France by Bicycle | PART 25: LE MAGNIFIQUE RHÔNE

Waking up in Tain l’Hermitage, we cross the Rhône on the spectacular Marc Seguin footbridge and then follow the ViaRhôna, through orchards and beneath hillsides covered in vineyards. The trees are ablaze with the autumn colors as we make our way north. There is little to report along this stretch, just the kind of non-stop views of that magnificent French scenery everyone hopes to find here, and a serene, dreamy day. An afternoon shower graces our route as we make our way into Condrieu. A spectacular day of riding.
Music:
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
June 21 - Victor Lundberg
Epidemic Sound
Rainy Birthday - Aluvio
Epidemic Sound
Silent Way - Candelion
Epidemic Sound
In Bloom - Victor Lundberg
Epidemic Sound

[@Austromark]

A circular flow of pushing energy out and taking the beauty in.❤

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yep! We just eat it up!

[@thattravellingguy]

Although, belated now, A very happy birthday to you Roland. And how can I not wish Julianna too. May you both be blessed with health, wealth and prosperity every year.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you so much! And right back at you!

[@garyseckel295]

That was as good and beautiful as any cycling video could possibly be! Loved all that SO beautiful filmed scenery! And: Yellow flowers, with a honeybee out making a living, and those raindrop circles on glass smooth water! Thank you two so much for SUCH sharing of your scenic adventures!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you so much Gary! I feel that as long as you put yourself out there, beauty surrounds you. It's worked for us so far, there is stunning beauty everywhere you go. It's all about opening your eyes (and your lens!)

[@lgrobby2144]

Roland you were definitely in fine form today. Your videos are pure bliss. They exude the happiness that surrounds you both.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Ahhh, thank you! Without a doubt, this (anywhere on an open road on our bicycles) is our happy place!

[@lesleykenwood2715]

A very happy special birthday to you Roland. Wishing you many more wonderful adventures 🚲❣️🥐🍫🍂🌹

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Leslie, i appreciate that!

[@eff6582]

Bonjour, what a beautiful part, like you, I love the smells of nature in this period !

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yep, the smells, the sounds, the tastes, the sights. I love the ways nature surrounds you!

[@HackHunter1835]

"Lets go chase our dreams" How often do people get to say that? I couldnt think of a better way to do it than by bike. Just like you mention "smells of the forest" I too love smells of the outdoors when i ride, its almost like getting a high from it. For me it was commuting to my job for 12 years, smelling the fireplaces in the winter time while going thru residential areas. Riding by Burger King and smelling those flame broiled hammies! Cutting thru the park in the summer time smelling the cookouts from people at the picnic tables. Oh the small things in life, i know lol Roland, your narrating throughout these videos is like listening to my Priest on Sundays. When you speak im locked into what your saying. Au revoir mon amis.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Ahh thanks! Yes indeed, riding on a bike awakens all the senses. That is some good imagery you're bringing up there. If Imagery is the right word for smells. And like you say, the smell of woodsmoke in winter, or cookouts in summer, those senses get you in touch with the world around you. What a beautiful thing.

[@RufusAstra]

I absolutely love your narrative. Makes one pause for thought and look to see what the day might bring. Happy trails.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Rufus! Appreciate you following along!

[@alethearobinson8132]

Happy Birth-Day Roland. Another enjoyable video. I was in Pt Angeles, WA yesterday and dropped into the Bike Garage. This is where Juliana bought her Da Brim. The owners remembered you both and say "Hi" 🤗🌞🚴‍♀️

[@TheBicycleTourists]

How cool is that? Thanks for doing that, Alethea! I will look for their email and tell them hi!

[@belladrayven]

I was just up there last week!! I didn't know that was where Julianna bought her hat! :) Small world!

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Salut R&J, Once again Komoot did a brilliant job navigating the two of you thru scenic country roads. Wishing you and Julianna (and to your American followers) a happy, joyful ✨💫Independence Day ✨⭐️ 🥂🍾

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks! And also, thanks for the great statue!

[@dondonner1095]

These videos make my Fridays very enjoyable. Thanks and Happy Birthday. Mine is in two days but I have a few years on you.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for the birthday wishes. And Happy birthday to you Don!

[@colinwellman9480]

In your text you say little to report on the ride but I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a place to have a picnic! I also know it as Virginia Creeper and we have it on one wall of our house. Friends told me 'get rid of it or it'll damage the joints in the stone'. I didn't, figuring it's been there a long time and our 130 year old house hasn't fallen down yet. Your comment ' build it and they'll come is very true and the French were far seeing and planned these routes long before e-bikes were around. We see more and more people touring on e-bikes so the trails laid down are paying off. I'm sure you're both tired at this stage of your long tour and longing for home. Here is one happy viewer that will miss new episodes when you get to the end. Many thanks for sharing your trip.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Sorry but French weren’t “far seeing”. 1994, Danemark National cycle routes network inspired the creation of 🇪🇺Eurovélo routes. Founding fathers of 🇪🇺Vélo are Jens Erik Larsen🇩🇰 Rein Lepik 🇪🇪 Chris Heymans 🇳🇴 Richard König 🇩🇪 under the European Union-Brussels umbrella.

