Travel France - Bicycle Tours
Adventurous Cyclists Can Ride the Best of France
CYCLEVENTS is offering adventurous travelers a chance to bicycle through the best that France has to offer. Their new ride called appropriately The Best of France, cycles from the wine country of St Emilion to Provence’s Roman ruins.
Enroute guests will visit the feudal cities of the Dordogne River, the fabled towns of Rocamadour and Conques, plus the medieval fortresses of the deep Tarn Gorge. The fine regional cuisine is featured at dinners in small cafes and riders bed down after a full day of pedaling in country inns and historic hotels. Also offered as a camping trip, numerous departures are available from early May until September.
“The Best of France brings cycling and affordability back to bicycle touring,” according to Tom Sheehan, da boss at CYCLEVENTS. “We’ve crafted a route that covers bit more terrain each day, so travelers can explore a broader slice of France, than most bicycle tours allow. And using small, two-star hotels we’ve have a program that anyone can afford, yet still enjoy all the comforts of fully supported touring.”
The tour starts in the hilltop wine town of St Emilion, on the eastern fringes of the Bordeaux Wine Region. After a day of rolling through vineyards and past wineries, riders will find themselves bedding down in diminutive Limueil, at the confluence of the Dordogne and Vezere Rivers. A day of exploring feudal castles such as Beynac and de la Treyne fills the ride along the Dordogne River. The historic pilgrimage towns of Rocamadour and Conques shelter riders for next couple of nights, with rides through the oak forests to provide a break from ‘chateaux burnout’. The deep, rugged Tarn Gorge is next on the route and features a day off from riding, with a chance to challenge the white water of the Tarn River in canoes.
The final leg takes the guests over the Corniche des Cevennes with its high panoramas then down into Provence, with explorations of the Pont du Gard and the castles of Tarascon and Beaucaire. The ride finishes in the artist community of Gordes.
Ditching the crowded and well-traveled south and escaping to northern Peru will take you through all three geographic regions: coast, mountains and jungle.
Guests enjoy comfortable accommodations, with many nights spent in properties that are members of the Logis de France association, a group whose members meet high standards of service and cleanliness.
Hotels are often located in the historic parts of towns and feature private facilities ensuite. Dinners feature a selection of the regional cuisine, many times prepared by local award winning chefs.
Complete support services are also afforded guests, with a sag wagon to transport baggage and tired riders when desired, a guide on bike with the group, airport pick-up and drop-off service.
The Best of France is offered as both hotel and camping based departures. Hotel departures and camping based departures are scheduled various months of the year. Both versions are 11 days and follow the same routing.
Additional information on The Best of France can be found on the web at: http://www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/
Brochures can be requested from: CYCLEVENTS, PO Box 7491, Jackson Hole, WY 83002-7491Phone: 1-888-733-9615, 1-307-733-9615 Fax: 1-734-858 Send Email.
