Loire Valley Chateaux

The Beautiful Castles of Loire

Of all the places on Earth to visit for sightseeing and adventure travel, France is perhaps the most popular. The challenging terrain, breathtaking scenery and the country’s rich history create the perfect environment to meet any traveler’s needs. And although there are countless trails and tours to choose from, those that include visits to the Loire Valley Chateaux are by far among the most famous.

The following are five castles that are featured in our Loire Valley Classic 7 Night Tour, and are a must for any visitor’s itinerary.

Chateau de Chambord – One of the most recognized castles in the world, this is also the largest chateau of the Loire Valley. People come from across the globe to witness this massive building’s amazing architecture, which perfectly combines both traditional French and classic Italian style.

Chateau d’Usse – Over the past several centuries, this incredible castle has been destroyed and rebuilt several times to arrive at the breathtaking modern-day version that we visit today. It is often referred to as the “Sleeping Beauty” castle because of its picturesque fairy tale appearance. In fact, it is said to have been one of Walt Disney’s inspirations in his creation of several Disney castles.

Chateau de Chaumont – Famous for the summertime garden festival held here, this beautiful castle has been classified as a Monument Historique since 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture. The views from this chateau are nothing short of amazing, mainly due to its prime location, right on the banks of the Loire River. Visitors here enjoy stunning panoramic views from all areas of the castle.

Chateau de Villandry – Known for its incredible sprawling gardens, the Chateau de Villandry is one of the most visited castles in France. Strategically planted and laid out in formal patterns, the famous gardens here include a water garden, ornamental flower gardens, and vegetable gardens. They are certainly a unique sight to see, and something not to be forgotten.

Chateau de Chenonceau – Built along the banks of the Cher River, this amazing superstructure is known for its breathtakingly beautiful architecture, both inside and out. It is home to an enormous library and several large halls big enough to entertain hundreds of visitors, as well as a lovely garden. The Chateau de Chenonceau also has an intriguing history, as it is rumored to have been given as a gift to King Henry’s mistress. This castle is one of our favorites and is included in seven of our Loire Valley tours.

A trip to France simply wouldn’t be complete without a visit to these world famous buildings. With the exception of Chaumont, all of them are a part of The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Join us for one of our Loire Valley tours and experience these incredible and unforgettable pieces of ancient history for yourself.

10 Rules for Safe Biking

We want everyone to have a fun and safe holiday season. Check out these 10 rules to keep in mind while on the road.

http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/11/09/a-kinder-gentler-%E2%80%9C10-rules%E2%80%9D/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Happy holidays and enjoy the ride!!

The Towns of the 2011 Etape

Enjoy the Ride and the Towns

Two Etape du Tours this year!! By now, everyone is familiar with the routes dates, distance, and difficulty, but have you researched deeper into the towns visited? Both locations have amazing, but different things to offer.

Act 1: Modane to Alpe d’Huez

Both these towns are exceptional places to visit and the ride from each location is exhilarating, but does take a great deal of endurance while battling the high peaks of the Rhone-Alpes department. Modane being a border town has many Italian features seen in the culture and monuments. The town has many fabulous sights to see including the Chapel of Our Lady of Chairmax, the Leaning House, and the Fountain of Modane. Although a remote area, its scenery is nothing short of stunning and will please any visitor.

Alpe d’Huez has been heard around the world with its famous 21 hairpins appearing in numerous Tour de France races. This area draws athletes of all types. Biking to the summit is a must whether it is on the road or on the mountain trails, but there is also great hiking as well as other activities from dog sledding to hang gliding. The possibilities are endless in this region.

Our guided and self-guided tours in the Rhone-Alpes region offer you an experience of a lifetime. Feel the sting when climbing the steep hills, the accomplishment when you reach the summit, the thrill as you race down the mountain, all while enjoying one of the best views in France.

