France for light XC...Any areas to recommend?

Douche

End of April im gonna Eurostar it to France with my girlfreind with our bikes... however only one object of desire is gonna get ridden, im sure she'll come to terms with it eventually ... problem is ive no idea on which part of France to go riding in, she's literally just got her first XC bike so it really is something not too over powering for her, I dont wanna scare her off XC riding before she's even started (though last night she did find leg burn stragely satisfying), im just after some ideas for somewhere nice and pretty, thats not a rapid alpine descent, and thats worth pottering around on bikes for a few days.

Suggestions on a postcard please.

Cheers

Bouyaka

Where are you going to in France ? Near Paris or in Province country ?

Bouyaka

Where are you going to in France ? Near Paris or in Province country ?

dirtbiker100

MORZINE!!! sorry as you can see i can't be much help

hamboman

Dordogne or Loire. Good wine too.

Douche

I have no idea where im goin in france, im totally open, top middle or bottom!!! left or even at a push right as well. I just wasnt sure if anyone knew or had experience ... i'll certainly read up on the Dorogne and loire regions though

Bouyaka

In April the best are in south of France near Frejus, Nice or Pyrennée mountain like Collioure.
For Easy XC but beautiful too, you can go to the Britany in west of France but the weather maybe cloudy..... Don't in Center of France because it is so flat !!!! The mountain like Vosges, Alpes will be so difficult I think.
Near Paris you can go to the "Vallée de Chevreuse" with beautiful forest track.

dave_s

Don't go to the bottom of France, it's got whacking great mountains in it called the Alps and the Pyrenees.

Even the roads are hard to ride there so gentle XC might be hard to find. I went to both those regions a few years back and had to train quite a bit to handle the climbs we attempted from the Tour de France routes. No wonder there's a cemetary half way up Alpe d'Huez that's all I can say. Although the worst was Col de Marie Blanc in the Pyrenees due to the blisterning heat

I think there will be more British style XC in the North of France really so research the other areas suggested.

danslesud

Dave_S, I feel your pain

As he was saying above me, it is a bit more severe in France for vertical rise than in the UK.
Even down my way amongst the flat coastal plains on the med, there are hills that reach over 600m and only 50miles inland, you can find yourself a mile up...or in the case of Collioure, from sea level to 500m in about 5kms.

Some things that you may want to consider when riding in France:

The heat:
Bloomin' obvious, but if you are in the south there is a lot of what they call 'garrigue' basically where all the nice smelling rosemary bushes grow. Early May thru to mid Sept, no shade for miles around lots of dust and rock and it's 35°C with no water left = baaaad!

Hunters:
Wild boar love single track! Avoid being shot by never going too far into the woods Wednesdays and Sundays in the winter (legal hunting days) also, dress in the European XCer style, it helps to be seen by a drunk with a shotgun rather than just heard and if you are in the north, watch out for the Stags. Follow the link and you'll see what I mean...
http://www.dailymotion.com/related/5136069/video/x31rye_gamelle-trophy-2007-attaque-de-cerf_extreme

Alright, I'll get on topic. French lesson number one: le VTT (vaytaytay)
Now you are ready to visit the federation francaise de cyclisme website http://www.ffc.fr/a_VTT/a_SitesVTT/index.asp
Go down the page to the map and search for the centre VTT-FFC's.

This one in the Pays de la Loire seems to be pretty much up your street: Proper postcard stuff with decent marked trails and enough to keep you busily riding around in circles for the best part of the week without having to ask for directions. Find yourself a gite or logis as a base in Fontenay le Comte, follow the yellow triangles and Robert est ton oncle
http://www.ffc.fr/com/popUp/pop_sitesVTT.asp?Num=97&univers=&cU=009966&cT=noir10&mypath=a_VTT


There is far more to France than Provence and Paris, Bouyaka. Although Frejus is the home of the Roc d'Azur, its a bit like saying that apart from London and the Lake district, there's nowhere to ride in the UK...and we can't be having that :x

GT Destroyer

Dave S,

Some questions. I've just been to Southern France, it was on the West side (no Ali G pun intended) in Midi-Pyrenees and Aquitaine.

Are there trails to ride in the area do you know? We visited Cauterets in the summer, not with bikes though, and noticed there were signs for lots of trails, including a big bike park half way up the slopes on the Pyrenees.

Have you got any info about the trails there?

Merci beaucoup.

edit - The stag on the first link is amazing!!

pmanley

Douche: I live in an area of France between Toulouse anf the Pyrenees, called the Petites Pyrénées. The reason I moved here specifically is because it is great for cycling. I can highly recommend the area for great scenary and quiet traffic free routes.