My wife and I will be spending a few weeks this fall cycling in Roussillon, Languedoc, and possibly the Massif Central. We welcome suggestions for places not-to be-missed; scenic rides, beautiful villages, and interesting attractions. We generally avoid cities and stick to the small towns and countryside. We prefer varied terrain but realized we are not as young as we used to be. Thanks for any suggestions you are willing to share. Jeff
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
I found Lonely Planet's book of bicycle itineraries in France to be very helpful when I was planning a rode around Burgundy some years back.
Posted by
OP
Brunswick, Maine, USA
6 posts
Hi Adam, Thanks for responding. The LP Cycling France has a few rides that we will probably use, but we are looking to add additional routes since we have three weeks. Jeff
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Jeff, 3 weeks is spectacular. Unfortunately, outside of Burgundy, the Lonely Planet book is 90% of my bag of tricks. The IGN topo maps are useful for planning and navigating on the ground. For my Burgundy trip, I got invaluable itinerary advice from the folks who rented us our bikes. From the tone of your post I am sort of assuming that you are bringing yours with. However if you are planning to rent & have never done so in France I can provide some pointers. The areas you are interested in are quite hilly, though you can stick to the river valley in the Dordogne.
Posted by
Belcarra, BC, Canada
6 posts
Check the Crazy Guy on a Bike website. They post journals for touring cyclists and if you do a search on their site you will probably find reports on trips that others have done.
Posted by
OP
Brunswick, Maine, USA
6 posts
Hi, Glad you mentioned Crazy Guy on a Bike. I have used it before but forgot about it. It is worth a look. Thanks. Jeff
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2588 posts
I second Grazy guy on a bike - great site. Get a michelin 1:200,000 map for the areas you want to visit. Use only yellow (some traffic) and white (almost no traffic) roads. Use red only when unavoidable.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
I find the IGN maps to be more useful than Michelin, unless you prefer to be surprised about elevations.