Act 2: Issoire to St. Flour

This course, which stretches 208 km, begins in Issoire and finishes in St Flour. The first thing that usually pops into people’s mind is, “where the heck is Issoire and St Flour?” Both are in the Auvergne region, almost in the center of France, west of the Rhone-Alpes region and north of the Midi-Pyrenees region. Although off the beaten path, this area has much to offer travelers, specifically cyclists.

Everyone will want to take a stroll in the town square of Issoire lined with painted houses and joined by winding narrow streets. The Church of Saint-Austremoine exemplifying Roman style architecture is a unbelievable sight inside and out. Different from many churches, the interior is almost all painted with patterns of different colors. This isn’t the only site to see; along your route to St Flour make sure you visit the Chateau d'Alleuze and Viaduc de Garabit while taking in the magnificent landscape.

St Flour is situated between two volcanic mountains in the Massif Central department of the Auvergne region. The town itself is actually perched on top of the volcanic outcrops giving visitors a view of the surrounding countryside unlike any other. Take time to visit the museums of the town as well as the Cathedral of St. Pierre made of black basalt with its life-sized wooden black Christ statue.

St Flour knows a few things about gastronomy, so don’t miss the opportunity to try Tripoux, a stew of tripe and sheep feet tied in parcels…when in France right?

Both Issoire and St Flour have many adventures to offer cyclists. Many travelers overlook the Auvergne region, but with it being so close to the Pyrenees, Rhone-Alpes, Loire Valley and Provence regions it has many similar features from all of them making it the perfect getaway. The Etape Act 2 gives you the ideal excuse to explore these towns.

Discover France and Cyrpeo Awards

Discover France has been fortunate to be recognized many times this year for all their hard work. The past 3 months have been especially exciting with awards:

At the annual ATOUT FRANCE French Affairs convention held in San Francisco, CA in October 2011, DF happily accepted the “Most Creative Tour Operator on Social Media” award. Wondering what the ATOUT FRANCE is? ATOUT FRANCE is France’s national tourism board. For seven years now this 2 day event has provided tour operators and suppliers in France a unique chance to connect face to face and also includes presentations, panels, lectures, activities, and trade shows. As you can see, this event is very well attended and this is a prestigious award. Discover France was also nominated for the “Most Extensive Offer,” but unfortunately did not take home the trophy for that award. The whole team was very excited. Below is a picture of the Scottsdale office with the award:

A few days later, but thousands of miles away, the France office and Cyrpeo, Discover France bike shop and bike school in southern France, was accepting another award: the “Lead” category award at the 8th edition of the Tres Petite Enterprise / Small Company. This rewards good company management, organization of the company leader amongst other requirements. However, this was only the preliminary award; fear not, a month later Cyrpeo locked in the overall award.

Cyrpeo was awarded Small Business of the Year in the Herault Department for 2010 (TPE 2010). Thomas Boutin, the France General Manager, and Loren Siekman, the USA General Manager, were present in Montpellier on Wednesday night for the presentation. Thomas accepted the award on behalf of the French staff and business generated for the department by the operations of Cyrpeo. This is a very important award, and great recognition for the efforts to develop cycling and cycling travel in the south of France. The local offices of tourism are very proud and numerous business people came to offer their congratulations. Below are pictures of the award ceremony:

As you can see this has been a very exciting time for Discover France. None of these awards could have been won without the continued support from their clients. Thanks to all the fans that follow and interact with the company on Facebook, twitter, the blog, and other social media sites because you make it easy to be creative and have fun with the postings.

5 Best Cols to Climb in France

It’s certainly no secret that the country of France boasts some of the most beautiful and captivating landscapes on earth. It also happens to be home to some of the world’s most incredible bike adventures, perhaps the most famous being the Tour de France. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional cyclist to experience the noteworthy climbs of this grueling race. For those seeking a climb that will test your legs and mind until the sweet reward of reaching the top, France is the place to ride with a variety of cols certain to please any cycling enthusiast.

There are five cols in particular that top the list, all of which are featured in our King of the Mountains Tour.

