Biketour in France

[menkee]

I`ve a question to the European members in the forum, especially the French people.
Usually we enjoy every year 3 days in the dolomites in Italy, so next weekend we are about to go again.
Unfortunately the weather is not fine in this area, so we are planning to go to the other side, which is France.
I`m from Switzerland so within 3 hours I can be in Italy, Germany, France or Austria :-) However, I would like to know a nice place to ride in the west/south of France, may someone can give me some cool routes?
Would appreciate.

Thanks

[Hansie]

End of the june we are going to the south east of france!
Not planned a lot but staying in the Barcalonette, please google!
There are some very nice roads there they say...

[lebrisw]

Napoleon road, through the Alpes is great.

everywhere behind Nice, Cannes is great. Here is a fantastic trip to do..
I used to live there, 10 years ago... I miss the weather and roads !!

http://maps.google.fr/maps?saddr=Bd+...,7,8,9&t=m&z=8

in addition, the roadbook for the Highest road in europe !
http://mydreamy.free.fr/Roadbooks/le...tre_contes.htm

the roadbook of the Turini, WRC road !
http://nc01.verdon.free.fr/roadbooks/turini.html

[RossGuzzi]

The Tarn Gorge road is tight and twisty. Follows the river. Very pretty place. Not far from the BIG bridge.
Also around Grenoble was some great riding too.

Have fun !

[menkee]

RossGuzzi, can you specify "around Grenoble"? This actually a good destination for me. Do you mean between Grenoble and Cannes is good to ride?

[lebrisw]

in which city are living ?, in switzerland ?
check the trip I gave you, on googlemap.....use googlestreet if need, in different places..that a great bike trip !!

[RossGuzzi]

Without looking at a map I thing Gren to Cann is a bit I did, but even just going up into the ski areas from Gren has really nice roads. It was a bit before ski season for me so no one on the roads.

[go_modem_go]

I just came back a few hours ago from a 2400km and 8-days-long, small and VERY spontaneous "Tour de France".

The most spectacular rides, in areas that I hadn't considered previously:

It went like this:

- Start at home (SW-Germany), hop across border and 1.5 days carving up and down the Vosges mountains. Brilliant, but that's almost my local riding sport, so nothing new.
- "Fast transfer" on Route Nationales across Franche Compté to Sthn. Bourgogne -> flat / hilly, but it it was raining. However, by pure chance we met Bourgogne locals that hosted us on their farm and fed us the best food I had in years (-> including snails, and lots of Pastis & wine at the local yearly village festival "Féte de l'Entrecôte" )!
- Excellent ride across Bourgogne and Auvergne to Ardeche canyon area, always in the mountains
- 2 days local rides in Massif Central / Cevennes mountains -> AMAZING, better than Alps in some respects! Total and tiring "hairpin bend / curve paddy" ("Kurvenkoller" )
- 1 day total bike-free laziness, to cure the curve paddy with beer and sunburn on the banks of the Ardêche river...
- "return trip" from Ardeche / Rhône valley in a North-Eastern path across the Drôme provencale (BEST fast racing sepentine I have ridden in years!), towards Grenoble and Pre-Alps
- Last day across the French and Swiss Jura mountains (very cold, but excellent entirely empty roads!), back into Alsace / Vosges and back home

We could have slapped on another week....

OTOH, I realised that I am starting to get a little old for the very sporty seating on my Falco (despite numerous changes to bars, pegs and suspension to make it more comfortable)... However, France is the MOST motorcycle-friendly car driver nation on Earth. Almost all cagers make way, even old grannies will almost swerve their car into the ditch to let you past on narrow roads. Incredible - I loved it!

If you only have 3 days starting from Zürich, you'll miss out on the best bits, such as the Cevennes or Drôme.

In 3 days, your best bet is to ride across your own fine Berner Oberland, and make your way into the French High Alps via Martigny / Val de Bagnes, Italy and then into France -> follow the French Alps hopping from Italy back into France and vice-versa for a couple of days.

BEWARE:

It can still be friggin cold in early June on some of the mountain passes, even the medium high ranges up to only 1000m (as I've experienced!)

June riding can be a "hot-and-cold within an hour" experience, with almost single digit degrees on mountains tops, and up to 30°C heat right now down in the valleys and planes of in Southern France (i.e. Drôme, Cevennes, etc).

PS / @Ross: I'd do Grenoble to Cannes ONLY on side paths and D-spec (Départementales) backroads / mountain hopping. The Nationale 85 ( Route Napoleon N85) may be scenic and potentially fast.

However, it's packed, has dense 40-ton truck traffic during the week, parades of dutch caravans on weekends, and is increasingly policed with fixed radars. Much more fun either doing the Alpine route, or Western parallel routes across the Drôme. That way it may take at least twice as long, for 10x the fun!

[lebrisw]

http://www.motomag.com/downloads/HS_...utes-Alpes.pdf

[lekersv]

don´t forget the Vercors...

Route Napoleon, Route des Grandes Alpes, Gorges du Verdon, Gorges du Daluis/Cians, Vercors, L´Ardéché, Gorges du Tarn, Corniche de Cevennes... Get a map and lost yourself...

Snif... so far from Bilbao... I need more than 3 days... maybe in september

v´ssss

[anzacinexile]

don´t forget the Vercors...

Route Napoleon, Route des Grandes Alpes, Gorges du Verdon, Gorges du Daluis/Cians, Vercors, L´Ardéché, Gorges du Tarn, Corniche de Cevennes... Get a map and lost yourself...

Snif... so far from Bilbao... I need more than 3 days... maybe in september

v´ssss

Wellllll

In September we're arriving in Bilbao to spend a couple of weeks trying to wear out your roads

....small world

[lekersv]

Hi Anzacinexile!

Send me a private message if need help with the route, hotels, or anything...

There are amazing roads near the "Picos the Europa", "Pirineos" or other zones...


V´ssss

[menkee]

So, the weather looks good now in italy and we decided to go again on this side.
We will pass over Austria and make the "Grossglockner" and then we go down to italy. I was there last year and it was fantastic.....have a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S42qP_xh8Y&feature=plcp :-)
So there is nothing you would miss, great streets, great weather, fantastic food, lot`s of italian bikes :-)

[anzacinexile]

Hi Anzacinexile!

Send me a private message if need help with the route, hotels, or anything...

There are amazing roads near the "Picos the Europa", "Pirineos" or other zones...


V´ssss

Cheers mate but this is our 6th visit to you fair land so we have routes pretty well stitched up thanks.

[anzacinexile]

lot`s of italian bikes :-)

....lots of Italian women