Heading to these regions early September. Any recommendations for a town to base ourselves in and cycling tracks to use to be able to visit vineyards, picturesque towns, great food and generally relax. Also keen for suggestions of companies that hire good bikes to use. Thanks
You might check the itinerary for the bike and boat in Bordeaux - just google it many companies are third party providers - see if any of those places interest you then create your own itinerary.
We are in the midst of planning our June 2020 cycling holiday in this region. The current plan includes 6 days in the Medoc and out to the Atlantic coast; 5 days cycling down the Canal du Garonne; 6 days travelling from Toulouse to Montpellier and then 9 days in Provence. While our trip is different in that ours is thru travel, we have found a wealth of information about cycling using the extensive velo routes in France and the numerous vendors who support biking tourism. From Bordeaux there is an excellent cycle track out to Lacanau on a disused railway with are multiple web resources such as this one describing the route.
The Canal Garonne between Bordeaux and Toulouse, from what I have learned, is a popular and well maintained cycle track but as before this is a point-to-point route. If you are interested, there are many companies that will provide everything you need for a self-guided trip on this route. Freewheeling France is a useful website - and there are dozens more like it.
We have done 6 cycling vacations in France, one of which was self-guided in Provence in June this year. It was this one that convinced us that we could easily organize our own cycling vacation in France as there are so many resources and an extensive cycling network throughout France. The bike tour companies we have used in the past have been based in North America and are generally more expensive than those based in France/Europe. Depending on your cycling abilities you might find the EU based companies are more than adequate for your needs. I was a real neophyte and not a very confident cyclist on our first trip and appreciated everything I learned from the experienced leaders. Now, however, I am much happier to DIY and eager to have the freedom to veer off-course on whim.