Loire a Velo with Friends

Trip Log Calendar

Category Type Name/Description Notes Cost Origin Destination Kms To Date Total
2018-06-18 : Mandatory Pre-Trip Night Before
Tip General Info Route Map
I chose this route because it afforded a nice do-able number of kilometers per day, with a rest stop in a town partway through. This is the closest I could find to the reality of touring in Europe, where there's a little town every few kilometers. In hindsight, I realize that the section from Sylvan to Bentley is NOT ideal because of the heavy traffic (including large trucks) on Highway 20. If I did a trip like this again, I'd just go back and forth from one side of Gull to the other. $0.00
Accommodation Camp Jarvis Bay Sylvan Lake
Cost for 10 people $292.00
2018-06-19 : Mandatory Pre-Trip Day 1
Activity Cycle Ride to Sunset Legion via Bentley
$0.00 35.00 35.00
Accommodation Camp Sunset Legion
Cost for 10 people $105.00
2018-06-20 : Mandatory Pre-Trip Day 2
Activity Cycle Ride to Wilson's Beach via Bentley
$0.00 35.00 70.00
Accommodation Camp Wilson's Beach
Cost for 10 people $105.00
2018-06-21 : Mandatory Pre-Trip Day 3
Activity Cycle Ride to Jarvis Bay via Bentley
$0.00 35.00 105.00
2019-01-27 : The Touring Crew
No entry found!
2019-04-10 : Hard-Copy Maps
No entry found!
2019-04-11 : France and Canada Flags
No entry found!
2019-04-20 : The Montague Twins!
No entry found!
2019-04-27 : Veloria Luggage Trial
No entry found!
2019-04-28 : Front Pannier Racks
No entry found!
2019-05-02 : Re-Arranging Flights Home
No entry found!
2019-05-11 : Training: Highway 66
No entry found!
2019-05-16 : Packing Party
No entry found!
2019-05-29 : Don't Miss in the Loire
Tip General Info Blois Old Town

Blois 		$0.00
Tip General Info Chartres Cathedral (side trip)
Time permitting, do we want to split the return to Paris over two days and stop in Chartres? I'd love to see it again, and it has an amazing cathedral.

There's a train, but not direct - there's one change. Length of trip looks like 3-4 hours. Continuing on to Paris we can go to Montparnasse and transfer onto RER B, or to Versailles (about 1 hour). 		$0.00
Tip General Info Circuit 1
Partly using the great Loire à Vélo cycle route, this cycling circuit of 2 to 3 days takes you to the delights of the Sud Saumurois area, notably its startling caves hidden across the plain here. The village of Rochemenier conceals a museum on the subject, in subterranean farms. The cycling circuit guides you through countryside peppered with distinctive quarries, cellars, old farms and hamlets. From Saumur to Gennes, take in typically glorious Loire-side villages. $0.00
Tip General Info Circuit 2
Taking you from the Loire to the Thouet Valley, this circuit passes by amazing subterranean sights in the Sud Saumurois area. Visit the Troglodytes de la Sablière, its caves concealing elaborate carvings in the rock, or the Bioparc de Doué la Fontaine, the world’s only subterranean zoo! Continue through fine vineyards to sleepy Le Puy-Notre-Dame, with a grand church. The Thouet Valley, its limestone villages and the fortified town of Montreuil Bellay crowned by a medieval castle count among other sights to relish on this 2 to 3 day trip. $0.00
Tip General Info Giant Guitar

30km south of Nantes at Clisson 		$0.00
Tip General Info Goussainville

Ghost town near CDG 		$0.00
Tip General Info Maison de la Magie

Blois 		This museum of magic occupies the one-time home of watchmaker, inventor and conjurer Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–71), after whom the American magician Harry Houdini named himself. Dragons emerge roaring from the windows every half-hour, while inside the museum has exhibits on Robert-Houdin and the history of magic, displays of optical trickery, and several daily magic shows.

$0.00
Tip General Info Musée des Beaux-Arts

Orléans 		Orléans’ five-level fine-arts museum is a treat, with an excellent collection of Italian, Flemish and Dutch paintings (including works by Correggio, Velázquez and Bruegel) as well as a huge collection of work by French artists such as Léon Cogniet (1794–1880), Orléans-born Alexandre Antigna (1817–78) and Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), who spent some of his youth here. Other rare treasures include a set of 18th-century pastels by Maurice Quentin de la Tour and a self-portrait by Jean-Baptiste Chardin. $0.00
Tip General Info Musée du Compagnonnage

