Explore the very best that France has to offer on a sensational 750-mile journey.  We’ll start our cycling journey on the Southeast coast of England and ferry across the English Channel to Normandy France.  Then we’ll mount our trusty steeds and ride all the way to the to the Mediterranean Sea. The route has been carefully designed to enjoy the generally flat terrain afforded by France's superb network of paths along canals and rivers, and other dedicated cycle paths, making it a memorable adventure for any touring cyclist. 

Our relaxing 3-week timetable allows plenty of time to enjoy the countryside, culture, and cuisine. The route offers a particular treat for wine lovers, as we ride on low traffic roads through the outstanding wine-producing regions of Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rhone Valley.  You’ll enjoy a choice day in Paris timed to arrive on a Sunday via the Seine River Valley with very little urban riding; and a choice day in Lyon, arguably the country’s gastronomical capital, and the home to several UNESCO World Heritage Site.  A third choice day will be offered in Auxerre, a stunning riverside town with cobbled lanes for browsing shops and architecture, museums, and traditional restaurants.  We’ll conclude our tour in the unique and distinctive seaside resort port of La Grande-Motte, renowned for its futuristic and avant-garde architecture.

 

While our bike tour starts at the English Channel in Brighton, England, the London Heathrow airport (LHR) is the most likely arrival location for most international participants.  To simplify our start to the tour, we have included one night’s lodging in London near Heathrow airport.  On the next day we will travel via a chartered bus to the vibrant coastal resort of Brighton, where we’ll get our bikes ready to start riding.  On day 3 we’ll have a short bike ride to Newport, England and then board a ferry to take us to Normandy, France.  Our tour ends at the Mediterranean Sea in La Grande Motte, where there are convenient shuttles to the Montpellier airport (MPL) just 10 miles away.  There are good connections from the Montpellier airport to several major hub airports in Europe.

 

This is a 23-day tour.  There are 17 required ride days with an average of 47 miles and 1,500 feet of climbing each day.  All participants are expected to complete each required ride day.  Our luggage van will generally follow the route where possible, but the van is designed to move gear, not people.  We will have one seat in the van reserved for emergency transportation.  On each days’ ride there should be time to visit the sites, castles, cathedrals, shops, and wineries.  We have scheduled 3 choice days in the larger cities which are designed to allow participants to take their time visiting extraordinary sites.  The remaining 3 days will make arrival and departure logistics as comfortable as possible.