On Your Bike

By coincidence I’ve just this weekend added a page on cycling in Provence to my travel website. Any suggestions welcome!

http://www.marseille-provence.info/activities-and-sports/drives-and-rides-cycling-motoring-horse-riding/251-cycling-in-provence.html

Blimey, thank goodness I read that before I drove over to Montmorillon asking if anyone knows where the nouveaux pont is…cos I’d have been wrong 2 ways! sometime I think I don’t deserve to live in France.

I say “new bridge” because its called “pont neuf” as opposed to the “vielle pont” but it has been around for a couple of hundred years. We’re on the opposite side of the river to the Hotel de France. The website www.quartiersoleil.moonfruit.com has us marked on the map.

New bridge? I must get out more!

Hi Jo. I’m about 15 kms south of you in Montmorillon next to the new bridge. Poitiers to Birmingham! That must be a first by bike.

@John…great to see a local bike shop that has a UK link.We are a three-bike family with plans to go along the Loire for a few days or even from Poitiers to Birmingham.I get in a muddle with technical terms. Where is the shop?

Hello Doron, my son in the UK is planning a trip from Norwich to Stonhenge in late summer and has just bought a backpack charger…He’s on holiday this week but I’ve sent him a message to ask him about it. I’d love to know more about the trip you took, what other stuff did you need to take and how much did it all cost etc…

Hi Guys (gender neutral). Great to see a cycle group (why didn’t I think of it?). Did a three day ride last summer with my nephew covering about 60-70 km a day in a triangle route - north west to the coast above Royan, south through the coastal pine forests and then back inland. Wonderful. Was high on endorphins for days. Planning some more trips for summer. Anyone have any experience of a solar-charged supplementary supply for a sat-nav? Found that just when we needed it at the end of the day in the destination town/village, the batteries were dying.

Has anyone cycled along the Loire river? We are planning a holiday on the cycle path from the coast to Orleans in the summer and need to find camp sites. We usually tow a trailer with tents and bigger kit in. Then we have panniers each, including our 11 & 13 yr old sons. The youngest will, 5 yrs will be on the back of the tandem with his Dad!! So that will leave me pulling the trailer!!

Our bike shop is in the Vienne (between Poitiers and Limoges). I tend to sell more road and MTB but have introduced Tandems to the locals as well. I might be able to help out sourcing parts if your local shop can’t get something for you. As an independent we have contracts with most of the major manufacturers so we aren’t restricted to just a few brands. Nice to see a this new group.

Hurrah, a cycle group! Life is busy, so not much pedalling going on at the moment. All weather mountain biker and casual racer a few years ago, fair weather road cyclist. My lovely mountain bike is still in the UK, so I bought a 2nd hand road beast 18 months ago, which really needs more riding! I love fettling them, and used to work in a bike shop, all good fun. I’m not really up on the latest toys any more, but can happily talk about weld quality and reverse rise rear mechs for hours!

Hello, if anyone is ever in the Decazeville (Aveyron) area and wasnts a good blast up and down the hills let me know, just got back from a 65km ride with club mates, Saturday afternoons are a 80-100km ride (but we’ve started a leisure group too that does around 50 to 60km on Saturdays).

and here’s the club:

http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2011/04/26/1067977-Decazeville-Un-vin-d-honneur-pour-ouvrir-la-saison.html

I’m in the top left hand corner!

Bonne route à toutes et à tous !

Hi
I just joined this group (part-time only) for 2 reasons. One very obvious: it’s Catharine’s :). The other being the fact that I’m travelling to France (Cazals, Lot) on sunday, where Dorine and I will spend two weeks of burgundic lifestyle, mixed with some very mild outdoor activity ‘à bicyclette’. Maybe we’ll meet en route!
Jan Laboyrie

What's happened to SFN's cyclists? Not a murmur since 2014. Have you all fallen off or gone to sleep? I am able and willing, if anyone nearby wants to ride.

I'm still following, but as I'm still in New Zealand not much to add.

I did hope to make Paris Brest last year, but unfortunately due to health reasons I didn't get all my required rando's completed.

Lis and I hope to make the full time transition to France in 2017, when I look forward to becoming active in SFN and other clubs or groups rides.
I did ride in a few sportifs in and around the Loir- Samuar area in July 2014. I entered the 160km event, but suffered in that blasting heat, Im not used to 38c temperatures and coming from an NZ winter it was draining me. Then as I started the second loop around the 120km point sitting on the back, well more like hanging on!, of a bunch I snapped a chain ring bolt.

Still here, Chris, did 93km training ride with the club yesterday (Carmaux-Vaour and around), wasn't as warm as it has been Friday my training partner and I we were out in summer kit :-)

I only manage two rides a week at best what with work and all that. Should be riding the rando in Cambon (Albi) on the 1st of May and we're planning to do the Albigeoise at the end of May.

On another note - Le Cycle have at last tested some aluminium bikes including my Canyon Ultimate (Ultegra) - worth a read for all those who think ali is dead (or for those who want a top bike for less than half the price of a carbon one!)

à +

No podium finish but more than happy with the result :-)

Grandson is doing the Le Mans 24-hour cycle endurance race http://www.24heuresvelo.fr/ in August. Fancy joining him Andrew? Personally I think he's totally mad, particularly as he's only managed to get one of his friends to join his team. So they'll be riding 12 hours each! Actually, mad is probably a mild description! But knowing him, I bet he finishes.

Barking mad! Havinng said that I'm doing the Marmotte d'Olt just up the road from you, then another local one in Naucelle leading up to the Ariègeoise at the end of the month 153km and 3128m dénivelé positif, probably about 6 hours in the saddle with the col de Pailhères at 2001m. Wish me luck!

To all you bikers....you might be interested in this guy (I've been following his journey since 2004!).... https://www.facebook.com/somen2020globe/