France by Bicycle | PART 1: THE LOIRE A VELO: SANCERRE

France by Bicycle | PART 1: THE LOIRE A VELO: SANCERRE
Bonjour from Roland & Julianna! It’s true! We’re back with another adventure, this time we’re bike touring France. Our plan is to do a big circle all around the country, taking a few weeks to savor the landscapes, the wine, and the food of this amazing country. In this chapter we begin near the source of the Loire River, and begin our trip down the Loire A Velo, one of the classic cycle touring rides in the world, let alone France. This time Victor and Nadia will join us for the first stretch of our French tour, the Loire Valley. Beginning in Nevers, we follow the Eurovelo 6 north, staying in Pouilly-sur-Loire, famous for its wine, and making the climb to Sancerre, a gorgeous hill-top village also known for it’s wine. I hope you enjoy the ride. We sure did!
Music:
Our French Cafe - Jimmy Fontanez / Media Right Productions
KZbin-AudioLibrary
Accordion and Glockenspiel Comedy - JK Productions
Pond Five
081716572-accordion-and-glockenspiel-com
a href="www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu..."Stock Music/a provided by JK_Production, from a href=“www.pond5.com/"Pond5/a
English Country Garden - Aaron Kenny
KZbin-AudioLibrary
Another Day - George Pauley
Pond Five
a href="www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu..."Stock Music/a provided by georgepauley, from a href=“www.pond5.com/"Pond5/a
Parisian Cafe - Aaron Kenny
KZbin-AudioLibrary
The Nymphaneum Part III - Angelwing
www.freemusicpublicdomain.com...

[@sammyg4242]

Your videos brought it all back for us. My wife and I started out in Budapest on Aug 3 and ended up in St Brevins Les Pins on Sept 17, 2023. By my best estimates we we missed you by a year and 5 days (If you toured in 2022) I kept saying, "we saw that!" We only had time to make it down the coast to St Gilles Croix de Vie. We are going back this summer for more bicycle touring in France. It's the best! Thanks for your inspiration. -another retired couple.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

What a great trip that must've been! We rode the Danube in 2019, only from Donauschingen to Vienna, but it seems like there's not a bad spot on that entire route. We hope to ride from Amsterdam to Venice late summer/fall. Enjoy your ride! France is awesome for cycling.

[@dondonner1095]

Wow, I have avoided watching this series because I drool over your adventures and sometimes over Julianna. Ha. Glad I am catching up with you again.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Ha! Good to see you back on the trail!

[@marksip01234]

I cycled from Dieppe to Provence last month (albeit train from Paris - Macon) for a week's cycling with my club. Absolutely fantastic, beautiful country

[@TheBicycleTourists]

That sounds like an amazing trip. Just curious - did you cycle across the Massif Central or around it?

[@Mike-vd2qt]

Nice, thanks! My wife and I will binge watch your trip :-) We rode along the Eurovelo 15 route. With only two weeks to ride we train hopped ahead sometimes to get from Switzerland into Amsterdam. We loved riding in Europe, a baguette, cheese, wine, fruit for lunches, perfect.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Awesome! We hope to ride from Amsterdam to Italy next spring using a variety of routes including the EV15. I agree, riding in Europe is a dream.

[@dhuggins5214]

Good to “see you” again. What a wonderful journey. Great editing, and you have that calming perfect voice in all your videos. Looking forward to all the episodes.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for your kind words, D!

[@alethearobinson8132]

YAY. Bonjour. Happy to see you both back in the saddle. Travel well.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for joining us for another trip!

[@missalanaciera]

The commentary on these videos is absolutely top notch 🤭🤌🏼 just love watching your adventures unfold!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Alana! That means a lot!

[@williamberliant8145]

Love it. You two got me off the couch. That's a miracle.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hey, it's hard sometimes!

[@daved2115]

Good god they're at it again! Look forward to this next adventure.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Haha. Here we go again.

[@YT-Viewer]

This is great. Just discovered your channel.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Awesome! Welcome aboard!