Mont Ventoux – the last Alpine mountain ridge before the Rhône plain, this climb is particularly challenging because of its height and the elements cyclers face here. Nicknamed the “Giant of Provence”, it’s sometimes referred to as the “windy mountain” and is considered one of the toughest in the region. It can be climbed by 3 routes and has appeared in the TDF 14 times, 8 of which were stage finishes at the summit. Cyclers can conquer this challenge either by guided or self guided tour.

Alpe d’Huez – one of the Tour de France’s most famous mountain climbs, this is actually one of the least difficult. It certainly has its challenges, however, as this climb features 21 switchbacks and can also be tackled via self-guided and guided tours. Watch for both the TDF and the Etape du Tour to visit this mountain. For those interested, Discover France Adventures offers VIP tours and entry to the Etape.

Col du Galibier – this pass is considered one of the toughest Alpe cols in cycling history mainly because it can only be reached after the Col du Télégraphe or the Col du Lautaret and has an ascent of 34.9 km long over which some 1,924 height meters are climbed. The Col du Galibier is one of the features in our King of the Mountains Tour.

Col du Tourmalet – situated in Midi-Pyrenees, this mountain is one of the most famous climbs in the Tour de France. Bikers who make it to the summit will see a statue of famous cyclist Octave Lapize sitting atop his bike. The Etape du Tour rode this mountain in 2010, for which we offered a tour.

Hautacam – also situated in Midi-Pyrenees, this ascent starts from Argelès Gazost. Because it is unusual in its varying ascents and descents, this climb poses quite a challenge to those who take it on, though certainly a worthwhile one. It is one of the harder climbs we feature in our King of the Mountains tour.

If a cycling adventure is on your itinerary, France is the place to go to experience the very best. Most of these cols are offered in guided and self-guided tours and all have been climbed numerous times by the pros in the TDF. Additionally, all five have been rated “Top 20 Most Climbed Cols” by Climbbybike.com. So, what are you waiting for? The mountains are beckoning.

Dawn to Dusk Mountain Bike Race

Did you know that Cycling Classics has mountain biking tours? Of course, riding the roads of the famous cols in France is everyone's dream, but what about the dirt trails not many people get to experience. We have tours in the Alpes and Provence regions.

Mountain biking offers an experience like nothing anyone has experienced. This past weekend, Loren (owner of Discover France), reconnected with the trails in Arizona at mountain bike race Dawn to Dusk. The Discover France corporate team clenched 1st place!! Check out the highlights of the race...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wB7o1EUWr8

Cycling Mont Ventoux

The Giant of Provence - Mont Ventoux - is a legendary cycling destination. As I prepare to visit France I started reminiscing about that great climbs I've gotten to do there, especially the Mont Ventoux.

Mont Ventoux stands out above Provence and is a point of reference for all around. ON clear days you can see the Mediterranean and way off into the Pre-Alps of Haute Provence. Because it rises up from the plain, it is famous as a difficult climb. From Carpentras you can slowly cross the plain gently rising up to the town of Bedoin where the real climbing starts. Bedoin is one of 3 access points to the summit of Ventoux, and this route is considered the hardest.

On Monday mornings Bedoin has its village market, and it is a good one! Bedoin is also one of those very charming provencale villages that you would picture in all the travel guides to Provence. Stone houses, village square with Plane trees, little cafes and restaurants, and nearby an surprisingly good number of excellent wines! So, I arrive on Monday morning, park in a municipal lot and unload the bike. I mount, and after crossing the village, follow the detour around the market and I'm climbing. 22 kilometers to the summit. I make a mental note of the distance and basically think about nothing else as I continue; constantly calculating how many more kilometers to go!

The thing is, Mont Ventoux is steep. Grades from Bedoin vary from a few percentages at first, to mostly grades of 9% to 11% throughout. Oh, and its not like you go up 500 meters and then cross a flat for 100 meters of relief; nope, its all up. Only 50 meters perhaps of relief about 2 km below Chalet Reynard at the 6 km to go sign.

