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Biking through France

I've found that plane travel gets us to places quickly and conveniently, but that doesn't mean I have to keep moving quickly once I arrive. The world is changing rapidly, but seeing it means you must move slowly. I've found that bike travel provides the perfect pace.

"What we love about travel is the chance to explore different environments and cultures," says Tom Hale, president of Backroads, a large bike touring company based in Berkeley, California. "Travelling by bicycle enriches that experience. Exuberant from the riding, we become more aware of the scenery and more open to the people we meet along the way."

Today's travellers are upscale, sophisticated, fitness-oriented, and curious. They are the perfect bike tourists.

This is not your grandfather's bike touring, either. These are bike trips as upscale as you want them, with first-class companies providing first-class trips.

Bike touring is big business and many excellent companies now provide bike trips around the world. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that sales at Backroads are projected at $13 million this year, up from $10 million last year and $2.5 million in 1988. Vermont-based Travent International's sales were $5 million last year and they are expanding quickly, with trips throughout the world.

You pay outfitters for their experience and support and it's well worth it. I've found good outfitters make almost any bike trip better in many ways.

From one-day trips to pedal-pushing for several weeks, bike travel companies have it all. Most outfitters provide: luxurious accommodations, creative fare, maps and detailed route directions, van support and baggage transfers, bike rentals, fun tour leaders, and much more.

This is a perfect case of one call doing it all. You supply the pedal power and the outfitter takes care of the rest. I've let these companies take me and a bike many places I probably wouldn't have explored otherwise.

There are bike trips around the world and around the corner. Europe and the U.S. (see "Valley High") are two of the hottest spots for bike touring and for good reason.

France is one of my favorite cycling spots in Europe and provides a perfect introduction to the world of bike touring. I've wined, dined, and ridden my way through many parts of France. Dozens of companies (see "Resources") provide hundreds of options in France, as well as other European destinations like Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Scandinavia, and Great Britain.

BON BIKING

If you love food, wine, history, and beautiful scenery, then France is biker heaven. Many big companies, as well as small specialized firms, offer a large variety of tours in France because it's a perfect destination for bike tours.

France is one of Travent International's favored destinations, with eight different tours and more than 70 trips each year. They cover the Dordogne Valley, Burgundy, Provence, the Loire Valley, and Alsace and they do it in style.

Travent's brochure describes a typical day in France and it's typical of my experiences as well. You awake to oven-fresh croissants and coffee and find your bike already prepared and your water bottle full. Travent leaders then provide the "route rap" for the day, outlining cycling options, specific highlights, and safety reminders.

Selected country roads then lead past farms, fields, vineyards, quaint towns, and bike-stopping scenery. There's plenty of time to hit the brakes and explore France in a way not typically possible with other modes of transportation.

Travent tour leaders make time- and taste-tested lunch recommendations, including small bistros, two-starred restaurants, and picnic supplies. On one day, they even prepare a huge gourmet picnic lunch at a medieval castle or famous vineyard. You just ride up with your appetite.

After lunch, there are many more possibilities. You can choose to cycle as much or as little as you like, as well as pursue planned activities like canoeing, horseback riding, sightseeing, or hiking.

As is typical with most outfitters, the accommodations are excellent. This is not summer camp. Most outfitters favor small and intimate lodging, with authentic atmosphere and hosts. Typical choices include a chateau, villa, or country inn. The accommodations have been the highlight of many French bike trips for me.

After a sumptuous dinner (I've actually gained weight on some trips), cyclists usually revel in the day's accomplishments and experiences. Then the talk turns to the next day in France. Bon Biking!

ALSACE

If you want to see a lesser-known part of France, just say Alsace. This region provides the best of French cuisine and culture, with many influences from neighboring Germany.

Travent's Alsatian adventure begins in Obernai at the famed Hotel a la Cour d'Alsace. Once the private mansion of a 17th-century wine merchant, this luxuriously renovated property provides the perfect base for exploring the Route du Vin and some famous wines.

The next few days provide routes through little wine villages like Ribeauville, Riquewihr, and Kaysersberg. Cyclists even sleep amongst the vineyards at the Relais & Chateux Clos St. Vincent. If you work up a big thirst, you can head across the border for a beer in Germany.

The road leads through the ornate town of Colmar and many more vineyards before you reach Chateau d'Isenbourg. The chateau has played host to Charlemagne, the Emperors Frederic and Maximillian, and many happy cyclists. This trip starts at $1,975.

BURGUNDY

One of the most famous wine regions in the world also provides some vintage cycling. If you love wine and food, Burgundy's backroads are for you (and me).