[@laurippt]

Beautiful! Glad to be watching another of your adventures!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Welcome back Lauri!

[@telepopepic]

Glad you’re continuing your cycling adventures.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Of course! Keep on keepin' on!

[@tonypaddler]

Great video, very well presented and narrated 👍

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Tony! Very much appreciated!

[@gaileenross953]

Great to have you back. My Saturday mornings have not been the same without your Videos. I am cycling the full EuroVelo 6 this year, starting on the Atlantic at the end of March, so really looking forward to following you.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Wow. I would love to do the whole EV6. We followed the Danube a couple years back, and that was amazing as well.

[@dimrub]

@@TheBicycleTourists Here's to the EV6 fan club! Me and my son are doing it bit by bit, so far we did Mulhouse to Vienna, and 6 weeks from now it's Saint Brevin Les Pins to Mulhouse (and maybe Strasbourg), so I'm very curious about the terrain you covered on this trip.

[@Emma-uk6eg]

😊😊😊

[@Emma-uk6eg]

@@TheBicycleTouristserert

[@PumpkinVillage]

Glad to see your France adventure videos. What a beautiful country. Thanks for the video and take care, Al

[@TheBicycleTourists]

So many great places to discover in this world!

[@bwilsonduncan]

Good show!!!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you!

[@dragoclarke9497]

Very nice video, makes me want to jump on the bike and ride to France. I did laugh when you said its windy at15mph. I live in the North East of England where 15mph is a calm day. I think I was 20 years old before I realised all trees don't grow at a 45 degree angle..... 😊

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you, France is amazing! We live in Colorado, where wind is not a huge issue unless its a tornado. As we've aged we don't aim for hills, or wind, but you know, you take what you get on the road! Hope to ride UK soon! Hope we get it on a calm day.

[@e-BikeLife]

I have been waiting for this series, but somehow missed the beginning episodes. France is our favorite country (well... maybe after the Netherlands when it comes to being on a bike) and look forward to experiencing some of our fave spots with you as well as new.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for joining us! I've done a very little bit of riding in the Netherlands and would love to do more. But France, wow!

[@moraes_m6187]

Watching this made me realise that Loire a velo is one of my dreams in life. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Awesome! Hope you get a chance to explore it soon!

[@bjornjensen3382]

Greetings from Sweden ❤️🇸🇪 Really glad we found your KZbin channel. We are a married couple (57 & 54) from the southern part (Scandia) of Sweden about 50 km north of Malmoe. We have been traveling to Greece and camping with our kids for 25 years. Now that the kids don’t want to travel or camp with us anymore the trips are that fun anymore. After our vacation at Greek island Lemnos this summer (just the two of us) we felt that we need some new inspirations. We used the rest of the vacation (in Sweden we have 5 weeks payed vacation every year 😊) to take day trips around the south. We where in the southeastern part where there is many tourists and just looking around, go for a day at the beach etc when we noticed that we saw bicycle tourists at many places and they almost always looked so glad! Had a quick talk with a Dutch family and they told us about their adventure. One the way home we talked a little about it, but my wife said we are to old😢…. So I thought to my self that maybe I can find something on KZbin? And did I😮 Then I have search for people that around our age and looked what they have done, and I really started to get curious about bicycle touring. Then I found Ryan Van Duzers KZbin channel and man he really opened my eyes, and on top of that he cycled Sweden top to bottom and had been living here as an student……a few minutes from us😮. I love to watch him and see his adventures and attitude, energy and positivity. Like a nuclear power plant 😃 The other day I found you guys on KZbin. Started to watch the France tour and just fell I love with you two. So know we are starting to read up and search for stuff that can help us towards our first tour next summer. It will be in Sweden and maybe over to Norway (my home country). We are also planning to take our dog Sandy with us. She is a Bordercollie that loves to come with us. Then we need a wagon for her, but a know my wife well so that’s it hove it gonna be 😅 We are going to look at some bicycles soon. A real jungle and hard to decide what’s best for us. Some cost 600-700 up to 2000 and more…. Hope you think it’s ok with this “letter”, but it feels good to say things to you guys then people around us. Most of them can not understand why we want to do this. Why punish yourself they say. Tell them what I saw this summer and about people I saw on KZbin and of course you guys. The decision is easy for us. We want to live and feel life more. Not just be apart of the ever spinning stress and tempo that you feel all the time. Just do it our way😊 Take care & happy trails from us in Stehag (small spot on the map). It would be great to hear back from you😊 /Susanne & Bjoern

