info@french-biketours.com
Highlights :
Biking a part of the famous ‘Loire à Velo’ route through the world famous ‘Pays des Châteaux’, the most splendid cultural part of the Loire Valley. Cycle past the magnificent castles of Blois, Amboise, Villandry…. Cross the Anjou-Touraine natural reserve with its beautiful wild river landscapes, and take the opportunity to stop during the day to taste some of the excellent wines of the region. We advise you to extend your stay in order to take the time to visit the beautiful city of Saumur.
The total ‘Loire à Vélo’ route runs from Nevers to ‘l'Océan‘, let's say from ‘source' to mouth. The route can be divided into 3 various stages which can also be booked separately. You can add additional detours during this trip.
You independently travel to Blois. If you have time to spare take a walk around the town which is known for its pale-coloured stone facades and slate roofs, its pedestrian streets gracefully preserving the flavour of lost centuries and its serene atmosphere. Also worth a visit is the Royal Chateau de Blois, the residence of several French kings, and a perfect example of the evolution of French architecture between the Middle Ages and 17th century.
From Blois you follow the southern bank of the Loire. Between rolling hills covered with vineyards you cycle to Cande-sur-Beuvron. Cycle back along the Beuvron to the majestic Loire. High on the bank is the elegant castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire surrounded by beautiful gardens. You are in the historic region of Touraine. Visit a wine grower and taste a local ‘sauvignon blanc´. Enjoy the grandeur of the Château Amboise and Clos-Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci once stayed. There are some short climbs on the way.
Challenge : 42.2 km, 204 m ascent, 209 m descent
Leave the medieval atmosphere of Amboise behind you and cycle to the famous “Château de Chenonceau” which straddles the Cher River with its five distinctive arches. It was this chateau which was given by King Henri II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers and later recovered, after his death, by his widow Queen Catherine de Médicis. Continue your cycling day to the region of the prestigious ´Montlouis’ wines. The ideal microclimate, close to where the Loire and Cher unite, produces grapes of a unique quality. Discover this for yourself during a visit to a wine cellar or a lunchbreak. A fine track leads to Tours, the friendly capital of what is called ´the garden of France'. Here great experiences are awaiting you, like a visit to the magnificent cathedral and basilica, the Olivier Debré Art Centre, the Botanical Garden or one of the many markets...
Challenge : 55.4 km, 212m ascent, 226m descent
This beautiful stage takes you first along the south bank of the romantic Cher river to the picturesque village of Savonnières, known for its caves and underground lake. Not many kilometers later you reach Villandry. Visit the palatial castle of the same name with its world-famous gardens and refined interior which gives a good impression of the French 'art de vivre' in the 18th century. Continue to Azay-le-Rideau and its beautiful castle. Later you will again join the river Loire, from the high bank you have beautiful views of the river and its islands full of water birds. Passing in front of the Château of Rigny-Ussé (The Sleeping Beauty) before reaching Huismes, your final destination for today.
Challenge : 57.4 km, 215m ascent, 179m descent
Enjoy the magnificent panoramas as you ride to the lovely Candes-St-Martin where the Vienne and Loire confluent. This is Anjou, known for its wines and troglodytes. From Fontevraud, choose the track close to the Loire or follow the higher, more exciting but also more strenuous track through the vineyards, both end at the castle of Saumur.
Challenge : 54.4 km, 482m ascent, 531m descent
Breakfast marks the end of the trip. Have you got some time left? then visit the equestrian town of Saumur, the home base of the prestigious riding academy the Cadre Noir, where the elite of French horsemen are trained. Enjoy the beautiful houses with their white tuffeau stone facades in the town centre and admire the proud castle and the many other beautiful classified monuments. We advise you to extend your stay in order to take the time to visit the beautiful city of Saumur.
All accommodations are carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services.
We choose comfortable 2*/3* and B&Bs where all rooms have private en-suite bathrooms and every morning breakfasts are included.
For this trip you can choose between Comfort and Comfort +. The accommodations for a Comfort+ trip, will be in 3*/4 * hotels wherever possible (supplement applied).
If you don’t bring your own, you can rent a bicycle (hybrid or ebike) from us. You will find your rental bikes waiting for you at your first hotel. The hotel reception staff will give you the keys for your bikes and direct you to the bicycle shed. All bikes are provided with chain locks. The frame and saddle height are set to your height, although you might want to adjust your saddle to be in the most comfortable position. We also recommend doing a first small test drive of couple of hundred meters to be comfortable with gears, brakes etc. If you have an issue with your bike, you can contact the service provider (name of bike rental in your reservation) directly. Or you can always call us on our emergency phone number.
Our hybrid touring bikes are at least 21-speed gear. You can find all the information regarding our rental bikes below.
