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Announcing Bike Rides For Ordinary People’s
2010 European Cycling Adventure
This year we are going to Provence in
southern France. On these special tours, we travels as a community;
making decisions as a group. We can be spontaneous and adventurous and
also know that you have the support of everyone else. I call this
group self guided. We don’t have a local guide, but we do have great
maps and lists of places to visit. We are the guides and everyone
works together to make sure that we find out way. The roads here are
quiet and there are not that many of them, so not matter what, if we
follow the signs to our destination, we will be rewarded with great
sites and cycling.
Below are the important details.
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Dates are September 12th – 18th ( Sunday thru Saturday)
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The tour is limited to 12 people.
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Daily ride distances 20 to 35 miles
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Terrain ranges from flat to hilly (the most beautiful villages are
hill towns), so you will want to train accordingly.
Registration and Pricing
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You can register by clicking on
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Price per person/double occupancy is $1,950 (please
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ask about single supplement)
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Please enclose $500 deposit with your registration form. Additional
$700 due April 1.
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Full payment due by June 1.
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Refunds are possible up to April 1 (less $150 cancellation fee)
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Price does not include air transportation or transfers to and from
the ride start.
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In
the event that we end up with an odd number of people, the single
supplement will be divided evenly among the participants. We will
work out among ourselves how room are shared and assigned.
Trip include
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6
nights in charming 3 start hotels with en suite bathrooms
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All
breakfasts, 4 spectacular dinners featuring local specialties
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Fully equipped quality hybrid bike
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Daily routes using detailed maps
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Route notes and sightseeing suggestions
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Luggage transfers (all you ride with is your bike and maybe a
pannier for a loaf of bread or things you purchase along the way)
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Transfers at start of trip from Avignon to our first hotel and back
to Avignon train station on departure day morning
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Emergency phone call support 7 days a week
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrival-Sunday 9/12
A taxi will meet you in Avignon (either at your hotel or at the train
station) and transfer you to the first hotel in the hill town of Uzès.
You can spend the day wandering around and visit the Place aux Herbes,
where the local market takes place, admire the restored Renaissance
facades, and climb up to enjoy the view from the impressive Ducal
Palace. You’ll have an option for a short ride to test your bike and
to limber up your legs. Before dinner, we’ll meet with our local host
to go over our trip packages and make sure your bikes are fitted
properly. Dinner is included tonight.
Day 2 : Uzes loop 21 miles-Monday 9/13
We’ll have a great first full day, riding through the Provencal
countryside. The route will take us through St. Quentin la Poterie, a
charming Provencal village with a history of pottery making that has
become home for many artists. We’ll see the famous Pont du Gard, an
exceptional 2000-year-old well-preserved, three-tiered Roman aqueduct.
A quiet and picturesque route will bring us back to Uzes for the
evening. Dinner on our own
Day 3 : Uzes to Arles 33 miles – Tuesday
9/14
Another type of countryside awaits us today. We’ll first cross the
Gardon Gorge and then descend into the flat riding though the
Costieres de Nimes vineyards. We’ll ride past small farms. hamlets and
canals, dotted amongst the vines and beautiful scenery. The end of the
day has us enter Arles on a tiny road. You’ll definitely want to take
some time in Arles: visit the spectacular Roman amphitheatre where
Provencal style bull fights are still held (the bull doesn't get
killed), and sit in one of the many popular cafés in the Place du
Forum (including the one made famous in Van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace at
Night) for an end of the day pastis; just like the locals do. Van Gogh
lived lived in Arles from 1853 to 1890, This is where he painted many
of his most well-known works (i.e. Starry Night). Dinner included
tonight.
Day 4 : Arles - Day of Options –
Wednesday 9/15
If you want, you can simply relax today, and take more time to visit
the sites of Arles: the arena, antique theatre and historical town, as
well as the boutiques and many souvenir shops. But we will be taking a
great ride. We’ll head out on a loop ride into the scenic Natural
reserve of Camargue just south of the town. This natural river delta
(the largest in Europe!) is the home for hundreds of varieties of
birds; along the flat marshy terrain, cut off from the sea by
sandbars. With any luck, we’ll spot flamingos or some of the famous
Camargue horses. Dinner on our own.
Day 5 : Arles to St Remy de Provence 21
miles – Thursday 9/16
Today is a nice ride that loops around the bottom of the spectacular
Alpilles hills, and passes through many small Provencal villages. We
may decide to stop at an olive mill on route to taste the product of
the many, centuries-old olive trees that we'll be passing. Our
destination today is St. Remy de Provence. St Remy is where Vincent
Van Gogh was incarcerated in the Saint Paul de Mausole hospital for a
year (and where he completed an astounding 150 paintings!), but it is
also worthwhile visiting the archaeological site of the Glanum where
we can do a short self guided walking tour. Dinner on our own.
Day 6 : St Remy- Les Baux loop-30
miles-Friday-9/17
Our final day riding is quite beautiful, bringing us through olive
groves and vineyards to the fortified village of Les Baux de Provence.
There is a big climb today, but it will be worth it! And of course
we’ll get a glorious downhill back into St. Remy at the end. We’ll
take our time and visit the villages chateaux, with the gorgeous
Alpilles mountain range as a backdrop, and also the sound and light
show in one of the old bauxite mines, with a different artist as its
theme each year. When we arrive back in St Remy, there should be time
for more exploration, to relax at one of St. Remy's many cafes and to
watch Provencal life pass by before our final dinner, included
tonight!
Day 7 : Departure - Bon Voyage! – Friday
– 9/18
Transfer from your hotel after breakfast to Avignon |
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