Travent's four-night Burgundy tour begins in the region's white wine capital of Chablis. Cyclists stay at the Hostellerie des Clos and explore the vineyards, the cellars, and the dining rooms of the area.

Next stop is Auxerre, with its stunning 15th-century clock and St. Stephens Cathedral, a Gothic giant. Charming wine growers' villages dot the roads along the way, which leads to L'Esperance, near Vezelay.

L'Esperance is one of two Michelin-rated three-star restaurants in Burgundy and one of only 19 in France. Host Marc Meneau has been serving well-deserving cyclists for years. It's typical of what you can find on a bike in France. Travent's price for the four-night trip is $1,750, while their seven-night Burgundy and Beaujolais trip is just $2,625.

THE DORDOGNE VALLEY

East of the famed Bordeaux region, the Dordogne Valley is one of the prettiest areas in all of France. The seven-night Backroads trip, which includes Bordeaux, takes cyclists past 20,000-year-old cave paintings, beautiful chateaux, dozens of castles, several Michelin-starred restaurants, and many little villages.

This is the perfect place to try foie gras, in that they even offer a tour of a local farm producing this regional specialty. A stay at La Madeleine in Sarlet provides cobblestone streets and gourmet cuisine.

The Backroads camping trip in this region includes first-class sites with lots of amenities, camping along a river bank, and a bonus night at La Madeleine. It gets you even closer to the quiet countryside. The inn trip is $2,485 and the camping trip is only $998.

THE LOIRE VALLEY

This is king country. This lush region of France has lured royalty for centuries. Thus, cyclists see (and sleep) in more chateux than any other part of France. This is a bike trip fit for a king (and queen).

The Backroads nine-day trip starts with a two-night stay at Chateau de Marcay, with cycling trips along the Route du Vin. The following days are spent rolling through hills, vineyards, towns, forests, and gardens, with evenings at elegant castles and candlelit dinners. The cost is currently $2,798.

Backroads also offers "Un Petit Tour de la Loire," a five-day version of their Loire Valley offering. It's the ideal prelude or postscript to a visit to Paris. Travent's six-day tour includes two nights at Chateau d'Artigny, once the home of perfume magnate Francois Coty, and starts at just $1,595.

Le Vieux Moulin, a biking and hiking company specializing in France, also offers a unique cycling opportunity in the Loire Valley. Le Vieux Moulin is a small French country estate offering a biking dream vacation, with varied riding, dining, and recreational options.

Le Vieux Moulin cyclists can enjoy trips to the local village; historic Chateau Aunay-en-Bazois; the city of Vezelay; Sancerre (great white wines); the city of Bourges; and other outings near and far. The three-night trip starts at just $795, with a six-night trip starting at $1,395.

PROVENCE

Travent likes the Provence region so much they offer three distinct tours. Their standard seven-night "Provence" trip ($2,775) features three leisurely multi-night stays and visits to the Pont du Gard aqueduct, Chateauneuf-du-Pape (great whites), Gigondas (ruby-red wines), and Beaumes-de-Venise (dessert wines).

Travent's four-night "Taste of Provence" ($1,775) provides a shorter look at the Rhone Valley through it's food, wine, inns, antique markets, and much more. Their "St. Remy de Provence" ($1,975) is for cyclists who want to explore a small part of the region in more detail. This five-night tour only includes two luxurious hotels and includes round-trip outings from St. Remy and Lex Baux.

SIDEBAR

RESOURCES

--All Adventure Travel, 5589 Arapahoe, Ste. 208, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 440-7924, (800) 537-4025, or FAX            (303) 440-4160.

--Backroads, 1516 5th St., Berkeley, CA 94710-1740, (800) BIKE-TRIP, (510) 527-1555, or FAX (510) 527-1444.

--Brooks Country Cycling & Hiking Tours, 140 West 83rd St., New York, NY 10024, (800) 284-8954, (212)                    874-5151, or FAX (212) 874-5286.

--Chateux Bike Tours, P.O. Box 5706, Denver, CO 80217, (303) 393-6910 or (800) 678-BIKE.

--Europeds, 883 Sinex Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950, (800) 321-9552.

--Le Vieux Moulin, P.O. Box 4454, Vail, CO 81658, (800) 368-4234 or 33-48-76-07 in France.

--Progressive Travels, 224 West Galer Ave., Ste. C, Seattle, WA 98119, (800) 245-2229 or FAX (206) 285-1988.

--Tandem Touring Company, 3131 Endicott Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 499-3178.

--Travent International, P.O. Box 711, Bristol, VT 05443, (800) 325-3009 or FAX (802) 453-4806.

--Vermont Bicycle Touring, P.O. Box 711, Bristol, VT 05443, (802) 453-4811 or FAX (802) 453-4806.