I started early, and soon found myself alone on the roads. This was May 1, so fairly early in the season, and the morning air was brisk. I rode with pull on sleeves, but in shorts, and was never cold. After passing Chalet Reynard, I did ride along a number of snow drifts alongside the road now up above tree line. The ride from Chalet Reynard is much easier than the previous part; and I managed about 14km/hour on this last stetch. Making it to the summit in 1 hour 40 minutes. A personal best, but 44 very long minutes behind Iban Mayo who set the record at last year's Dauphine Libere Tour.

At the summit, I reached for my camera, against the gale force winds and found my batteries had died. Well, a little extra dead weight never hurt, but I was pissed. Since I was too early in the season to find any of the services open at the summit, I went back down, passing a great number of cyclists coming up, and was at the Bedoin market 25 minutes later. I loaded up my bike, went back to our rented farmhouse, and was on the beach at La Courronne 3 hours later. On the drive back, I could barely make out Ventoux in the way off distance and imagined my little speck self at the top earlier that day. There were probably many specs at the top now!

Want to try it? Go for it! Here are some additional thoughts:

Train - meaning push until it hurts. Ride hills until you are dying for air. Climbing Ventoux won't come to you any other way.

Apart from that; you just need to get to France. Cycling Classics, one of our companies, does offer a tour at Mont Ventoux. We also offer bike rentals for use on our tour, or for your own personal use on something you may book and plan for yourself separately. Some good hotels in the area include the Hotel des Pins at Bedoin and the deluxe Hostellerie du Crillon le Brave about 6 km away from Bedoin. Nearby trains from Carpentras and Avignon or Orange connect to Paris and the TGV. Car rentals are available in both Orange and Avignon. Also, another big attraction around Ventoux is the lavender. Nearby Sault is in the heart of Provence lavender country and offers some beautiful riding, including a trip through the Gorges de la Nesque. Don't forget the wines; appellation of Cotes du Ventoux, and nearby Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, and others.

The restaurant at Chalet Reynard is open year round and a good place to break up the ride, although I probably wouldn't advise it until coming down. There is a place to get water from a well just next to the restaurant as you start up the hill.

Every cyclists should get to experience this climb once in their life. Check out our tours when your time comes.

Life Lessons From the Dirt Trails

What has mountain biking taught you about life? Cycling Classics offers guided mountain biking tours in France. Grab your bike and discover a little something about yourself and life on the trails. www.cyclingclassics.com/mtb_tours

20. Boldness pays.
19. Desperation breeds mistakes.
18. The hardest parts are also the loneliest.
17. There's fresh horse flop in the trail ahead.
16. Balance is first among the virtues; momentum is second.
15. Success requires confidence, but cockiness invites failure.
14. Sometimes, the best way past an obstacle is straight through it.
13. Some people get lucky at parts; nobody gets lucky at everything.
12. It's all about the being and the going, not the having and the arriving.
11. At each intersection, there's the easy way and the hard, rewarding way.
10. It's tempting to focus on the immediate problem to the exclusion of the big picture.
9. The thing that nails you is the one you don't see coming.
8. It's worth stopping for a breather to see where you are.
7. Thousands of tiny decisions shape the trip.
6. The fun starts when you push the limits.
5. You can get hurt, heal and go again.
4. Ups are followed by downs.
3. Practice makes you better.
2. No quitting allowed.
1. Love hurts (but don't let that stop you from falling in love.)

List comes from http://sacredridesmtb.blogspot.com/2010/11/20-things-mountain-biking-teaches-you.html

Cycling Classics Alpes Tour in Outside Magazine

Our Alpes Oisan Valley Cycling Tour is on the Outside Magazine Life List just out this month! Climbing Alpe d'Huez is for many cyclists one of the biggest experiences to have; thus a life list achievement! It is very accessible to anyone who can get themself to France as the article points out; but you gotta have the legs and the lungs! Check it out:
http://outsideonline.com/travel/travel-ta-road-biking-france-outfitted-travel-sidwcmdev_151354.html

Etape

The Etape du Tour riders could not possibly have asked for a more beautiful day to ride 181 kilometers from Pau to La Mongie. We got up before dawn to get on the bus from our hotels to get to the early morning start. The 3:30 a.m. wake-up call was brutal, I’m sure! And the reward was getting to most of the stage that the Tour de France riders will cover tomorrow. That means pedaling over the Col de Marie-Blanque, 9.5 kilometers averaging 7.5%, the Col du Soulor, 22k averaging just under 5%, and finishing up the Tourmalet, 19k averaging 7.5%. It was a long day in the saddle, but what an accomplishment! The first riders came in around in 6 hours… Lots were still coming in around 10 hours and more. Then, after crossing the finish line and getting their medals, the riders had to climb up one more hill to get their lunch!

Our self-guided Pyrenees riders got their first day on the bikes today, too. We set them off on a gorgeous, blue-sky day (a nice change from yesterday’s fog and cold!). Most pedaled away from the Etape ride, but they still got to climb the Tourmalet to get home to the hotel. All in all, a great day on the mountain! More photos posted on Facebook fan page

VIP Day Les Rousses

VIP Day #1
"Allez! Allez!" Can't tell you how many times we heard that today, since we got to ride the last 50k of today's Tour de France route that ended in La Rousses. Most of the group climbed Col de la Croix de la Serra and the Col de l'Amoura, . It was hot, hot, hot; in fact the bike computers were showing 99 degrees F, but everybody rode strong. When we got into La Rousses, our Discover France VIP group got to ride across the finish line AND stand on the winners' podium. They got a behind-the-scenes tour and got to watch Sylvain Chavanel take another stage win just a few yards from the finish line.
It was a pretty cool day, made even cooler by the television interviews we did for SBS Television in Australia. The news team was doing a story on fans at the Tour. They shot video of us taking pictures of each other on the podium, and interviewed two of our 4 Aussies. And another of our guests did an interview for National Public Radio. Discover France making news on two continents. Ha!
Getting out of the stage finish area was no easy feat though... Negotiating barricaded roads and tens out thousands of people made our exit.. challenging.. but we did get to experience a HUGE French storm complete with hurricane winds and hail. Tomorrow: Another VIP day at the Morzine finish, and we'll probably tackle a Category One climb.
Hoping to get some rest tonight for another big Tour de France Day.

See More Images and daily updates: http://www.discoverfrance.com/blog/

I'm on twitter: cyclefrance

Annecy Starts VIP Alpes

And the Alpes adventure begins! Michel and I drove from Lunel to Annecy this afternoon and met our 16 VIP guests at the Imperial Palace Hotel (which is just as palatial as you might think). We got everybody set up on bikes and briefed them on the rides and Tour de France experiences they're about to enjoy. This group has folks from all over the world; lots of Americans, from Portland to Florida, a South African, and four Aussies (although one lives in Singapore)! We got to know each other a little better over a 3-hour (!) dinner at the Imperial Palace terrace, which overlooks the lake and the mountains. Absolutely gorgeous.

Tomorrow, we'll be up bright and early to get on the bikes, take a spin around most of last year's Tour de France time trial course and climb Col de la Forclaz, about 9 kilometers of steep that reaches a grade of about 13 percent at the top. From the top, you can see Mont Blanc off in the distance. Then, of course, the descent will be the pay-off, always is. Everyone is very excited about getting on bike in France.
More to follow!

The Adventure Begins - Off to the Alpes

It’s Go Time at the Discover France operation in Lunel! Last night, the Discover France team got together at the bike shop for a gigantic bon voyage dinner of paella (appropriate, as Spain won its quarter final game in the World Cup!) We’ve spent days, weeks, MONTHS (years!!) getting the framework done so the next 18 days at the Tour de France are fantastique for our guests! The adventure of a bike tour following an event as huge as the Tour de France is that even the surest plans can and do change! To borrow a cliche, expect the unexpected and you won’t be disappointed.
By now, Michel and I are on the way to Annecy to meet our first group, our VIP Alpes crew, which is mostly American. You’ll get to live their adventures vicariously through the blog, so check back here every day for updates and photos. We’ve put together some amazing and unforgettable rides for them.
Ciao for now,
Wendy

TDF July 6

Wow! Take a look at the vans we'll be using for some of our Tour de France tours! We just got them back from the automotive detailing company, and they look fantastic, don't you think? Our Discover France guests will be riding in style, when they're not riding their bikes!
The Tour de France riders left Belgium and crossed into France this afternoon. The cobbles wreaked havoc, just as everybody expected.
In sympathy, I rode my the Verargues-to-St. Christol version of pave early this morning, before the sun started searing the earth (93F today!). These photos were taken around 6:30 a.m.... The sun seems to come up way before 6 here, and doesn't set til after ten at night. I don't think I've fallen asleep in the dark for weeks.
We are getting really excited for our first Discover France trip to start, our Alpes VIP group meets on Thursday in Annecy. Lots to do before then, but we're on it!

Ciao for now
Wendy

p.s. follow our adventures with a shortcut, on twitter, i'm cyclefrance

Tour de France Day 2 - Monday

Day 2 of the Tour brought slippery roads, more crashes. and a new yellow jersey rider! Hopefully Tuesday's stage won't bring more rain for the riders, as it's already promising to be a pretty treacherous day on the pave. Also, hopefully, there won't be a lot of abandon's after so many hard falls the last couple of days. We want there to be some riders left when we get to the raceW I've been watching the Tour de France on my MAC! It's pretty good, and I've been able to find a couple of pages where there are announcers who speak English. The announcers on the French sites talk too quickly for me to understand everything (Yesterday, all I needed to know was "tomber," which means 'to fall!)
Here are a few more things that make me love being in France:
- Camargue horses, from this region of Southern France. They are born dark brown or black, and turn white around age four. Really. I didn't believe it either, so I googled it. It's true.
-A couple next to me at breakfast at the hotel brought their little bird in a cage and sat it right on the table.
-Navigating on French roads is hard. We'll have Garmin GPS systems on our tours, but before then, I'm improvising with my Tom Tom for my car and hair bands. Laugh, but it works

Eating & Le Tour Start

Le Tour commence! The Tour de France begins! And what a great beginning it was. Lance looked strong, and I don't think I'm the only one who got pleasure from him beating Alberto Contador either! Right now, we're still watching the Tour on television, which is interesting, as, of course, it's in french. It's still exciting, and i still watch every second, but I'd be lying if I said I don't miss Phil, Paul, and all the Bob Rollisms. Riders on our VIP tours get to hang out with media covering the Tour one afternoon; I'm hoping we'll get to say 'hello' to the VS TV gang.

What's also begun is the return of getting to eat amazing French food.
I don't know what it is, but the French can take a few simple ingredients and make them into food that is really special. Who am I kidding? I think they just use a lot of BEURRE (butter. everything is, and should be, a butter delivery system). Of course, it's more than
that: Even at my little traditional family hotel in Lunel-Viel, I see the owners bringing in fresh bread and vegetables and meats every day.
I certainly do my part, by cleaning my plate every night! And one more
thing: Why don't restauants in America bring you hot milk for your hot coffee like they do here? I'd been looking forward to that for weeks before I got on the plane. Not disappointed.

Follow me on twitter for 140 letter updates at cyclefrance.

Ciao for now.
W

p.s. GO LANCE!

Riding to warm up for the Tour!

How does riding on narrow country roads through beautiful small towns on a beautiful misty morning sound? That's how my day started. The riding in France is really good, as (most) drivers are considerate of cyclists (good thing, because when I say the roads are narrow, they are NARROW!). Even when the ride is described as 'flat,' don't expect Florida flat. It's more like Maryland flat, with nice-sized rollers. I will say that for the somewhat directionally-challenged, like me, a GPS is a necessity, not an option. There's a little bit of trial and
error, to get from here to there sometimes, but it's all part of the
adventure.

