French Bicycle Cruises

Last updated on December 13, 2015

We started out the following morning after our arrival in France the previous night. It was bright and early as I and my cousin Joan rode down to the nearest road connecting down to Vloroute du Littoral de la Cote d’Albatre du Littoral de la Cote d’Albatre which marked our start for the journey.

We were ready and excited as we saddled on our new bikes which we had purchased from a bike shop nearby called Veloroute bike shop and accessories. Our new biking attire was a little bit tight but we were ready for the cruise. As we cycled down the hill to the road, our cruise assistant by the name De La Cruz (I know!) joined us and it formed a biking dream team I must say. We started by looking at the map which was fairly easy to understand, monitoring the curves and steep sections as we geared up to move out and explore.

So then we began our journey, and although I was bit tired, the conversations were truly striking as we viewed the spectacular scenery and roads that intersected the valleys down below us. It was really a site for sore eyes (excuse the cliche).

French bicycle cruises are mostly a shared affair since the roads are usually shared by cars and cyclists and motorbike riders so a steady pace to avoid any accidents, so we decided on only a half day cycling since we had a half day ahead of us the next day. Since the route we chose was not specifically designed for cyclists alone, it was more of a challenge to some sections with up hills and fierce downhill experience which raised the adrenaline levels and also scared us at the same time because of bit of skidding from the loose dirt and rocks but overall a great experience on flat surfaces. What really stood out for us on our journey were the broad roads that intersected into farmlands, narrow foot paths called partagees, which are between the sea and the main roads. Spectacular red meadow flowers prompted me to step down and take a shot of them with my canon camera as the plain on which they grew was so beautiful not mentioning the breeze that swayed them side by side.

It was a short day as we had to cover a lot of sceneries and paths before midday. We reached our final destination, a small aerodrome which prompted us to get down and leave our bikes to take a walk to the sea front and relax on the rocky sea side as the breeze hit our sweaty faces. Our tour guide told us as we walked down the road that all French bicycle cruises were more like the same in terms of the terrain and vegetation. After that we had relaxed and stretched our muscles we headed down a tiny restaurant tucked in as we enjoyed the fine delicacy and some wine as it is the French’s way of dining.