Meandering down west side France and through Pyrenees
snakeeater
Posts: 113
Well, I'm taking a break from the rat race and plan to meander down through the west side of france in august by taking my car and bike on a ferry to St Malo. Thinking of going to west brittany and then slowly making our way down the west side of the country with the intention to go through the pyrenees and experience the monument climbs of the tour de france like tourmalet, hautecam, etc.
We eventually want to get to the north coast of Spain and visit the picos, but I guess I'll have to make another thread on that section later.
FOr now, my expedition ambitions have no real plan as such. All I know is that with a wife and baby in tow we will have a car and roofrack with road bikes (able to carry and detatch the baby seat), plus a roofbox to give us additional storage space. The aim is to set base whenever we feel like it, using a large tent and camp as much as possible. There may be the odd day here and there where we will check into a pension or something, but hopefully not too much. We hope to buy food and drink (aka the wine) from local supermarkets and shops, use our portable BBQ. No fancy dining out.
We don't have any idea of which places are a must for sightseeing, a must for road cycling, and as such we don't have any detailed maps of areas that we will travel. The only thing I do have is the Lonely Planet Cycling France book which I used when in Burgundy and the alps.
I'm looking for suggestions on which areas are a must for cycling around (western side of France), and seeing as we have one definite aim to travel brittany then It'd be really nice to hear from those who have great experiences and advice for us. Looking at the road map of france I see the limoges area looks interesting.
What gear do I need to keep on me, e.g. basic tool kit, what spares? I guess there are bike shops everywhere, but its just knowing where they are isn't it?
I won't always have a baby on the back so I will get time to go and venture on my own sometimes. What gearing will I need to tackle climbs like tourmalet etc? I currently have 39x25. Is this low enough?
I know it sounds probably vague, but I've got to start somewhere and any hints and tips will be truly welcomed.
Thanks, S~
We eventually want to get to the north coast of Spain and visit the picos, but I guess I'll have to make another thread on that section later.
FOr now, my expedition ambitions have no real plan as such. All I know is that with a wife and baby in tow we will have a car and roofrack with road bikes (able to carry and detatch the baby seat), plus a roofbox to give us additional storage space. The aim is to set base whenever we feel like it, using a large tent and camp as much as possible. There may be the odd day here and there where we will check into a pension or something, but hopefully not too much. We hope to buy food and drink (aka the wine) from local supermarkets and shops, use our portable BBQ. No fancy dining out.
We don't have any idea of which places are a must for sightseeing, a must for road cycling, and as such we don't have any detailed maps of areas that we will travel. The only thing I do have is the Lonely Planet Cycling France book which I used when in Burgundy and the alps.
I'm looking for suggestions on which areas are a must for cycling around (western side of France), and seeing as we have one definite aim to travel brittany then It'd be really nice to hear from those who have great experiences and advice for us. Looking at the road map of france I see the limoges area looks interesting.
What gear do I need to keep on me, e.g. basic tool kit, what spares? I guess there are bike shops everywhere, but its just knowing where they are isn't it?
I won't always have a baby on the back so I will get time to go and venture on my own sometimes. What gearing will I need to tackle climbs like tourmalet etc? I currently have 39x25. Is this low enough?
I know it sounds probably vague, but I've got to start somewhere and any hints and tips will be truly welcomed.
Thanks, S~
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Comments
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Gearing wise,you might find you are slightly overgeared,unless you are a racer,& plan to go as fast as you can on the climbs.
I've been in the pyrenees (totally awesome) but can't give you any advice on the other areas,sorryso many cols,so little time!0