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Good morning Bjoern and Susanne, from Colorado, USA! What a lovely letter, we so appreciate it. I love hearing from faraway places especially! I think it's awesome that you both have discovered bike touring, and look forward to hearing about your adventures next year. For the right personality, it is definitely addicting, and once you start it continues to pull at you. I hope you both will find that you love it. And you certainly are far from being "too old". It can be intimidating at first, so much to pack, so much to ask of your body, and so many unknowns, but once you begin, all those cares melt away and you find yourself in a beautiful flow, through a beautiful world filled with surprise, adventure, and beauty. There is a big reason why you see such happiness on the faces of bike tourists. There is simply nothing like it. By the way, Ryan Van Duzer lives only a few miles from me here in Colorado, I should connect with him some time. He is exactly what you said, a real inspiration! Good luck with your future endeavors!

[@bjornjensen3382]

@@TheBicycleTourists Good Saturday morning. Thanks a million for your answer❤️ That gives me even more energy and boost to plan ahead even more. This weekend we are going to a wedding (oh yes, free bar 🍻). My wife’s sister’s daughter. Next generation are hooking up now, but fewer and fewer choose to get married now. Guess it’s “development”!?… Next weekend we are going to a huge bike store and look at equipment. Important to find a good trailer for Sandy and of course bikes 😬 I think you makes excellent movies and I have no experience with that. Any tips to what to use for a beginner? I’m also curious to know if there are plans to go out again soon on a journey. Ever thought about Scandinavia? Beside dreaming about bike touring I have a small company and work as an consultant for Bosch PT (business operations, SAP system specialist) and my wife as an kindergarten teacher. Have 4 children, two at home and two moved out. Have great weekend and take care. /Bjoern

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hey Bjorne, happy Saturday morning. My daughter’s boyfriend just proposed, I’m thrilled. You’re right, marriage is becoming outdated. I’m off in a week to a short ride in Slovenia with my three grown children. Next year (spring?) we are planning a trip from Amsterdam to Venice, or something similar. Someday I hope to do some kind of Baltic tour, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, etc. Im concerned that I will not outlive my dreams of all the places I want to see! You all are younger, as close to Ryan Van Doozer’s age as you are to ours perhaps. I waited too long I suppose to take up this “hobby”, but savor every moment on the bike. I’m glad that the two of you are starting out earlier than we did! I have little advice for filming other than that it takes A LOT of time, I couldn’t do it if I wasn’t retired and also I had a career in advertising that gave me a head start. But the value of having video memories is priceless, even if you don’t want to make it a big deal, you simply shoot with iPhone or GoPro and edit with iMovie and go from there. Enjoy your weekend!

[@bjornjensen3382]

@@TheBicycleTourists Good Sunday morning. We had a fantastic day at the wedding. The weather here now in September are better then we had in whole July almost. So there was a perfect sunny day with temperatures over 80 F. The dress code was “summer casual” so I did not have to have a tie or suit. Thank you for that 😅 My wife held a tear dripping speech and I was so proud of here. Then it was a very relaxed evening with allot of good talks. We will see if we are to film. Allot of work! Would be fun I guess.. Congratulations for the proposal. Love concur everything ❤️ I have about ten years to my retirement. Starting to look forward to that. My oldest brother (born 1962) are planning early retirement next year or 2025. He has worked at the same company since 1981. Guess he is fed up now 😉😬 Soon I’m taking my road bike out for a ride. It’s an Merida and I’m starting to get around better now with speed, gears and technique. My bike buddy comes home from Greece tomorrow. He is an experienced biker and helps me allot. Have a lovely Sunday 🌞 /Bjoern

