Weekend Cycling Trip in France - Advice Sought

Hi all,

Management has decided to send me to Paris for a few weeks of work-
related training. I will be over there during the Easter long weekend
(which is only a 3 day long weekend since Good Friday isn't a public
holiday over in France).

*rubs hands and starts making non-work related cycling plans*

The plan is to get out of Paris during the long weekend and head to
the countryside for some cycling. I won't mind cycling on flat roads
but I have delusions of grandeur in tackling a col or two (mmm ...
l'Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, Telegraph, Tourmalet all spring to mind
though I wouldn't be able to pinpoint any of them on a map).

Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?
- postings in the a.b archives recommend a company called "pyractif"
near Toulouse. They would be ideal except that Toulouse is 5 - 6 hours
by train from Paris.
- is it too cold in spring to even contemplate riding in the Alps/
Pyrenees? I'll be bringing a cycling jacket, a pair of thermal long
knicks and short fingered gloves.
- would lycra booties be recommended?
- I will also need to rent a road/touring bike from whichever town I
end up staying in.


Thanks in advance for any advice.


"do I chuck in the SPDs or Look pedals into my luggage"
"maybe I should have learnt French instead of Italian"

petulance wrote:
snip

*rubs hands and starts making non-work related cycling plans*

*******!

snip more

Maybe you like to watch?

http://www.rvv.be/2007/eng/deronde/index.html

Parbs

"petulance" wrote:

Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?

Don't know how close it is to Paris, but this town and surrounds looked
pretty spectacular for cycling:

http://www.grenoblecycling.com/the-Vercors.htm


--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

Peter Signorini wrote:
"petulance" wrote:
Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?

Don't know how close it is to Paris, but this town and surrounds looked
pretty spectacular for cycling:

http://www.grenoblecycling.com/the-Vercors.htm


Distance from Paris?

572 km, about 7 hours 17 mins (Google)

Paris
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=paris+FR&z=5

Grenoble
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=grenoble+FR&z=5

Directions
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sadd...renoble+FR&z=5
--
--
Pete.B

On Mar 17, 8:11 pm, Parbs wrote:
petulance wrote:
snip

*rubs hands and starts making non-work related cycling plans*

*******!

Hey, it isn't all fun and games ... I'll be missing out on the BRW
Triathlon and Sydney 24 Hour while I am away. Though missing out on
the latter is probably just as well since I haven't been off road
since September.


snip more

Maybe you like to watch?

http://www.rvv.be/2007/eng/deronde/index.html


Thanks for the heads up. The Tour of Flanders could be a goer. Too bad
I get back on the day of Paris-Roubaix.

On Mar 17, 10:34 pm, "Peter Signorini"
wrote:
"petulance" wrote:

Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?

Don't know how close it is to Paris, but this town and surrounds looked
pretty spectacular for cycling:

http://www.grenoblecycling.com/the-Vercors.htm

--

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out. At this point I'll
finalise my plans once I am over there. Pyractif isn't running a tour
over Easter.

"Skewer" wrote in message
...
Peter Signorini wrote:
"petulance" wrote:
Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?

Don't know how close it is to Paris, but this town and surrounds looked
pretty spectacular for cycling:

http://www.grenoblecycling.com/the-Vercors.htm


Distance from Paris?

572 km, about 7 hours 17 mins (Google)

Paris
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=paris+FR&z=5

Grenoble
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=grenoble+FR&z=5

Directions
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sadd...renoble+FR&z=5
--
--
Pete.B

2hr 55 min on TGV from Paris to Grenoble. Has a bicycle symbol on the
timetable so assume you can take bike with you. Lyons only about 2 hours.
Cost - about 50 UK pounds. Max speed 186 km/hr.

www.tgv.co.uk/

petulance Wrote:
Hi all,

Management has decided to send me to Paris for a few weeks of work-
related training. I will be over there during the Easter long weekend
(which is only a 3 day long weekend since Good Friday isn't a public
holiday over in France).

