I love cycling in France, but their population density is so much lower than ours. I guess that’s one reason why there are so many quiet lanes and courteous drivers.

Evilsam and I took the bikes over to Brittany from Plymouth in early Sept, had a lovely time camping in the van on deserted beaches. Didn’t pay a penny, no one seemed to mind. Did a bit of Mtb ing in Les Monts des Aree too – nothing too taxing, well sign posted and fun. Mmm cheese…

Just to redress the balance slightly.

Last year three riders died on the same day in separate incidents in Breatagne.

Club licences have more than doubled in price due to the insurance costs. At our club meeting we were told that ‘guests’ can no longer be accepted on club runs as they have no insurance.

I stopped going on our club ride when it does the busy Limoges circuit. A couple of years ago an irate motorist launched a handful of rocks into the bunch. The bloke next to me ended up in hospital with bad cuts and a broken nose.

A nasty trick I’ve seen a few times. A car comes past, diesel, then changes down and boots it’s belching out a could of filth for you to ride through. I expect that happens in the UK too.

SB

What strato says. To be honest it’s one thing when you spend a few days as holiday, but it’s another story when you live in there. The south east is just horrible. Yes we have the best weather, the best riding, but we do pay a lot for that wether it’s in money, in the number of feckers per square meter on the fact that we have the shitiest road and the highest rate of antisocial behaviour in France. If I could move back to the UK, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.

Just rode from St Malo to Bordeaux in a week. Agree with most of the upbeat assessment but it sucks pretty badly if you’re vegetarian. What is great in terms of national identity seems on the flipside to be a cultural monoculture preserved in the static Frenchness of my childhood. Great to be able to ride the whole of Brittany on a traffic-free route though. Can’t even get 7 miles agreed in Sussex cause of local politics and no will. Singular Peregrine which is usually monstercross was excellent touring. Highlight for me was hanging on the tails of a courier who very kindly showed me the fastest route through Paris. Lowlight, landing in Newhaven

IMG_3409 by Birdage, on Flickr

Can’t even get 7 miles agreed in Sussex cause of local politics and no will

Hmmm, that sounds like a possible reference to the proposed Ouse Valley route from Lewes to Newhaven. The great thing about Newhaven is it leads to Dieppe, formerly my favourite French Channel port until I discovered Roscoff a week or so ago 🙂

Great to be able to ride the whole of Brittany on a traffic-free route

Did you use one of the Verte Voies? We checked a couple of sections out on our recent trip, but TBH, preferred the more scenic backroads that had more architecture and coffee stop possibilities

Birdage, I was reading in the local rag that route continues all the way to Hendaye on voies verts (might not be finished yet, only scanned the article as I was reading it in the shop). It’s all traffic free to Bordeaux?

And if you think the touring in the north is good, try the mountain biking in the more lumpy bits…!

also redressing the balance

half french francophile here. Nearly got taken out by a clio full of screming yoofs on hols near Biarritz, kind of pretended to run me off the road

I’m a big b*gger though – scared the merde out of them when I caught them in traffic

but yes overall its deffo nicer there for cycling

(I won’t tell them our secret eh charlie…….)

I’ve been cut up and almost sideswiped a few times riding in France. The vehicles all had GB stickers on the back.

Twunts keeping the whole valley awake? Germans and Brits. Only the Germans shut up when asked mind.

and the cheese! the wine! the bread! If only …

France is ace? Oh yes indeedy. I toured from Montpellier to Caen earlier this year over 2 weeks. Got cut up about twice the whole time (both French cars), everyone else absolutely fine – trucks, buses included.
I’m planning for next years trip at the moment…

The south east is just horrible. Yes we have the best weather, the best riding, but we do pay a lot for that wether it’s in money, in the number of feckers per square meter on the fact that we have the shitiest road and the highest rate of antisocial behaviour in France.

Ah, the Cote d’Azur. Paris on the Med. 😉

@juan – do you live right on the coast or further inland?

I live in France and whilst I do think it’s “ace” I also think the general standard driving here is dreadful compared to the UK. Now I didn’t do much road biking in the UK so perhaps they maybe a bit more “bike aware” than than the Brits, but for roughly the same number of cars on the road they have double the number of annual road deaths – says it all really.