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hey Bjoern, a gray and cool Sunday here. I am leaving for Slovenia in less than a week. I seemed to have broken a toe (or just severely jammed) a few days back, its getting better and plan to ride today to make sure I can do it with this toe. They say riding with a broken toe is not so bad, and a short cruise around the block yesterday seems to confirm that. Congrats to your brother, I'm sure he will enjoy it!

[@ericschmit364]

Production quality is exceptional! Excited to follow along. Safe Travels!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Eric! Much appreciated! Glad to have you along!

[@Biking360]

I knew this was going to be good :)

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks J, we had a great time there for sure!

[@HackHunter1835]

Welcome back R&J Looking forward to watching this France bike tour. It was kind of cool last year watching you guys trek across the US, especially when you were in the Midwest riding the same trails i ride every summer. Be safe out there.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Welcome back to you as well!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Hey guys, glad you guts are back, looking forward to your journey!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Glad to have you back, Dennis!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

@@TheBicycleTourists yes, I'll be watching

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Your welcome

[@ec-bi2ok]

Super excited to watch your adventure through France!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Glad to have you join us!

[@eff6582]

Bonjour, That's it, this is the end of Loire. I want it to be longer, your company is so great! Merci

[@TheBicycleTourists]

No worries, we kept going.

[@cowichanguy5968]

Still loving your videos.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks! I still love making them! (Especially the actual riding part)

[@danshelly1]

Really interesting. You give such a great taste of what to expect. I take it that you have a camera mounted on your handlebars that you can swivel to different angles? How do you keep wind noise out of your sound?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hi Dan, thanks for the comments. Julianna mounts her GoPro on handlebars, I've opted for a hand-held mount so I can point it in any direction, and get a more fluid camera motion. It does mean I have to ride with one hand, which can be tricky when weighted down. I found a foam kind of case for the GoPros that does a pretty good job with wind noise, and a mic with a dead cat for my iPhone, but it still can be an issue, especially with gravel.

[@atmrtwbike]

Absolutely love Switzerland! I haven't cycled there - YET! But I can't wait to do it. Can't wait to make my way through this series.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Switzerland has the most incredible bike trail system. And an e-bike route that has charging stations and takes you, I believe through the Bernese Oberland. Sounds incredible!

[@bruceprigge5212]

Thank you ! 😊

[@TheBicycleTourists]

You're welcome!

[@tomm8660]

Another great start! Are you carrying a drone with you on this trip or did you use some stock footage for the aerial shots of Sancerre?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes, I did use a drone this time, at least for the first few episodes.

[@sigieric]

Thank you for the great views I love your adventure

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I'm so glad you enjoy it, Eric, Thank you!

[@TerrapinCyclist]

Sorry I missed your return, but so glad you’re back! Production and narration - the best. Looking forward to the tour :-)

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for the kind words, John!

[@colinwellman9480]

Nice video. I saw it on the Facebook group and I'm glad you posted it. I've not done the upper Loire and your film has sparked my desire to visit this year. I've subscribed so I look forward to further episodes. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Colin! We appreciate it!

[@juliannahenley4921]

Thank you for following us. Enjoy the adventure!

[@pmerew8423]

This is fantastic! As a cycling Denverite myself and a francophile, I can only hope to do a similar trip. Happy trails!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Awesome! I think there are so many ways to see France by bike, so many regions, that you really can't go wrong. See you on the Platte, or Cherry Creek, or (hopefully soon) Lookout Mountain!

[@CityWalks]

This is a dream trip for me. I have so many more questions. Thanks for this -H

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Ask away!