*rubs hands and starts making non-work related cycling plans*

The plan is to get out of Paris during the long weekend and head to
the countryside for some cycling. I won't mind cycling on flat roads
but I have delusions of grandeur in tackling a col or two (mmm ...
l'Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, Telegraph, Tourmalet all spring to mind
though I wouldn't be able to pinpoint any of them on a map).

Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?
- postings in the a.b archives recommend a company called "pyractif"
near Toulouse. They would be ideal except that Toulouse is 5 - 6 hours
by train from Paris.
- is it too cold in spring to even contemplate riding in the Alps/
Pyrenees? I'll be bringing a cycling jacket, a pair of thermal long
knicks and short fingered gloves.
- would lycra booties be recommended?
- I will also need to rent a road/touring bike from whichever town I
end up staying in.


Thanks in advance for any advice.


"do I chuck in the SPDs or Look pedals into my luggage"
"maybe I should have learnt French instead of Italian"
I think you will find that most of the big cols are closed that time of
the - they do not really open until may and sometimes into early June.
You should be able to get some way up some of them but conditions will
be very poor - iced up roads, snow drifts etc. You would need your
warmest gear. There is a lot of good info on that grenoblecycling
site. On what I've read you would be better off staying low areas in
altitude terms.

There are cyclosportives on all the time. An alternative would be to
actually ride the route of some of the classics - Paris Roubaix etc.


--
monsterman

petulance Wrote:
Hi all,

Management has decided to send me to Paris for a few weeks of work-
related training. I will be over there during the Easter long weekend
(which is only a 3 day long weekend since Good Friday isn't a public
holiday over in France).

*rubs hands and starts making non-work related cycling plans*

The plan is to get out of Paris during the long weekend and head to
the countryside for some cycling. I won't mind cycling on flat roads
but I have delusions of grandeur in tackling a col or two (mmm ...
l'Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, Telegraph, Tourmalet all spring to mind
though I wouldn't be able to pinpoint any of them on a map).

Since I am geographically challenged and have never riden in Europe
before, I would like the advice of fellow a.b'ers.

- what would be a good town that is near Paris that I can use as a
cycling base to tackel some hills for the long weekend?
- postings in the a.b archives recommend a company called "pyractif"
near Toulouse. They would be ideal except that Toulouse is 5 - 6 hours
by train from Paris.
- is it too cold in spring to even contemplate riding in the Alps/
Pyrenees? I'll be bringing a cycling jacket, a pair of thermal long
knicks and short fingered gloves.
- would lycra booties be recommended?
- I will also need to rent a road/touring bike from whichever town I
end up staying in.


Thanks in advance for any advice.


"do I chuck in the SPDs or Look pedals into my luggage"
"maybe I should have learnt French instead of Italian"


forget any serious hills, you are too far from the Alps (Grenoble) or
the Pyrenees (Lourdes). There's a 45 minute TGV service to Rheims and
you can ride up the Meuse - we did it last year - (a lovely almost
unknown ride) if you have time, otherwise you can cycle back to Epernay
trough Champagne. There's a Sunday morning group rise through paris
along the Seine if that takes your fancy.

Whatever you do, take Look instead of Shimano pedals if you use the
newer SPD-SL pedals: I spent 2 months looking for some SPD-SL cleats in
France with absolutely no success, most French bike shops hadn't even
seen them before! I'm not sure how you'll go hiring a road bike,
there's lots of bike hire but mostly hybrids.


--
ProfTournesol

Hi,

A while back I started a thread on a.b seeking advice about a
weekend cycling trip in France. Many thanks to all who replied.

Sad to say, I didn't get the chance to do any cycling while I was
over there. The cold weather in the first two weeks of my trip did not
help at all. I did like what I saw in France and I would like to go
back for a proper cycling trip at some point in the future.

Thanks once again.