Heading to Cyrpeo-Discover France, bike shop home base, to put the last of the bike racks on the van and work on bike route for our VIP Alpes guests.
Little cooler today, maybe? Nah.

Ciao,
W

p.s. follow me on twitter, i'm cyclefrance!

Eve of the Tour

The Tour de France starts tomorrow in Rotterdam! Here in Lunel, the Discover France team is getting everything ready for our guests to follow the Tour, beginning in Annecy in just a few short days. The racks are on the vans, the bikes that many of our guests have rented are tuned up and ready to go, and, as you can see, we're putting together some Powerbar goodies, to help our riders get started on fueling up for big days on the road.

It's going to be a scorcher for the Tour riders AND ours: It's been over 90 F every day this week! I took the bike out on the road before 7 am this morning, and it was getting hot within an hour. Note to self: sun screen, light-colored kits, and very dark sunglasses.

Follow me on twitter at cyclefrance for quicker reading!

Ciao,
Wendy

Last preparations under way for TDF2010

Bonjour from Lunel, Southern France headquarters for Discover France Adventures and Cycling Classics! It's 2 days til the Tour de France, and the team here is working hard to get ready for our tours. I'm Wendy, and I'll be keeping you up-to-date with all the cool adventures we'll be having along this year's Tour de France route. Lance Armstrong (Team Radioshack, of course) just announced this will be his last TdF, so it's bound to be a memorable, exciting, AND historic Tour. You may know that we usually will have three simultaneous TdF tours running: Self-guided, Domestique, and VIP. Thomas, Michel, and I will be on the VIP Alpes trip, which begins in exactly one week in the beautiful town of Annecy. Wait til you see photos of Lac d'Annecy; it's one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen (especially from the top of the Col when you're done climbing and are drinking a Coca Light!). But for now, we are getting everything ready for the trips: preparing bikes and gift bags and vans, etc, to make this the best Tour de France experience ever! You can check back here for daily reports and photos, or for quicker reading, follow me on twitter; I'm cyclefrance.
Ciao for now!

Wendy Chioji

Tour Updates Starting NOW

Bonjour from Lunel, Southern France headquarters for Discover France Adventures and Cycling Classics! It's four days til the Tour de France, and the team here is working hard to get ready for our tours. I'm Wendy, and I'll be keeping you up-to-date with all the cool adventures we'll be having along this year's Tour de France route. Lance Armstrong (Team Radioshack, of course) just announced this will be his last TdF, so it's bound to be a memorable, exciting, AND historic Tour. You can check back here for daily reports once we put the rubber to the road, or for quicker reading, follow me on twitter; I'm cyclefrance.
Ciao for now!
w

Last places now available for our Tour de France tours. We had a few cancellations in the last weeks, and we have some 'remnant' hotel space we are selling in key locations like La Mongie and Bordeaux for those last few stages:

Pyrenees VIP - 2 spaces now available, open due to cancellation

Pyrenees Domestique - 2 spaces

Pyrenees & Bordeaux - hotel package, from 495 euros

Hotel Only - Etape du Tour

Self Guided Pyrenees - 4 spaces

5 Good Things to Know Before Cycling in France

5 Things to Know Before you Cycle in France

Watch the Signs

The French drive on the right-hand side of the road and some major road signs resemble those in North America. Stop signs say "STOP." Remember that any measurements will use the metric system (France being its birthplace thus kilometers). There may be some that you don't recognize but as a cyclist many of these won't concern you anyway. Signs can be confusing sometimes when following road numbers; in that case, just stick to following the name of the town. Note: blue signs indicate autoroutes - avoid that color! Red signs indicate national roads - avoid those too if they tell you how to get to a town. Yellow/white signs are smaller roads - so follow that color with the town name when in doubt.