[@CityWalks]

@@TheBicycleTourists Awesome. Thanks. 1. Did you go in late August or September? 2. Did you have special bags for checking your bikes in the airplane? 3. It seems like you were able to find rooms at the last minute fairly easily. Was that the case? Did you use anything other than Komoot to navigate the route? Working my way through the series. Thanks for the response. -H

[@CityWalks]

Also, what cameras did you use? I saw a gopro. Did you have a dslr at all? Thanks!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

1. Late August into September. 2. Yes, bike bags but don't remember the brand. 3. Usually booked early afternoon, only had an issue once or twice. Never went without a room.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Nope, just iPhones and GoPros!

[@philpjm6659]

Superbly filmed and narrated. I will be following the Loire Valley next May from source to sea, so you have really got my " wheels turning " for this adventure. Please could you tell me what brand of front pannier racks you were both using, did you find any issues with the bags being mounted quite high up? Kind regards and keep up the great work.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello and thanks for the comments. My front rack brand is RackTime, not sure of Julianna's at this time as she has since traded her bike in for another. I would prefer a lower mount but just haven't gotten around to changing it; I carry a fair amount of weight typically but have never really sensed an issue.

[@RichardWright3450]

Great to have you back!! My Fridays are now restored. Look forward to your rich narration and joint adventures. Did I miss it - but what month are you traveling in? When we were in Germany a few years back we looked at the bike paths and thought "we have to come back and ride them". But, so far no luck so we will watch and envy you in France.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello again! We arrived in Zurich for this trip in late August, and spent a bit less than two months cycling France. You definitely should go back to those bike trials, Germany is so full of bike paths and excellent infrastructure, but so is Austria, Switzerland, and come to find out, France as well. Nobody in Europe thinks it's unusual or unbelievable that you are riding long distances, everywhere you go you see people loaded down riding, families with small kids, it's a completely different world.

[@patriciamedalha1590]

Hello! Just bumped into your videos!! Very nice!! Me and my husband live in Brasil, and next week we will be riding from London to Paris through the Loire valley, and your videos helped a lot!!! One question: where Did your wife buy her hat? It is used with a helmet right? Love it! Subscribed, shared video, everything!!!! Congrats!!!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Well thank you so much Patrica! You made our day. Julianna found that at a local bike store here in the U.S. It's called "DaBrim" and is easily found online. Enjoy your ride!

[@patriciamedalha1590]

Thank you for answering, very kind!!!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

You bet! Kind is where it's at!

[@lesleykenwood2715]

I noticed you used bike bags instead of cardboard. May I inquire what brand?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Sorry, I don't remember. Their up in storage or I'd look it up.

[@leberrylibre1]

It's quite unbelievable, I fall on your video, and I live in Nevers. ... Next month I will in San Antonio to see the eclipse. You should have asked. Me where the trial start, I know perfectly 😂 but you made a mistake, the river under "le pont canal" is not the Loire , but "l'Allier" , the Loire is a bit further.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes, we were quite confused, and we got several different directions from the locals. I think it was the only time on the entire trip where we were lost (not really "lost" but definitely confused. Had we only known you were there! Yes, I discovered the Le Pont Canal mistake at some point after making the video. Enjoy the eclipse, it should be fabulous!

[@skigirl8450]

What month did you complete your France bicycle tour?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

We finished in mid-October.

[@alanparnass]

Do you ever come to Vail? Would love to meet in person and exchange stories. We are planning our fourth biking adventure to France for six weeks in the fall.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Sure we get up there from time to time. My daughter lives up in Glenwood, so we're usually passing through. Perhaps next weekend, if we get lucky and I-70 doesn't close. In any case, always good to chat with like-minded folks! Where are you planning to tour in France?

[@alanparnass]

@@TheBicycleTourists Tried sending email to your You Tube channel business account. Did you receive it?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Don't think so, not sure where to find email on my KZbin channel (?)

[@frankducett9]

Screw the training. If we train to much we get to fast and then things go by to fast. Go slow and enjoy.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yeah, you will get there on way or another.