Tours 		This extraordinary museum – an absolute gem! – spotlights France's renowned compagnonnages, guild organisations of skilled craftspeople who have created everything from medieval cathedrals to the Statue of Liberty. Dozens of professions – from carpentry to saddle-making to locksmithing – are celebrated here with items handcrafted from wood, wrought iron, bronze, stone, brick, clay and leather; standouts include exquisite wooden architectural models of elaborate towers and a miniature wrought-iron gate that took 14 years to make. $0.00
Tip General Info Place du Martroi

Orleans 		Just love this Place!! $0.00
Tip General Info Souzay-Champigny

Between Tours and Angers 		Medieval village, cave town $0.00
Tip General Info Van Gogh, La nuit étoilée
$0.00
Tip General Info Versailles
Train options to Versailles: either from Orleans, or from CDG. $0.00
2019-05-30 : Group Messages - Planning
Tip General Info Prep Message 1, Feb 25, 2017

Intro to the Trip 		Hi everyone,

Per my recent e-mail, I've added you to our list of cycle tourists to join us for the Loire a Velo tour in 2019: http://www.andwa.com/events/details.asp?eventid=1173

June 2019 is a long way off yet, but it's not too soon to start thinking and preparing for it if this will be your first major cycle tour (besides, I'm excited already, so you should be too). I'll send out some "prep" messages fairly regularly, and if you have specific questions, please send them to me (others may have the same question as well).

The first thing I'd like to tell you is exactly what you're signed up for. Although I've titled the trip "Loire a Velo", our total route is actually more than that. Loire a Velo is a very beautiful and popular route following the Loire Valley in France. "Velo" is French for bicycle, so "Loire a Velo" means "Loire by Bicycle". Loire a Velo forms a portion of the EuroVelo 6 (EV6) route, and we will be doing more of EV6 than just the Loire Valley.

Let's unpack that.

"EuroVelo" is a network of cycle routes defined which criss-cross Europe. Although an entire network of trails has been defined, not all of the route are finished. EuroVelo route 6 crosses Europe from east to west and is one of the most complete, and most popular routes. You can find more information about the EuroVelo network itself here:
http://www.eurovelo.org/
Here's a good map of the entire EuroVelo network:
https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6151985613_08b33dabd5_b.jpg
If you look for the pink line going across from the coast of France all the way to the Black Sea in the east, that's EV6.

EV6 crosses Europe, but the most popular sections are "Loire a Velo" and the "Danube Cycle Trail" (which Brent, Laura and I did in 2015). Our intended route for 2019 starts in Basel, Switzerland and follows EV6 west down to the coast of France. In 2015, Brent and I rode a portion of this route from Nantes (near the west coast) to Orleans. We wished we could have done more, but we had to get on over to Germany, so we used a train to get from Orleans to Strassbourg, France. We've been dying to go back - France, and the Loire Valley, were definite favorites for us.

Here's some information about the France section of EV6:
https://en.eurovelo6-france.com/
And here's some information about just the Loire Valley portion:
https://en.francevelotourisme.com/base-1/itineraires/la-loire-a-velo
Here's a Google map sketch of our intended route for 2019:
https://goo.gl/maps/K43vc1ACySn

You will see that I have us starting in Basel, Switzerland and ending at Bay of Biscay, for a total of 1055km. You can see the elevation profile (on the left) and it looks like there are two sections of climb, but overall downhill to the coast. I haven't yet figured out where we would fly in and out (probably Paris?), or how to get from that place to the tour and back, so the exact route may change slightly as I investigate further. Also, on the event details, you'll see that Brent and I want to stay past the end of June to go catch some of the Tour de France (and you're absolutely welcome to do the same). 1055km in a month (mostly downhill) isn't so bad, right?

Velo Velo! 		$0.00
Tip General Info Prep Message 2, Apr 10, 2017

Practice Cycle Tours 2017 		Want to get a jump-start on preparation for our tour in 2019? Brent and I have a couple of easy beginner cycle tours set up for this year. We'll also plan at least two for next year. If possible (conditions willing), we'll try to set some up for early 2019 before the tour, but no promises yet.

If you'd like to participate in the ones this year to get a sense of whether touring is for you or not, we have:
- April 29/30, Edmonton area: http://www.edmontonoutdoorclub.com/events/details.asp?eventid=4861
- September 16/17, Calgary area: http://www.andwa.com/events/details.asp?eventid=1402 		$0.00
Tip General Info Prep Message 3, May 14, 2017

Follow us in Germany, 2017 		Brent, Laura and I will be leaving soon for Germany. June 1st can't come soon enough! If you'd like to follow our trip (and think about how fun and easy it looks), you can follow us on my web site, DAMDetails: http://www.damdetails.com/calendar/trips/12/2017/6

The site is part planning tool and part blogger, so if you're interested in finding out more about what we're doing, where we're staying, and how much we're cycling each day, that will be posted on the site. Or, if you're more interested in just living vicariously, you can do that too. The link above is for the calendar page (which shows everything, day by day), but you can also go directly to:
- The important info: http://www.damdetails.com/trips/lists/12
- The vicarious living: http://www.damdetails.com/trips/triplog/12 		$0.00
Tip General Info Prep Message 4,July 1, 2017

Hardships 		I know I've been giving you the sales pitch about coming along on our cycle tour in France in June of 2019. I just got back from Germany, and although we had a great time, this kind of trip is quite difficult, and is not without its hardships.

