January 26, 2023
Takeaways
More, more!
We weren’t sure how this would go. It was our first bike trip in Europe and first tour on the Bike Fridays beyond a couple overnight shakedown rides. It took so much research to figure out how to get two neophytes from here to there on bikes and trains. Did we really have a clue about what we were doing? I fretted over how much ground we could cover happily on the little bikes, and still have the time and energy for sightseeing on the way.
It was needless worry. The routes I found on RidewithGPS were mostly fine, often great. Those that weren’t so great were routes we pulled up quickly without much thought, putting us on muddy fields or busy autoroutes. When we did the homework, it paid off.
The trains worked out, usually. It was some work to haul the bikes on and off but worth it for the freedom to go here and go there when it suited us. The big goofs when we got off a stop too soon were appalling but useful experience.
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While we traveled mostly on our own, we didn’t feel alone. People were so kind, taking time to help us out with advice on restaurants, things to see and navigating trains and subways. Seeing my struggle to get my bike through the gates at one Paris train station, two guys cheerfully lifted it over for me.
The bikes helped us pack in more good stuff on sightseeing days, especially in Amsterdam, Paris and Arles. The Hemingway ride in Paris was the best – tooling around his old haunts in the Latin Quarter, spying a striking gilded statue of Athena and spending a couple hours with Picasso, and more, all in a day. I love how nimble the Fridays are for maneuvering around big cities.
The bikes were up to the task for longer rides too, especially on the beautiful greenways to the Pont du Gard and Saint-Remy-de-Provence, and around the hilly wine villages of the Rhone. There were a few flats and one broken brake lever when my bike fell over, but no big problems. On many days we would have happily ridden longer. There will be more saddle time on the next trip.
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Picnics are another thing we want more of. I love a long lunch but it does cut a chunk out of the day and the budget. Our picnic by the Cher River was a highlight of the ride to the swanky Chateau de Chenonceau. We could also do with more unplanned time to enjoy wherever we find ourselves.
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Our week in Paris with our friends Terry and Mary Fran was so wonderful, especially the last day when a strike scotched our plans and freed up time to wander, hang out the Luxembourg Gardens and soak in the beauty. We love the freedom of independent travel but it's always nice to hang out with kindred souls.
What a stroke of luck it was to meet Scott and Rachael Anderson in Sarlat and discover the Cycle Blaze community. We were fortunate to catch up with them on a short stop in Tucson earlier this month on our way home from a visit with our kids in California. Add meetups with CB folks to our list of what we want more of on future trips.
If not for our encounter with Team Anderson this blog could have died halfway through this trip. I was close to abandoning it out of frustration with the Crazy Guy site. Finding this easy, elegant platform with engaging discussion has kept me going, however long it took me to finish.
And goodness, it has taken a long time. Since we got home in October I've set many artificial deadlines in my head for wrapping this up and let them pass while carrying on with the rest of life. Ultimately I've come to a real deadline- our next trip. We leave for Tucson tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Many thanks to all of you who have weighed in with your comments, advice and encouragement. I’ve just begun to dig into your journals to learn about places to go and how you go about it. What an amazing resource this is for finding beautiful places to ride bikes! We hope to meet as many of you as we can along the way some day.
Most of all, thanks to my travel buddy for your patience, good humor, and readiness for any adventure. Let's do it again.
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1 year ago
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1 year ago
I see on your intro page a nice description of the new Bike Fridays. Could you elaborate on that why you decided against taking your recumbents? Curious, recumbent riding, European newbies would like to know!
1 year ago
Personally, I found the smaller wheel bike and higher position to be helpful for maneuvering on busy streets in the cities. The bike paths tend to jump around from the left to the right side of the street, especially in Paris, and there's a lot of stop-and-go. I would not have wanted to ride my recumbent there. Barry does not share this view, he's comfortable riding his recumbent anywhere, anytime.
1 year ago