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.