So, in the interest of being completely honest with you about what I'm trying to talk you into, here's a list of hardships that Brent, Laura and I have drafted to make sure you're properly informed. This list will likely evolve over the next several months if/as we think of more stuff.

Hardships per 2017 		$0.00
Tip General Info Prep Message 5, Mar 4 2018

Brent's Bike Training Schedule Blog 		What better way to pass a "Snow Weekend" than to start planning your training schedule for our trip to France? You'll probably have a couple of months to train early next year before we leave, but if you're feeling ambitious, or maybe unsure of whether you can do it, it might not hurt to do some training this year.

To that end, I would like to share Brent's Bike Training Schedule blog with you. He wrote this several years ago, but it's super helpful if you're not sure where to start.

http://brentinalta.blogspot.ca/2017_01_01_archive.html 		$0.00
Tip General Info Prep Message 6: May 24, 2018

Planning for Pre-Trip 		I guess it's high time we all start thinking seriously about getting ready for our self-supported cycle tour this June. Here's some info to help you prepare. Let me know if you have any questions that I haven't answered in this message (or previous messages).

WEATHER
========
Unless the weather is completely wretched and/or dangerous, I am not planning on canceling this trip due to weather. When I say "dangerous", I mean, so much rain that we will not be visible enough to be safe as we cycle along the highways. If we have inclement weather on our France trip, we will have to ride through it or adjust plans; the same applies to this pre-trip. Please be prepared for rain and/or wind.

Please note that, if the trip is not canceled, it remains a mandatory pre-trip to France. You're not obligated to come to France if you do this pre-trip, but you are obligated to do this pre- trip if you're coming to France. This trip is everyone's opportunity to assess two things: (1) Do I want to do this activity for a month, and (2) Do I want to do this activity for a month with these people.

If the trip does get canceled due to wretched/dangerous weather, I will, of course, give each of you your share of whatever refund I'm able to secure for each of the three campgrounds. And then we'll start talking about a "Plan B" with regards to a pre-trip.

FOOD
====
When we go to France, Brent and I will not be hauling backpack food and cookware. For this trip, though, it is something you might want to consider. Although we will be traveling through the town of Bentley each day, and the assumption is that we can "provision up" in Bentley, thereby making backpack food unnecessary, I can't guarantee that. There is an AG Foods (http://www.agfoods.com/index.php) in Bentley that we will check out.

My plan is as follows - I will be bringing backpack cookware (pot, stove, fuel) and backpack food. When we drive through Bentley on the way down, I'm going to stop in at the store (hopefully it's still open) and see what they have. If we can "provision up" each day, then I will leave the backpack stuff in the car for the duration of the trip. But, if it looks like appropriate cycle provisions aren't readily available, then we'll at least be able to carry our backpack stuff and actually eat during the trip.

This is just what I'm planning to do. You can do whatever you're comfortable with. Food and food preparation will be an individual responsibility, so be sure you are prepared.

MEETING UP
===========
We will be meeting at the Jarvis Bay Campground at Sylvan Lake (on the evening of June 18). They have a nice big parking lot right beside their admission hut, and I'm hoping they'll let us leave our vehicles there for the duration of the trip. If they won't, we'll figure out a plan for putting the vehicles someplace nearby instead.

Please stay in touch with me regarding your ETA for that night. If you beat me there, we'll figure out how you can check in before me. If I beat you there, I'll either provide instructions, or come and escort you to our camp sites. 780-566-8327. Text messages preferred (although I'm not even positive that we'll have cell coverage at the campground, so we'll need to have a "Plan B", and maybe even a "Plan C").

ROUTE
======
On the 19th, we'll be cycling from Jarvis Bay, north through Bentley, and then continuing north to Sunset Legion campground at Gull Lake. On the 20th, we'll head south, through Bentley, and then head west and north to go to Wilson's Beach campground on the other side of Gull Lake. On the 21st, we'll return through Bentley and then back to Jarvis Bay. Each day should be about 35km, which sounds pretty easy until you're hauling all your gear on your bicycle.

