kids in the countryside.
Of course being britain I think they are very often taking the P but I can live with it.

On our very first visit to the French Alps in 2010, we stayed at a friend's place in Verchaix. I'd never ridden in France until then, my first ride was up Col de Joux Plane, a fearsome climb by most TdF standards, but I was keen to give it a go even though I'm a terrible climber! Anyway, scorching hot day, within five minutes from the start a campervan pulls alongside and 2 French kids were offering me bottles of water out the window. I still remember it clearly.
I've only ever been treated to harassment by UK drivers pulling alongside 🤷‍♂️

 

[itboffin]

i've had cars pull alongside me at the bottom of descents in the UK in amazement at how fast i'd gone downhill erm never going up

 

[dodgy]

i've had cars pull alongside me at the bottom of descents in the UK in amazement at how fast i'd gone downhill erm never going up

Another thing, French drivers pull over to let you overtake on big Col descents, knowing you can easily outpace them.