resources.biketourfrance.net
A collection of downloadable materials, external references, and audio guides.
4 resources
Packlist template for weekend, tours, Ride Leader. Also bolt torque to check on arrive/return
Example. Plan for ride from Lyon to Montpellier. Includes hotels and daily route links
Example. Plan for ride from Bordeaux to Donostia
Canva project with a graphic illustration of the Paris visit and Loire (EV6) Bicycle Tour
12 sites
Pan-European cycling routes; 15 mapped corridors across Europe
National French cycling tourism; lodging/dining integration
User-generated route curation; segment ratings; difficulty classification
Cyclist-uploaded route library; elevation profiles; community feedback
French cycling route advocacy; inventory of dedicated paths
Train + bike ticketing; journey planning with bicycle transport
Official French topographic maps; cycling layer available
Regional cycling partnerships; territorial development; infrastructure funding
Independent site offering comprehensive guidance on cycling in France, including routes, trip planning, accommodation, bike hire, and practical advice for self-guided tours
Adventure Cycling Association article explains touring bike selection—prioritizing comfort, durability, simple components, and versatile tires—while ACA promotes long-distance bicycle travel through education, routes, and rider support.
Charles Ricau, a French cyclist and personal contact, founded and runs Peak&Coast Cycling Camp. The operation offers immersive one-week camps in the French Alps and Corsica for ambitious amateurs—structured rides, professional coaching, recovery care, and on-the-ground support designed for serious cyclists.
Azur Cycle Tours, run by personal contact Justin Lord, offers bespoke cycling holidays in the Côte d'Azur where the Alps meet the Mediterranean. Options range from easy coastal rides to epic mountain routes—single-centre holidays, fully-supported tours, and event-based packages based in Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Nice.
2 documents
DESKTOP VERSION: Historical companion to the Canal des Deux Mers journey, exploring engineering, commerce, religion, warfare, food, wine, and regional identity from Bordeaux to Sète.
MOBILE VERSION: Historical companion to the Canal des Deux Mers journey, exploring engineering, commerce, religion, warfare, food, wine, and regional identity from Bordeaux to Sète.
13 guides
Canal des Deux Mers Complete Audiobook: Complete audio combining introduction, all ride-day chapters, rest-day segment, and conclusion for the Canal des Deux Mers narrative from Bordeaux to Sète across southern France.
Introduces the Canal des Deux Mers, its Atlantic-to-Mediterranean purpose, seventeenth-century origins, Bordeaux-to-Sète route, and the historical, geographic, and cultural themes framing the journey itself throughout.
Bordeaux departure day covering Aquitaine's Plantagenet ties, bastide towns, wine wealth, phylloxera recovery, and La Réole's strategic role on the Garonne River corridor beyond Bordeaux.
Follows the Garonne Valley to Agen, highlighting river trade, English and French conflicts, Rembrandt's Christ on the Cross, and the historic Agen prune industry there.
Follow the Garonne through prune country to Moissac, where river commerce, monastic power, Cluniac reform, and medieval pilgrimage shaped southwestern France.
Rest-day overview of Toulouse, covering its reinvention after Cathar conflict, urban culture, rebuilding after fire, Occitan identity, and enduring importance as a regional capital today.
Moissac to Toulouse episode covering canal engineering, the Montech Water Slope, the Shepherds' Crusade, Toulouse's religious conflicts, and local food traditions along the route today.
Lauragais chapter on grain wealth, woad fortunes, Toulouse's cassoulet heritage, and Castelnaudary's commercial role within the historical canal corridor across southern France for riders today.
Castelnaudary to Carcassonne episode on crusade violence, fortress building, inquisitorial procedures, religious conflict, and Viollet-le-Duc's nineteenth-century restoration of the citadel for modern visitors still today.
Ride through the Corbières, where crusade scars, Cathar history, canal commerce, and centuries of viticulture transformed conflict into one of France's premier wine regions.
Corbières chapter covering vineyards, fortified towns, Cathar history, wine appellations, and the transformation of a conflict-scarred landscape into a major wine region for France today.
Final coastal ride from Capestang to Sète, featuring Riquet's canal vision, Malpas Tunnel, Fonsérannes locks, Béziers violence, and the Mediterranean port's creation under Louis XIV.
Closing reflection on the route's contradictions, blending engineering achievement, food, wine, and historical violence into a final meditation on the Canal des Deux Mers journey.