PACKING LIST
===========
At the bottom of this e-mail, I'm sharing my sample packing list for this trip, and Laura's sample packing list. Michel may be willing to share his packing list as well, as he is also experienced in self-supported cycle touring. 		$0.00
Tip General Info Prep Message 7: June 7, 2018

Fully Loaded Rig 		See a photo here for a demo of how I have my rig packed for our cycle tour:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10160438596385627&l=6b41e75536

Note that I also have, attached to the bike:
- A pump
- A cable lock
- A horseshoe lock
- Some velcro straps, which are great for immobilizing your wheel. When your bike is fully- loaded, it tends to topple over from the weight. The front wheel swings around, and everything destabilizes. Using a strap to apply the brake to your front wheel stops that from happening. If you want one of these, let me know and I'll bring you one.

Also note, for packing, that I normally stand with the bike on my right. For convenience, I keep the stuff that I'm not going to need until night time (tent, sleeping bag) in the right-hand panniers (harder to reach), and the stuff that I may want during the day (clothes, sandals, nalgene bottle) in the left-hand panniers (easier to reach). The tailbox is also good for stuff that I want to keep handy.

Also also note that I will have my day pack on, which will have my camelback in it, and probably some of the stuff out of the panniers once I'm ready to actually start rolling. In France, I will also be carrying my Windows surface in the day pack.

Also also also note that Brent will be carrying some of our shared stuff as well. He will have the tent poles and pegs (I carry the soft but bulky bits), bicycle repair kit, and food.

Lastly, also also also also note that I am carrying my -20 bag for this trip because I find camping in Alberta cold. In France I will be carrying a much lighter, and less bulky, sleeping bag.

Brent's configuration is somewhat different, with a cooler box on one side in the front, which is great for food. Laura is a master at packing light - she really puts me to shame. To look at my rig you'd guess that I'm carrying the kitchen sink. Perhaps I am........... 		$0.00
2019-05-31 : Planning and Prep
Tip General Info 01. Route
I'm thinking that we might want to skip starting in Basel (for this trip) and do just the "Loire a Velo" route, which officially starts at Nevers and is 800km long.

If we have time at the end, there are lots of options, and folks don't necessarily have to do the same thing. We can:
1) Continue down the Atlantic coast south of Nantes on the Eurovelo 3 route, which is also called La Vélodyssée in France (https://www.velodyssey.com/).
2) Take a train up to Mont St. Michel, which is certainly worth a look
3) Take a train up to Paris

I think 800km is a reasonable goal in a month and ensures that people do the Loire section, which, I think is the nicer section. 		$0.00
Tip General Info 02. Getting To-From
There are flights from Edmonton and Calgary to Nantes.

We could look for accommodation in Nantes that we would stay in at the start AND end of our trip where we could store bike bags. Perhaps a hostel or an AirBnB place.

From Nantes, we could take a train to Nevers. This needs to be researched: How to get from Nantes to Nevers by train with assembled bikes. Here are some resources:
1) Crazy Guy's blog
2) Per Crazy Guy, Deutsche Bahn is a good resource for finding trains in France (better than the France web sites, apparently). This makes train travel to Nevers look pretty straight-forward on TER trains. Click the box for "show routes that take bikes".
3) Cyclomundo's blog. I like his first sentence about taking bikes on the train... "First of all, you should ask yourself if it is really worth it!"
4) Info for how to make a reservation for your bike
5) Freewheeling France article about bikes on trains. Note that on their train map you can trace the thin purple line from Nantes to Nevers: 		$0.00
Tip General Info 03. Printed Materials for Loire
I already have this set of maps, which Brent and I used (some of) in 2015: EuroVelo 6 It's really good and shows lots of Campingplatzes.

Velo Guide: This is a series of guides. I have the "Nantes a Royan" one, which is French. It's ok, but not fabulous (i.e., I don't think it shows campgrounds). BUT, there is an ENGLISH one for the Loire, which may be worth it for easily readable material. English Bike Guide

Bikeline: There's also a Bikeline book for this route which we can consider buying, depending on what we decide about other materials. This one is in German. 		$0.00
Tip General Info 04. Printed Materials for Velodyssey
This looks interesting. It's the Loire-Atlantic area, so basically exploring (thoroughly) the area west of Nantes without really going down the coast.

Velo Guide: Per above, I have the "Nantes a Royan" Velo Guide in French. Not crazy about it.

La Routard: This may be something to consider. It looks better than the Velo Guide one.

The Velodyssey web site has interactive maps that you can zoom and choose options for and then print. This looks pretty awesome. Example 		$0.00
Tip General Info 05. Electronic Navi - Eek!
OK, seriously... is it time for me to join the 21st Century? I'm thinking so, but I'm at a loss for even the most basic decisions like whether to use a GPS or an app on a phone. I'm leery of phone apps because I've had such terrible experiences trying to use phones in Europe.

We can download GPS tracks for Loire

And for Velodyssee

Articles for using a GPS:
Cycle Tourer
Travelling Two
Toms Bike Trip

Article about using phone app:
Long Haul Trekkers 		$0.00
Tip General Info 06. More Resources
This web site seems really good... Cycling-Loire. It also looks like it has information about luggage transfer and bike rentals.

Incidentally, I also have this, which shows all the cycle routes in France. Sort of a one-stop-shop map that Laura wanted to look at. 		$0.00
Tip General Info 20. Sample Itinerary
NOTE that this is just a sample itinerary - the actual trip dates will be June 1-30
DateDestinationKmsAccommodation
May 1 Fly to Nantes 0 Plane
May 2 Arrive Nantes, Assemble Bikes 15 Nantes. Hostel? BnB?
May 3 Train to Nevers 10 Nevers (Campground)
May 4 Ride to Givry (near Cours-les-Barres) 24 Campground (Fourchambault)
May 5 Ride to St-Satur 43 Campground (St-Satur)
May 6 Ride to Bonny-sur-Loire 32 Campground beyond Bonny-sur-Loire
May 7 Ride to Sully-sur-Loire 50 Campground Sully-sur-Loire
May 8 Rest Day 10 Campground Sully-sur-Loire
May 9 Ride to St-Denis-de-l'Hotel 28 Campground St-Denis-de-l'Hotel
May 10 Ride to Orleans 25 Campground beyond Orleans
May 11 Ride to Muides-sur-Loire 50 Campground at Muides-sur-Loire
May 12 Ride to Chaumont-sur-Loire 48.5 Campground at Chaumont-sur-Loire
May 13 Ride to Tours 46 Tours - Hostel? BnB?
May 14 Rest Day 10 Tours - Hostel? BnB?
May 15 Ride to Savigny-en-Veron 53 Campground at Savigny-en-Veron
May 16 Ride to Gennes 41.5 Campground at Gennes
May 17 Ride to Montjean sur-Loire 55 Campground at Montjean sur-Loire
May 18 Ride to Mauves-sur-Loire 52.5 Campground at Mauves-sur-Loire
May 19 Ride to Frossay (beyond Nantes)
*End of trip option		 50 Campground at Frossay
May 20 Rest day in Frossay 0 Campground at Frossay
May 21 La Vélodyssée: Ride to Pornic 40 ?
May 22 La Vélodyssée: Ride to La Barre-de-Monts 52 ?
May 23 La Vélodyssée: Noirmoutier par le Gois 45 Same as previous
May 24 La Vélodyssée: Ride to Sables-d'Olonne 65
May 25 La Vélodyssée: Return to La Barre-de-Monts 65
May 26 La Vélodyssée: Return to Pornic 52
May 27 La Vélodyssée: Return to Frossay 40
May 28 Ride to Nantes 35
May 29 Errand Day in Nantes Nantes. Hostel? BnB?
May 30 Errand Day in Nantes Nantes. Hostel? BnB?
May 31 Fly Home 15 Home
$0.00
Tip General Info 21. Route Specs - Loire
WhereKmSee?Lav?Camp?*Camp?
Nevers 0 x x
le Guetin 14 x
Cuffy 17
Givry 24 x
La Charite-sur-Loire 44.5 x
St-Satur 72 x
Bannay 76.5 x
Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire *80 x
Belleville-sur-Loire 94.5 x x
Bonny-sur-Loire 102.5
Bonny-sur-Loire (Campground) 104.5 x
Chatillon-sur-Loire 108 x
Briare 112.5 x
Gien 124 x
Sully-sur-Loire 153 x x
St. Benoir-sur-Loire 160 x
Chateauneuf-sur-Loire 172 x
la Bourdonniere 176.5 x
Jargeau 181 x
Orleans 202 x x
St-Jean-de-la-Ruelle 205.5 x
Beaugency 230 x
Muides-sur-Loire 246 x x
Huisseau-sur-Cosson 261 x
Blois 272.5 x x
Cande-sur-Beuvron 287.5 x
Chaumont-sur-Loire 294.5 x x
Amboise 314.5 x x x
Lussault-sur-Loire 321 x
les Fosses Bouteilles 332 x
Tours 349.5 x
Savonnieres 361.5 x
Langeais 371 x
Chateau d'Usse 384 x
Contebault 391 x
Savigny-en-Veron 399 x
Candes-St-Martin 409 x
Montsoreau 414 x
Turquant 417.5 x
Saumur 428.5 x x
la Houssaie 437.5 x
Tour Treves 445.5 x
Gennes 449 x x
St-Remy-la-Varenne 459.5 x
St-Mathurin-sur-Loire 461 x
la Dagueniere 472 x
Angers *480 x
les-Ponts-de-Ce (near Angers) 480 x
Another campground 481.5 x
Bouchemaine 487.5 x
la Possonniere 497 x
Chalonnes-sur-Loire 506 x
Montjean sur-Loire 516 x
Ingrandes 520.5 x
Ancenis 536 x x
Oudon 545 x
St-Simon 557 x
Mauves-sur-Loire 558.5 x
la Bourniere 565.5 x
Ste-Luce-sur-Loire 568 x
Nantes 574 x x
le Migron 608.4 x
Paimboeuf 619.4 x
St-Brevin-les-Pins *END LOIRE 633 x
*Campground off the main route - extra distance required 		$0.00
Tip General Info 22. Route Specs - La Vélodyssée
There are campgrounds all down the coast, but I don't know if they all take tents. We should have a proper cycle touring guide to find out.
WhereKmSee?Lav?Camp?*Camp?
St-Brevin-les-Pins 0
St-Michel-Chef-Chef 10 x
*Pointe de St-Gildas +12
Pornic 26
La Barre-de-Monts 78 x
*Noirmoutier par le Gois (Island) +45
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie 113 x
Sables-d'Olonne 143 x
La Tranche-sur-Mer 191 x
Marans 236
*La *Venise verte* au depart de Marans +50-80km
La Rochelle 271 x
*L'ile de Re au depart de la Rochelle +50
*Bonus/Diversion - off the main route 		$0.00
Tip General Info EuroVelo 6

Rhine to the Atlantic - pretty much our exact trip 		$0.00
Tip General Info EuroVelo 6, France section
$0.00
Tip General Info EuroVelo 6: Loire Valley
$0.00
Tip General Info Group Messages

Planning and prep e-mails sent to trip attendees. 		$0.00
Tip Handy Accueil Velo
$0.00
Tip Handy Loire Valley by Train
Thanks to the "Train Vélo Loire" (Train Bike Loire) system, you can board trains on the Interloire line with your bicycle, from mid-June to mid-September. The service is free and has dedicated personnel for taking care of your bike from the moment you board to when you get it back when you get off. This allows you to easily skip stages or return to your point of departure. $0.00
Tip To Do Maps.me

Load required maps into Maps.me 		$0.00
Activity Cycle Basel to Nantes
$0.00 0.00 105.00
Service Rental Bike Hire Direct

Possible bike rental option 		$0.00
Service Rental Bim Bim Bikes

Possible bike rental option 		$0.00
Service Rental Spin Lister

Promising rental options (individuals) 		$0.00
Service Storage Blue Marble in Paris

Luggage storage and shuttle services in Paris 		$0.00
2019-06-01 : Head to France
Tip General Info Get to the airport - RnB

Tannis driving us 		$0.00
Tip Travel Resource Registration of Canadian Abroad
$0.00
Travel Flight Ann Flight Details
WS 80, YYC->YHZ->CDG arriving June 2, 10AM $0.00 Calgary YYC Paris CDG
Travel Flight Brent & Rhonda Flight Details
Cost is for two people, round trip
WJ 316 YEG -> YHZ at 8AM. WJ 80 YHZ -> CDG at 10:55PM, arr CDG 10AM
Per customer service rep Monica on 2019-01-11, you do not have to call WestJet ahead of time to reserve for the bicycles. 		$1637.56 Edmonton YEG Paris CDG
Travel Flight Geoff & Lynn Travel Details
Geoff & Lynn are actually leaving Calgary on Friday May 31. $0.00 Calgary YYC Paris CDG
Travel Flight Laura Flight Details
TS 408, arriving CDG Sun, 02 Jun 2019, 08:50 $0.00 Vancouver YVR Paris CDG
Service Other Bike transport

Extra bags - $100
Bicycles - $100 		$100.00
2019-06-02 : Stay Hotel Le Vert Galant
Tip Reminder Find your friends

Ann, Brent & Rhonda are all arriving WestJet, Terminal 1. Laura is arriving Air Transat, Terminal 3. 		$0.00
Travel Cycle Ride CDG to Hotel
Take free CDGVal tram from any terminal to Roissypole CDGVal tram stop, then follow directions from web page.

If we can't (or don't want to) ride, we will have to figure out a taxi or uber at the airport. 		$0.00 CDG Villepinte
Activity Cycle CDG to Villepinte
$0.00 14.00 119.00
Accommodation Hotel Hotel Le Vert Galant
Cost is for four people (family suite), one night.
Approx 10km from CDG - supposedly rideable by bicyle. Right beside the canal pathway, aka EV3. 		$152.00 Villepinte
2019-06-03 : Travel to Nevers
Travel Cycle EV3 to Gare de Bercy
Ride the Canal de l'Ourcq (aka EV3) from the hotel to Gare de Bercy, approx 25km.

If we can't (or don't want to) ride, use RER B train to get to Gare de Bercy. 		$0.00 Villepinte Gare de Bercy
Travel Train Train to Nevers
Cost is for six tickets. A group of four received a discount and the remaining two paid full price. Cost is shared equally among all.
Conf RNDXSD for 1PM for Rhonda, Brent, Geoff, Lynn
Conf RNNZLK for 2PM for Laura & Ann 		$246.00 Paris Bercy Nevers
Activity Cycle Villepinte to Gare de Bercy
$0.00 26.00 145.00
Accommodation Camp Camping in Nevers (map)
1.2km from the Gare (across the river) $0.00 Nevers
2019-06-04 : Ride to Beffes
Activity Cycle Nevers to Beffes
$0.00 39.00 184.00
Meal Dinner La Crozet des Chemines

Wonderful food and beautiful presentation. Super nice and friendly staff. 		$0.00
Accommodation Camp Vélocamping de Charbrolles Beffes
This place is so great. It’s very small with only five tent pitches and some cabins, but great amenities, and very interesting - built on the old cement factory grounds. $0.00 Beffes
2019-06-05 : Rainy rest day in Beffes
Activity Tour Beffes Cement Factory

Our campground proprietress, Sylvie, gave us a tour of the cement factory today. It was really interesting! 		$0.00
Accommodation Camp
Vélocamping de Charbrolles Beffes 		$
2019-06-06 : Ride to Saint-Satur
Activity Cycle Ride to Sancerre
$0.00 36.00 220.00
Accommodation Camp Les Portes de Sancerre
$0.00 St. Thibault
2019-06-07 : Ride to Briare
Activity Cycle Ride to Briare
$0.00 50.00 270.00
Accommodation Camp Les Martinettes , Briare
$0.00
2019-06-08 : Ride to Sully
Activity Cycle Ride to Sully
$0.00 43.00 313.00
Accommodation Camp Jardin de Sully
$0.00 Sully sur Loire
2019-06-09 : Ride to Jargeau
Activity Cycle Ride to Jargeau
$0.00 30.00 343.00
Accommodation Camp Isle aux Moulins, Jargeau
$0.00
2019-06-10 : Ride to Olivet
Activity Cycle Cross-country to Municipal Camping Olivet

South of Orleans 		$0.00 25.00 368.00
Accommodation Camp Municipal Camping Olivet
$0.00
2019-06-11 : Ride to Beaugency
Activity Cycle Ride to Beaugency
$0.00 37.00 405.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Val de Flux
We stayed here in 2015 as well. I recognized it from the cycle path down to the campground $0.00
2019-06-12 : Ride to Val de Blois
Activity Cycle Ride to Val de Blois
$0.00 46.00 451.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Val de Blois
$0.00
2019-06-13 : Ride to Chaumont sur Loire via Blois
Activity Cycle Ride to Chaumont sur Loire
$0.00 26.00 477.00
Activity Sight See Château du Magie
$0.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Municipal Grosse Grève
$0.00
2019-06-14 : Ride to Bléré
Activity Cycle Bléré via Chenonceau castle
$0.00 40.00 517.00
Activity Sight See Chenonceau Castle
$0.00
Accommodation Camp Only Camp at Bléré
$0.00
2019-06-15 : Ride to la Ville aux Dames
Activity Cycle Ride to Les Acacias at la Ville aux Dames
$0.00 39.00 556.00
Accommodation Camp Les Acacias at la Ville aux Dames
$0.00
2019-06-16 : Ride to Bréhémont
Activity Cycle Ride to Bréhémont
$0.00 45.00 601.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Loire et Château
$0.00
2019-06-17 : Ride to Saumur
Activity Cycle Ride to Saumur
$0.00 54.00 655.00
Accommodation Camp Camping de l’Isle d’Offard
$0.00
2019-06-18 : Rest day in Saumur
Accommodation Camp
Camping de l’Isle d’Offard 		$
2019-06-19 : Ride to St. Mathurin sur Loire
Activity Cycle Ride to St Mathurin
$0.00 35.00 690.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Port la Vallée
$0.00
2019-06-20 : Ride to La Possonnière
Activity Cycle Ride to la Possonnière
$0.00 46.00 736.00
Accommodation Camp Camping de la Possonnière
$0.00
2019-06-21 : Ride to Ancenis
Activity Cycle Ride to Ancenis
$0.00 51.00 787.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Île Mouchet
$0.00
2019-06-22 : Ride to Thouaré-sur-Loire
Activity Cycle Ride to Thouaré-sur-Loire
$0.00 32.00 819.00
Accommodation Camp Belle Rivière
$0.00
2019-06-23 : Errands and fun in Nantes
Activity Cycle Ride into, and around, Nantes
$0.00 13.00 832.00
Accommodation Hotel Appart’City Confort Nantes
$0.00
2019-06-24 : Train to Rennes
Travel Train To Rennes connecting in Redon
$0.00
Activity Cycle Transit
$0.00 7.00 839.00
Accommodation Camp Camping Gayeulles
$0.00
2019-06-25 : Day in Rennes
Activity Cycle Around Rennes
$0.00 23.00 862.00
Accommodation Camp
Camping Gayeulles 		$
2019-06-26 : Mont St Michel
Travel Bus SNCF Autobus to Mont St Michel
$0.00
Activity Cycle Transit
$0.00 14.00 876.00
Accommodation Camp
Camping Gayeulles 		$
2019-06-27 : Train to Paris
Travel Train Nantes to Paris
Two options:
- TGV to Massy Palaiseau, which intersects with RER B, and is south of Paris near Orly airport.
- TGF to Paris Gare Montparnasse, which is CLOSE TO RER B Denfert-Rochereau Gare (but doesn't intersect), and is in south-central Paris. 		$0.00 Nantes Paris
Travel Train RER B to Ibis CDG
Use RER B to get to CDG. Mind the restrictions on bicycles on RER trains during rush-hour. $0.00 Massy Palaiseau or Montparnasse CDG
Activity Cycle Transit
$0.00 6.00 882.00
Accommodation Hotel ibis Styles Paris CDG
Price is for four people (4-adult suite) for three nights. $765.00 Paris CDG
2019-06-28 : Prep Day and Steph visit
Tip General Info Source Bike and Packing Boxes: Cartonland
Cartonland looks to sell bike boxes, and is somewhat accessible via RER B (not super accessible). We'd need the 60 pouces (1650x340x850) box. Note oversize and overweight guidelines for WestJet:
- 45kg constitutes overweight
- 115" total dimensions constitutes oversize

