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12-26-02, 02:11 PM
We (three of us) are planning a 5-6 week bike tour in France this coming summer.
The current plan is to fly into Belgium, where we have friends. Travel by train to Brittany and spend 10 days (or so) touring. Get ourselves, by train, to the Pyrenees and spend two weeks+ touring and riding, there. Then, go by train back to Belgium and spend a week as "tourists" off our bikes.
We understand some things about French trains from reading items we've found on the WWW and in the Lonely Planet book on bike touring in France, but were looking for someone with RECENT experience/knowledge.
We are not looking forward to taking apart out bikes and putting them into the bike bags the TGV trains seem to require (the fenders and racks would have to come off each time). If the more local trains make life easier for touring bikes, we'd go that route. But, we've read that more and more trains in France are becoming less touring bike friendly. I have gathered that three of us wanting to travel at the same time might be a problem due to available space for bikes on some trains.
For the leg from the Pyrenees back to Belgium, at the end, I have no trouble with breaking the bikes down since we'll do no more loaded riding after that. We are hoping NOT to have to take things apart going to Brittany at the beginning of our travels and from there to the south of France. It would be a time comsuming hassle.
I found a couple threads in these forums with a little bit of information. I was hoping for more by asking a specific question.
Any recent experiences or current knowledge to contribute? What are we likely to find ourselves facing in France?
The current plan is to fly into Belgium, where we have friends. Travel by train to Brittany and spend 10 days (or so) touring. Get ourselves, by train, to the Pyrenees and spend two weeks+ touring and riding, there. Then, go by train back to Belgium and spend a week as "tourists" off our bikes.
We understand some things about French trains from reading items we've found on the WWW and in the Lonely Planet book on bike touring in France, but were looking for someone with RECENT experience/knowledge.
We are not looking forward to taking apart out bikes and putting them into the bike bags the TGV trains seem to require (the fenders and racks would have to come off each time). If the more local trains make life easier for touring bikes, we'd go that route. But, we've read that more and more trains in France are becoming less touring bike friendly. I have gathered that three of us wanting to travel at the same time might be a problem due to available space for bikes on some trains.
For the leg from the Pyrenees back to Belgium, at the end, I have no trouble with breaking the bikes down since we'll do no more loaded riding after that. We are hoping NOT to have to take things apart going to Brittany at the beginning of our travels and from there to the south of France. It would be a time comsuming hassle.
I found a couple threads in these forums with a little bit of information. I was hoping for more by asking a specific question.
Any recent experiences or current knowledge to contribute? What are we likely to find ourselves facing in France?