France West coast to East coast

keith3261

We are a bunch of Old FB's who are about to embark on a west / east crossing of France from a beach near Bordeaux to Narbonne (ish) from 1st to 4th July. None of us can be classed as regular cyclists, but hey - you only live once! So far we have found Michelin maps to be pretty good for route planning and one of the guys is a devotee of Google maps and Garmin - related software.
In planning the route we are trying to avoid travelling on roads with a "v" gradient marker and also anywhere near "viewpoints" as these tend to be at the tops of hills. However there seem to be a bunch of inclines that can't be avoided unless we stick closely to Canal Du Midi.
Anyone out there been there and got the t-shirt?

cycladelic

To each their own, but I didn't like the Canal du Midi very much. My riding partner, however, thought t was great!...

What got me was you have to ride in single file most of the time and keeping an eye out, as it's mostly a narrow path.

I prefer the tarmac roads; ones prefixed with D.

French car drivers have got to be the world's best as they show respect for cyclists.

I doubt you will avoid climbing. Have you got some small gears on your bike(s)? If so, you shouldn't find it too hard going. I actually like hills. The views are worth all the effort.

andymiller

keith3261 wrote:

In planning the route we are trying to avoid travelling on roads with a "v" gradient marker and also anywhere near "viewpoints" as these tend to be at the tops of hills. However there seem to be a bunch of inclines that can't be avoided unless we stick closely to Canal Du Midi.

The Michelin maps should include information about the altitude of high points (either towns or passes). You can also get access to terrain maps via Google Maps, or Open Cycle Map or IGN's Géoportail website.

Each to their own, but you can also see 'viewpoint' symbol as meaning there's a view that's worth climbing a hill for. Climbs give you a chance to enjoy the scenery, listen to the birds etc etc and usually the ride down the other side makes up for the effort involved.

dilemna

Does France have an east coast :shock: ?

keith3261

Thanks for your comments guys.
Will probably avoid the canal du midi route and yes, point taken about suffering the hills to enjoy the views. Had better get out and put some miles in - and hopefully by summer we'll be fit enough to scoot effortlessly up the inclines!

OK, the coast at Narbonne / Perpignan isn't exactly on the east - but it's east-ish enough.

nick hanson

There's a nice route called the raid pyrenean,that takes you from the atlantic coast to the med .
Should be ok if you follow that :shock: