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

Accommodation

Camp

Jarvis Bay Sylvan Lake

Cost for 10 people

292

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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.

2018-06-19: Mandatory Pre-Trip Day 1

Accommodation

Camp

Sunset Legion

Cost for 10 people

105

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Sunset Legion via Bentley

882

2018-06-20: Mandatory Pre-Trip Day 2

Accommodation

Camp

Wilson's Beach

Cost for 10 people

105

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Wilson's Beach via Bentley

882

2018-06-21: Mandatory Pre-Trip Day 3

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Jarvis Bay via Bentley

105

882

2019-01-27: The Touring Crew

2019-04-10: Hard-Copy Maps

2019-04-11: France and Canada Flags

2019-04-20: The Montague Twins!

2019-04-27: Veloria Luggage Trial

2019-04-28: Front Pannier Racks

2019-05-02: Re-Arranging Flights Home

2019-05-11: Training: Highway 66

2019-05-16: Packing Party

2019-05-29: Don't Miss in the Loire

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General Info

Souzay-Champigny
Between Tours and Angers

Medieval village, cave town

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Place du Martroi
Orleans

Just love this Place!!

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Giant Guitar
30km south of Nantes at Clisson

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Blois Old Town
Blois

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Mus�e 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.

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General Info

Mus�e des Beaux-Arts
Orl�ans

Orl�ans� five-level fine-arts museum is a treat, with an excellent collection of Italian, Flemish and Dutch paintings (including works by Correggio, Vel�zquez and Bruegel) as well as a huge collection of work by French artists such as L�on Cogniet (1794�1880), Orl�ans-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.

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Maison de la Magie
Blois

This museum of magic occupies the one-time home of watchmaker, inventor and conjurer Jean Eug�ne 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.

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Circuit 1

Partly using the great Loire � V�lo 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.

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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 Sabli�re, its caves concealing elaborate carvings in the rock, or the Bioparc de Dou� 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.

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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).

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Versailles

Train options to Versailles: either from Orleans, or from CDG.

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Goussainville
Ghost town near CDG

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Van Gogh, La nuit �toil�e

2019-05-30: Group Messages - Planning

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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 aVelo 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 ifthis 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, pleasesend 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 titledthe trip \"Loire a Velo\", our total route is actually more than that. Loire a Velo is a verybeautiful 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 entirenetwork of trails has been defined, not all of the route are finished. EuroVelo route 6 crossesEurope from east to west and is one of the most complete, and most popular routes. You can findmore 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 Seain the east, that's EV6.

EV6 crosses Europe, but the most popular sections are \"Loire a Velo\" and the \"Danube CycleTrail\" (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 aportion of this route from Nantes (near the west coast) to Orleans. We wished we could havedone more, but we had to get on over to Germany, so we used a train to get from Orleans toStrassbourg, France. We've been dying to go back - France, and the Loire Valley, were definitefavorites 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 atotal of 1055km. You can see the elevation profile (on the left) and it looks like there aretwo sections of climb, but overall downhill to the coast. I haven't yet figured out where wewould fly in and out (probably Paris?), or how to get from that place to the tour and back, sothe 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 deFrance (and you're absolutely welcome to do the same). 1055km in a month (mostly downhill)isn't so bad, right?

Velo Velo!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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...........

2019-05-31: Planning and Prep

Activity

Cycle

Basel to Nantes

105

882

Service

Rental

Bim Bim Bikes
Possible bike rental option

Service

Rental

Bike Hire Direct
Possible bike rental option

Service

Rental

Spin Lister
Promising rental options (individuals)

Service

Storage

Blue Marble in Paris
Luggage storage and shuttle services in Paris

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EuroVelo 6
Rhine to the Atlantic - pretty much our exact trip

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EuroVelo 6, France section

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EuroVelo 6: Loire Valley

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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 V�lodyss�e 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.

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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:

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03. Printed Materials for Loire

I already have this set of maps, which Brent and I used (some of) in 2015: EuroVelo 6It'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.

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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

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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

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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.

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Group Messages
Planning and prep e-mails sent to trip attendees.

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20. Sample Itinerary

NOTE that this is just a sample itinerary - the actual trip dates will be June 1-30

Date	Destination	Kms	Accommodation
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 V�lodyss�e: Ride to Pornic	40	?
May 22	La V�lodyss�e: Ride to La Barre-de-Monts	52	?
May 23	La V�lodyss�e: Noirmoutier par le Gois	45	Same as previous
May 24	La V�lodyss�e: Ride to Sables-d'Olonne	65
May 25	La V�lodyss�e: Return to La Barre-de-Monts	65
May 26	La V�lodyss�e: Return to Pornic	52
May 27	La V�lodyss�e: 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

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21. Route Specs - Loire

Where	Km	See?	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

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22. Route Specs - La V�lodyss�e

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.

Where	Km	Lav?
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

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Handy

Accueil Velo

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Handy

Loire Valley by Train

Thanks to the \"Train V�lo 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.

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To Do

Maps.me
Load required maps into Maps.me

2019-06-01: Head to France

Service

Other

Bike transport
Extra bags - $100\n
Bicycles - $100

100

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General Info

Get to the airport - RnB
Tannis driving us

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Travel Resource

Registration of Canadian Abroad

Travel

Flight

Laura Flight Details

TS 408, arriving CDG Sun, 02 Jun 2019, 08:50

Vancouver YVR

Paris CDG

Travel

Flight

Ann Flight Details

WS 80, YYC->YHZ->CDG arriving June 2, 10AM

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.

Calgary YYC

Paris CDG

2019-06-02: Stay Hotel Le Vert Galant

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

Villepinte

Activity

Cycle

CDG to Villepinte

119

882

Tip

Reminder

Find your friends
Ann, Brent & Rhonda are all arriving WestJet, Terminal 1. Laura is arriving Air Transat, Terminal 3.

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.

CDG

Villepinte

2019-06-03: Travel to Nevers

Accommodation

Camp

Camping in Nevers (map)

1.2km from the Gare (across the river)

Nevers

Activity

Cycle

Villepinte to Gare de Bercy

145

882

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.

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

Paris Bercy

Nevers

2019-06-04: Ride to Beffes

Accommodation

Camp

V�locamping 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.

Beffes

Activity

Cycle

Nevers to Beffes

184

882

Meal

Dinner

La Crozet des Chemines
Wonderful food and beautiful presentation. Super nice and friendly staff.

2019-06-05: Rainy rest day in Beffes

Accommodation

Camp

V�locamping de Charbrolles Beffes again

Activity

Tour

Beffes Cement Factory
Our campground proprietress, Sylvie, gave us a tour of the cement factory today. It was really interesting!

184

882

2019-06-06: Ride to Saint-Satur

Accommodation

Camp

Les Portes de Sancerre

St. Thibault

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Sancerre

220

882

2019-06-07: Ride to Briare

Accommodation

Camp

Les Martinettes , Briare

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Briare

270

882

2019-06-08: Ride to Sully

Accommodation

Camp

Jardin de Sully

Sully sur Loire

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Sully

313

882

2019-06-09: Ride to Jargeau

Accommodation

Camp

Isle aux Moulins, Jargeau

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Jargeau

343

882

2019-06-10: Ride to Olivet

Accommodation

Camp

Municipal Camping Olivet

Activity

Cycle

Cross-country to Municipal Camping Olivet
South of Orleans

368

882

2019-06-11: Ride to Beaugency

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Val de Flux

We stayed here in 2015 as well. I recognized it from the cycle path down to the campground

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Beaugency

405

882

2019-06-12: Ride to Val de Blois

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Val de Blois

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Val de Blois

451

882

2019-06-13: Ride to Chaumont sur Loire via Blois

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Municipal Grosse Gr�ve

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Chaumont sur Loire

477

882

Activity

Sight See

Ch�teau du Magie

477

882

2019-06-14: Ride to Bl�r�

Accommodation

Camp

Only Camp at Bl�r�

Activity

Cycle

Bl�r� via Chenonceau castle

517

882

Activity

Sight See

Chenonceau Castle

517

882

2019-06-15: Ride to la Ville aux Dames

Accommodation

Camp

Les Acacias at la Ville aux Dames

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Les Acacias at la Ville aux Dames

556

882

2019-06-16: Ride to Br�h�mont

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Loire et Ch�teau

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Br�h�mont

601

882

2019-06-17: Ride to Saumur

Accommodation

Camp

Camping de l�Isle d�Offard

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Saumur

655

882

2019-06-18: Rest day in Saumur

Accommodation

Camp

Camping de l�Isle d�Offard again

2019-06-19: Ride to St. Mathurin sur Loire

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Port la Vall�e

Activity

Cycle

Ride to St Mathurin

690

882

2019-06-20: Ride to La Possonni�re

Accommodation

Camp

Camping de la Possonni�re

Activity

Cycle

Ride to la Possonni�re

736

882

2019-06-21: Ride to Ancenis

Accommodation

Camp

Camping �le Mouchet

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Ancenis

787

882

2019-06-22: Ride to Thouar�-sur-Loire

Accommodation

Camp

Belle Rivi�re

Activity

Cycle

Ride to Thouar�-sur-Loire

819

882

2019-06-23: Errands and fun in Nantes

Accommodation

Hotel

Appart�City Confort Nantes

Activity

Cycle

Ride into, and around, Nantes

832

882

2019-06-24: Train to Rennes

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Gayeulles

Activity

Cycle

Transit

839

882

Travel

Train

To Rennes connecting in Redon

2019-06-25: Day in Rennes

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Gayeulles again

Activity

Cycle

Around Rennes

862

882

2019-06-26: Mont St Michel

Accommodation

Camp

Camping Gayeulles again

Activity

Cycle

Transit

876

882

Travel

Bus

SNCF Autobus to Mont St Michel

2019-06-27: Train to Paris

Accommodation

Hotel

ibis Styles Paris CDG

Price is for four people (4-adult suite) for three nights.

765

Paris CDG

Activity

Cycle

Transit

882

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.

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.

Massy Palaiseau or Montparnasse

CDG

2019-06-28: Prep Day and Steph visit

Accommodation

Hotel

ibis Styles Paris CDG again

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.

Tip

General Info

Source Bike Boxes: Reparateur de Bicyclettes

Second choice after Air France. Not sure they still sell boxes.

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.

Tip

General Info

Source Packing Boxes: Media Boxes

Tip

General Info

Source Packing Boxes: Flexi Stockage

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.

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.

2019-06-29: Prep Day 2 and Ian visit

Accommodation

Hotel

ibis Styles Paris CDG again

Service

Other

Luggage wrapping

2019-06-30: Laura Leaves France Boo Hoo

Accommodation

Hotel

ibis Styles Paris CDG #2

Cost is for 3 people for one night

250

Paris CDG

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

Travel

Flight

Laura Flight Details

TS 409 Depart Sun, 30 Jun 2019, 10:30

Paris CDG

Vancouver YVR

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)

Paris

Edmonton / Calgary