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2013 French Revolutions Ride2013 French Revolutions Ride
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2013 French Revolutions Ride

September - October 2013
Nineteen riders completed an incredible extended ride along the Loire from Orleans to Le Croisic on the Atlantic. The original journal of this ride has been lost, but here are some fragments that have been recovered. This is a work in progress. Read more

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  • France
  • Australia
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  • 36.6kkilometers traveled
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  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    Another Adventure Beckons

    September 1, 2013 in Australia ⋅ 16 °C

    Like many of our previous overseas cycling adventures, this one began as our participants assembled at Melbourne Airport for a late night flight to Dubai. Although we had already completed two rides along the Danube, this was to be our first ride in France and we could not wait to get started. It was especially excited for several of our riders as it was to be their first trip to France.

    Much closer to home, it was also to be Maggie's first time in France, in fact it was her very first trip to Europe. Although she was not going to be cycling, she had decided to spend the entire duration of the ride, staying in Paris. It was something she had dreamed of for many years, and although she was a little apprehensive of being alone in such a big city, she was also eager to get the flight out of the way and begin the French adventure.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    Hello Paris

    September 2, 2013 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After the long flights from Australia we arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in early afternoon. After clearing immigration and baggage collection, I had organised a mini bus transfer to take us to our hotels in the Montmartre region of Paris.

    Paris will be our home for the next four nights, then we head down to Orleans to begin our ride. But tonight, an early night is in order.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    A Walking Peloton

    September 5, 2013 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We have now had 4 wonderful days in the famous "City of Light" and today we head south to begin our cycling adventure The weather here has been amazing - high 20s and low 30s every day. This is absolutely the best time to travel in Europe as the big crowds of July and August are gone and the conditions are perfect for travel.

    This morning I am going to have the challenge of taking 18 suitcase toting travellers through the Paris metro system to Austerlitz station to catch the train to Orleans. That is going to be an adventure in itself.

    Maggie has already fallen in love with Paris. The staff at the hotel have been so friendly and supportive, I cannot imagine why anyone would ever want to stay in the large impersonal prisons that the large hotels are. To get the real essence of any country you MUST stay in small, character hotels wherever possible.
    Everyone is having a wonderful time and we are now keen to start riding.

    Maggie and I will be back in Paris in about 6 weeks time so I guess it will be quite chilly by then.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    A Train to Orleans

    September 6, 2013 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    This morning the weather in Paris turned a litle cooler as a thunderstorm broke the run of hot days, just at the same time as we were due to leave our hotels and begin the journey to Orleans. Initially we all got a little drowned, but that actually felt like fun. We said that Paris was crying because the Ghostriders were leaving.
    A short walk with our bags to St George Metro and a couple of train changes brought us to the huge station at Austerlitz. We climbed aboard a long train and were somewhat surprised that no one asked to see our tickets (in fact they were not checked for the entire trip).

    The train was only sparsely filled so we had plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the very fast trip down to Orleans, where we arrived a little over an hour later. Our hotel was only about 1.5 km from the station so it would have been a waste of money to use taxis. Instead, we all lined up into a long line of suitcase rolling tourists and walked the entire distance. This gave us a good chance to see the city along the way. We are now at our hotel, right on the banks of the Loire River and we were excited to get the first glimpse of this impressive waterway that will be the central theme of our riding for the next 16 days. Later in the day our bikes were delivered to the hotel and we spent some time getting them adjusted to suit. All agreed that they were comfortable and easy to ride.

    Tomorrow, we get underway at last on our odyssey to the Atlantic Coast.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    On the Bikes at Last

    September 7, 2013 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After two years of planning our French Revolutions Cycling Adventure is now really underway. Last night we all went out to the Restaurant L'Ardoise in Orleans and were treated to the most incredible French cuisine we have ever tasted.
    Those who had thought that we were in for three weeks of baguettes and cold meat are surely in need of a rethink. I could not believe the effort that the chef had put into each course, the food was as much a work of art as it was delicious. It certainly set the standard for the rest of the trip.

    This morning we all donned our cycling gear and lined up alongside the Loire River for the obligatory group photo. It certainly got the attention of those passing by and several cars tooted and waved to us. We all set out in high spirits along the wonderful new sealed bike path alongside the Loire. Soon we crossed to the left bank and meandered happily through delightful rural countrysides for quite a few km. The roads were flat, smooth and deserted - an amazing introduction to French cycling. With our 18 riders in matching yellow Ghostrider jerseys we joked that it looked like the Tour de France (except in slow motion).

    After the pace of the previous few days, it was wonderful to just let the bikes roll along at a leisurely pace while we savoured the scenery. It did not take long for everyone to break out into huge smiles. The weather had started cool but soon the sun broke through and raised the temperature to a very pleasant 21C. Today's ride was a modest one and we reached our destination of Beaugency soon after 1 pm.

    With its quaint narrow streets, its huge 1000-year-old church and Roman ruins, this town is stunningly beautiful. Our accommodation for the night is at the L'Ecu de Bretagne, a working ancient building that is also a hotel. These are the very sort of places that make this type of travel so unforgettable. Forget the "all of Europe in 16 days" type of trips where all you see is a blur of tourist traps and plastic hotels, this is the ONLY way to experience the essence of the real Europe at first hand. Those of our group who have never been to Europe before have already fallen head over heels in love with the place.

    If the rest of the ride is like today, we will have experienced a taste of heaven on earth. Tomorrow's ride will take us on to the town of Blois.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    Chateau de Chambord and Blois

    September 8, 2013 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our second day of riding took us into the famous Chateau Region of France. We were soon exploring the huge Chateau de Chambord, surely one of the most famous, but necessarily one of the prettiest, chateaux in the region.

    This sprawling construction was built for Francoise I, but he only ever lived there for a few weeks. After he died it was left empty for the next hundred years. One of its most famous architectural features is the famous double helix staircase, thought to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

    Our destination for the day was the magnificent city of Blois, situated right on the banks of the river.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    Ride to Amboise

    September 9, 2013 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It was a fine, but windy ride from Blois to Amboise. It also was NOT flat, with several sections that had us look for our granny gears. Our hotel in Blois had a TinTin theme with numerous models and images from the TinTin books.

    Amboise will be our first (and only) rest day for the ride. Tomorrow we will have some time to explore this famous historic city.    Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    Amboise and Leonardo

    September 10, 2013 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Whichever way you look at it, Amboise is a fascinating city. Since this was our first (and only) rest day for the ride, we made maximum use of our day off the bikes to explore. The most famous ex-resident of Amboise is Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo was a favourite of the king Francoise I, and he was given a beautiful chateau to live out his remaining years of his life. The Clos Luce is unlike many of the oversized chateaux of the region and still contains evidence of the amazing legacy that Leonardo left.Read more

  • The World on Two Wheels2013 French Revolutions Ride

    Tours

    September 11, 2013 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    It was a shortish ride today that took us right into the the heart of the city of Tours to discover the old quarters sheltering the famous 'Place Plumereau' and its half-timbered houses. This city was the lovely birthplace of Gabrielle d’Estrées, the favourite of King Henri IV.Read more

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