Road Rules

Roads in France are generally well marked, paved and maintained. That said, the traffic you encounter can be horrendous if you happen to find yourself on the wrong road. As a cyclist you should make every effort to put yourself on the best cycling roads, even if they take you a little out of your way. Far better to take a little longer to get on a route that is safer and scenic. After all, you're there to enjoy yourself!

Avoid all "A" (Autoroute / toll roads) and as much as possible all "N" (national highway) roads. "D" (departemental) roads are smaller and well suited to cyclists but look carefully at your map; some can be busy. Even smaller are "C" roads and "D" roads and their subsets like D213a, for example, which would be a branch of D213.

Garçon,..? Service?

Breakdowns happen. On a cycle trip of any considerable length, this is something that you may have to contend with. Even if you don't end up snapping a chain or bending a derailleur out of shape, you may want a quick performance tune up while you stop to have lunch. Keep an eye out for the velociste or a magasin de vélo. Note that many bike shops also service motorcycles and mopeds or scooters.

Myriad Maps

The word cartography, the science or practice of drawing maps, comes from the French word carte (for map). As a cyclist you may be overwhelmed with your choice of maps -- there are tons! Whichever ones you choose, be sure to go with a scale size of no more than 1:250,000. IGN, France's equivalent of the UK's Ordnance Survey, makes some really exceptional maps at 1:100,000 and 1:50,000 that are perfect for cyclists.
Lock It Up

Unless you plan on never letting your bike out of your sight, a top quality lock is an absolute must. Don't skimp here on a cheap chain or wire lock. Spend the extra money and get something sturdy. Petty theft is rampant in France and an estimated 400,000 bicycles are stolen every year. Your shiny, unlocked bike won't be sitting there very long if left unlocked and unattended.

Last Call - Tour de France 2010

A final push to fill Alpes trips is on here at Discover France Adventures. We have mostly filled our Pyrenees and Paris trips, but a few places are still open there. We expect everything to be sold by mid May. Some new opportunities have come up too including:

New Hotel Only option in La Mongie for the big stage of Pau-Tourmalet; and space in Paris in a 3 star hotel combined with grand stand seating on the final stage. We have also opened a few remnant rooms for self contained cycling in the Pyrenees. After this, the Alpes is now what remains. A press release just went out yesterday about this, which was also posted earlier, and it is being picked up by many outlets. I did a radio interview today with KPAM in Portland, OR and I'm scheduled to do another radio interview this weekend on a nationally syndicated broadcast. (details posted later!)

Below is the content of a letter sent by 'enews'. If you or anyone you know has an interest in going to the Tour this summer, April is really getting down to the end of available space with official tour operators.


*****BELOW sent by Enews*****
Imagine riding in your own personal peloton in the French Alps, where the climbing starts in earnest in the 2010 Tour! You’ll not only ride in the wake of the pros, you’ll also mingle with them thanks to our special VIP access to the race.

We have a very limited number of spaces available on both our 9-day Alpes VIP & and Alpes Domestique tours; both tours begin July 8 in beautiful Annecy and end on July 16 in Grenoble (after a final ride to Valence to watch the arrival of the Tour in Bourg les Valence).
We designed both the VIP and Domestique tours for strong cyclists who crave big mountain climbs…and both itineraries include a climb of the legendary Alpe d'Huez! And both are led by professional licensed cycling guides.

The VIP tour includes deluxe 4-star hotels, souvenir kit and special access to the pro teams and race, including ‘D-Day’ at Les Rousses - the first mountain stage of the 2010 Tour. If you’d like a lower cost option, our Domestique tour does not include the special access VIP package. For both tours, we can also arrange other special services, including helicopter tours, extra nights before or after the tour and hotel accommodations in Paris. A more affordable option also exists with our Self Guided Alpes trips.

Please call us today at 1.800.960.2221 to reserve your spot or if you’d like more information about either tour. My staff and I will be on-site for the entire Tour and we’d love to extend our award-winning “Maillot Jaune” service to you.
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Best regards - Loren