Get boxes from Cartonland ONLY if we need bike boxes from them. Otherwise the other options are more convenient. 		$0.00
Tip General Info Source Bike Boxes: Air France
Laura says Air France has boxes but will not guarantee them as it is first come first serve. $0.00
Tip General Info Source Bike Boxes: Reparateur de Bicyclettes
Second choice after Air France. Not sure they still sell boxes. $0.00
Tip General Info Source Packing Boxes: Flexi Stockage
$0.00
Tip General Info Source Packing Boxes: Media Boxes
$0.00
Tip Reminder Packing Materials

Get the packing materials 		Need:
- Moving boxes for non-bike stuff
- Bike boxes (hopefully not)
- Packing tape
- Sharpie
- Bubble wrap
- Padding for pokey bits. Laura says: I'd recommend padding for the derailleur - foam or something else, maybe bubble wrap, although the "pokey parts" of the derailleur might deflate the bubble wrap and negate the padding effect; you might want to take the chain off the cogs so it's got some slack (and possibly bring a spare chain), and also recommend pipe insulation for separating the handlebar from the main frame before taping them together to reduce scratches/fix the handlebar securely. I think the pedals can go in carry on? I am going to bring some padding for the crank as well probably. 		$0.00
Tip Reminder Westjet Bike Info

How to pack the bikes. 		WestJet web site says:

WestJet may refuse carriage of improperly packaged bicycles.

A bicycle must be packed flat in a bicycle bag or box.

Before flying with your bike, please:
- Remove pedals (Jorg says cranks too).
- Partially deflate your tires.
- Fix handlebars sideways.
- Pack the bicycle in a box or bag to protect your bike and prevent leakage from bicycles containing hydraulic fluid. 		$0.00
Accommodation Hotel
ibis Styles Paris CDG 		$
2019-06-29 : Prep Day 2 and Ian visit
Service Other Luggage wrapping
$0.00
Accommodation Hotel
ibis Styles Paris CDG 		$
2019-06-30 : Laura Leaves France Boo Hoo
Tip General Info CDG Map
See Map:
- Terminal 1: WestJet
- Terminal 3: Air Transat
- Terminal 2: ibis
- Roissypole Gare: In between Terms 3 and 2
- RER B stops at Term 1 & Term 2 		$0.00
Travel Flight Laura Flight Details
TS 409 Depart Sun, 30 Jun 2019, 10:30 $0.00 Paris CDG Vancouver YVR
Accommodation Hotel ibis Styles Paris CDG #2
Cost is for 3 people for one night $250.00 Paris CDG
2019-07-01 : Leave France Boo Hoo Two
Travel Flight Fly Home
WS 9: CDG to YYC, 14:20 (Ann, Brent, Rhonda)
WS 155: YYC to YEG, 21:00 (Brent, Rhonda) 		$0.00 Paris Edmonton / Calgary