Experience the advantages of an electric bike on your cycling holiday, particularly when there's a significant gap in ability and experience among cyclists. An e-bike provides a gentle boost up hills, allowing you to easily keep pace with your companions. With a small electric motor and battery, e-bikes make bike trips more achievable, and their batteries can be conveniently charged at hotels. While you still need to pedal, the e-bike significantly reduces the effort required. Familiarity with e-bikes is advised due to their quicker acceleration and heavier build compared to regular bikes, attributed to the electric motor.
Please note: Depending on the trip, different models apply
Our hybrid bikes have at least 21-gears with hand brakes.
The hybrid bikes are very good quality. Depending the trip, different model apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...
Whenever there is a big difference in level of ability, experience the many benefits of an electric bike on your cycling holiday. An e-bike will help you keep up with your fellow cyclists and give you a gentle boost up hills. An e-bike makes a bike trip more achievable. The e-bikes have a small electric motor and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric motor.
The E-bikes are very good quality. Depending on the trip, different models apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...
For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Racing bike, more details on request.
For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Tandem bike, suitable for two adults only. More details on request.
For children who are at least 125 cm, we can also arrange bikes (these are 24”or 26” for children that are bigger than 140 cm). The child bikes come with at least 7-gears and hand brakes. The maximum body height for a child’s bike is 155 cm.
Please note: for some tours, different models apply.
A tag-along bike is a good option for children between approx. 100 cm and 125 cm, as they can pedal themselves and at their own pace but don’t have to worry about other traffic.
The tag-along bikes cannot be rented for all our tours
Please note: depending the trip, different models apply.
Child trailers can be rented for a maximum of two children who are up to 100 cm (max. 35 KG in total).
Please note: for some tours, different models apply.
All our rental bikes come with a bell.
All our adult bikes come with hand brakes.
For children older than 30 months (max. 22 kg) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.
For some tours, it is possible to rent a GPS device, more details on request.
Helmets are not mandatory in France (if the cyclist is over 12 years old) but strongly recommended. The helmet is mandatory for children under 12 years. If you rent a bike with us, helmets are included. Please advise us, if you bring along your own.
All our rental bikes come with lights.
All our rental bikes come with a lock.
All our rental bikes come with at least a rear pannier and with a handlebar bag to put a roadbook/map if you wish.
The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals. On request we are able to supply these pedals on certain trips.
If you wish to bring your own click-in/SPD pedals, please let us know prior to booking too.
All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars.
There is one small puncture kit included, which can be found in the pannier. If a rental bike has another problem, we always advise you to go to a bike repair shop.
Saddles can be adjusted in height.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover. If you usually cycle with this, we recommend you bring them with you.
French Bike Tours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive at least 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.
Article 1 Bike Rental Price
The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the French Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.
Article 2 Payment
a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.
b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, French Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.
c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.
Article 3 Rental Period
a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (last cycling day), as stated in the booking confirmation.
b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.
c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.
d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip.
e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).
f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. French Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.
Article 4 Improper Use
a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.
b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.
c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.
d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.
Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft
The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.
Article 6 Costs During the Rental Period
Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs.
5 Nights icluded
2/3 Star Hotels and B&B or 3/4 Star Hotels (supplement applied)
Tourist tax included
Breakfast included, Halfboard optional on request
Maps and tourist information on all the places of interest
24/7 Bilingual Emergency hotline
Luggage transport to your next accommodations. Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (20 kg maximum)
For time tables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
We strongly advise you to download the sncf mobile app prior to departure. If you want to travel on a train with your bike, you can find more information via this link.
Parking information on request
We will supply the directions of this trip with a personalized code which gives you access to the navigation App of Ride with GPS.
The international Paris airports Charles de Gaulle in the North and Orly in the South are served by a large number of scheduled and low cost airlines.They are connected with Paris by metro and bus services. From Paris you can take a train to Blois, see below.
You can get to Blois by train. On the end of your trip you can take a train from Saumur.
For timetables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
From Paris to Blois (approx. 2h - 185 km/115 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website Via Michelin.
Hotel Anne d'anjou was fantastic! It would be good to know about the entourage in place due to flooding, which is significant in the loire region at the moment.
Mary H.
Off the main roads biking
The outstanding accommodation is easy for us to identify and that was at La Chancellerie. Claire was a fantastic hostess and provided us with first class food and conversation. Our room was the best we had for our entire trip - we felt like we really were staying in a chateau. For the route, going through the small villages was a treat. We ate our lunches at boulangeries for the trip and this was a match for our dream of the bike trip. Chateau de Chenonceau was probably one of our favourite chateaux along the Loire. We also enjoyed seeing the “caves” along the way and the view from the top of the hill near Chinon was incredible - a lot of elevation on that last day but totally worth it!
On day one we were not given e-bikes which are what we had reserved and paid for. We were asked to ride regular bikes for day one, but turned this down. The substitute rental bikes we received from the other company were very good and the service they provided was excellent including them agreeing to pick up the bikes from our last hotel in Saumur.
Jeremy T.
55, rue Saint Jacques
24540 Monpazier
France
info@french-biketours.com
+33 (0)5 53 24 22 10
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