France - Writing

The descent into France from the Pyrenees was possibly the best hour of riding in my life. This winding, steady path changed my view on downhill riding. For over a hour, rarely touching our brakes, we cruised along deep curves that led us into the beautiful countryside of France. Forests and little towns surrounded us as we made our way toward Toulousse. Our first stop after 140k was at a family owned property/business with campsites, yurts, canoeing, kayaking, high ropes courses; something so similar to what Ryan and I talk about running ourselves one day. We would have stayed for a day on the river if the clouds hadn't rolled in, opting instead to ride when the sun wasn't so intense.
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France - Pictures

Best descent ever... One hour without pedaling down the Pyrenees from Andorra.


Along the Canal du Midi

Toulousse.

Where are we exactly and where are we going to stay?

Chinese Buffet... Try ordering fried rice in French when you know 5 words.

Nicolas Poussin... aka Lisa's brother CJ

Riding down the Canal du Midi

Locks on the canal

Flat, shady and beautiful riding

Our own 16th century manor for the night

Carcassone! Like disney land without the dwarves

Great place to wander around.

Old Roman bridge in Carcassone.

The trail getting a little tight on the canal. Lost the rest of the tourists though!

Dodging rain under a bridge eating fresh bread, pear jam and butter.

This floating barge on the canal is actually the local market.

Another small canal town.

Getting close to the Med at the bottom of the canal. Skinny tires not a good idea.

After over a week of riding along the canal, we finally reached the Med!

The ancient town of Arles, France

Who needs Rome?

Leaving Arles, and the awful Mistral winds behind via the train. They asked where we wanted to go and we replied, "where ever the winds are not!"

Small world! Lisa's friend Steph from Colorado in Avignon! What are the chances?

Relaxing on the steps of a medieval church in Cremieu, France

Entering the upper Rhone valley. Wine anyone?

View from the tower in Morestel, France

Riding the Rhone river

And the amazing bike path alongside it. No cars allowed!

Not a bad spot to cook and camp

Girona through Andorra, my favorite ride yet!

It has been so long since we have updated this blog! Apologies....but the good news (or bad if we start writing too much of course:-) is that we finally have our own computer, own keyboard, and will only need to find internet to post pictures and writings of our adventures. This also means we now have skype for anyone who wants to chats. I'm quite excited!

As 2 months have passed since we last shared our story, I must go back in time and try to recollect my thoughts and memories. For any riders who are looking for a future biking trip in Europe, I would highly highly recommend Girona, Spain to Andorra. First off, Girona is simply amazing! Another walled city lined with cobbled streets, lined with shops and restaurants along the river running through town. I can see why Lance Armstrong has spent much of his time training there. As we left our camera on a park bench, we shifted plans and decided to head to Andorra. This would get us over the Pyrenees as well. I love to climb oddly enough:-)2 days of riding west of Ginora, we stopped in Ripoll at the officina de tourismo (they are so resourceful), and the women working suggested we ride through the more difficult, quieter hills for better views, small towns and less traffic. Wow! We are now in Austria and it is still the ride that stands out in my mind the most.
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Andorra Pictures

Val de Incles - Andorra

Riding up to the passover over the Pyrenees with a storm rolling in.