[@colinwellman9480]

@@cyclistefroisse9267 I'm sure you are correct, my comment concerned France and french tracks. Routes have been in place in France for years, often just at a departmental level. The Eurovelo system has joined up many of these existing routes. I'm certainly not saying the Eurovelo was a French creation. My point was that 20 years ago we had the routes and comparatively few people used them. Today it's very different and tens of thousands of bikes use them every day. Roland's comment 'build it and they'll come' was spot on. Thanks for broadening my knowledge, as they say 'everyday is a school day'. 👍

[@TheBicycleTourists]

And you see it here in the states, when you see the cycling infrastructure improve, it brings people out to the trails and routes. Just that we're WAY behind the French, Germans, Dutch, etc.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

As usual, I’ll pick the US side (for balance 😉). Where was created the « Depaved Organization » ? In Portland, Oregon in 2008. So far, AFAIK only two European cities have understood what goodness there is in ripping up roads, Eindhoven, NL and Leven, Belgium. In 2016, this curious European about the US, read that Transport Agencies in 27 cash strapped States started to de-pave low traffic roads ... incidentally a brilliant green initiative (even if that wasn’t the point). Try your luck explaining, Wait for it.... to cash strapped (!) French régions what goodness there is in de-paving, saving €€ on road repairs and spending it on cycle paths, instead. So, No the US aren’t **always** lagging behind. Another unintended consequence, in my experience in Sweden and Finland, on gravel roads, drivers naturally reduce their speed and give cyclists a wide berth. Talking about cycling paths, No, the countryside needn’t being concreted over/asphalted to build cycle lanes, at the expense of an atrocious carbon footprint, finely combed and hard compacted gravel would do nicely, Thanks to Americans who invented Gravel-bikes. My 2€cents.

[@westpacificmarketanalytics2384]

Thank You. G

[@TheBicycleTourists]

You're very welcome, G!

[@maxdugan5319]

Hoping for a few more weeks of excellent videos and insight into the areas of France that look amazing!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Max, we're getting close!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

I hope you had a great b-day, another awesome video!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

It was, of course, awesome! Thanks, Dennis!

[@TerrapinCyclist]

Happy Birthday Roland! ... nine months late or three months early :-)

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you! I'll take both!

[@PumpkinVillage]

That first castle with the WW I sculpture was amazing. Maybe you can find that wine in the US. We could never find our favorite wines from our travels when we came home thou. Thank you for another great video and take care, Al

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank YOU, Al. We try to take pictures of the bottles so that we remember them, but like you have never really found anything exact here. My guess is that a $10 bottle there would be unaffordable here!

[@garrygraham6637]

I am so not looking forward to the end of this series of videos. We do some touring and watch too many touring videos. You two have given us the push we needed to plan a european tour. Thank you for such well done,wonderfull videos.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I'm not looking forward either! Thank you for this wonderful note. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that we helped you with that decision. Where are you looking at riding?

[@belladrayven]

Another excellent episode!! It was extremely dreamy with lots of beautiful poetic commentary and as always so relaxing and thought provoking. You both look like you are having the time of your lives. I will be sad when this series comes to an end, but I know you both were getting a little homesick at this point in your trip. Happy belated birthday!!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Izabella.

[@michelesauret7779]

Is Condrieu to Lyon the last chapter ? The very good wine was for your birthday.... the Rhône and Bourgogne wines are in France the best. Very happy birthday Roland 🎉🍷

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Michèle! I agree that the Cote du Rhone was the best we had. Our original plan was to go through Burgundy as well. Next time! No we still have a couple of chapters left.

[@carmenraedelaney2795]

Hello again! Another beautiful day in France. Thanks again for sharing your adventure...I would love to ride this route. Carmen from Fargo

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello! I hope you get the opportunity Carmen. I found riding the trails in France to be as good as it gets.

[@klasjansson5814]

👍👍

[@TheBicycleTourists]

:-D

[@lessueralston6482]

Hi Roland & Julianna, love your videos. Recently found you on KZbin and have caught up with your France tour and am looking forward to the next installment. My wife & I have done several paid bike tours in Europe both guided & self guided but never self organised. I would appreciate it if you could tell me what GoPro you use as the sound quality (no wind noise) is great. Beats my old GoPro Hero 4. Also, would be interested to know, if you would, what kind of budget was needed for this tour. Did you have much difficulty finding accomodation as you went? Thanks again for sharing this great journey. Les (Australia)

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello Les! Thanks so much for joining us! I'm doing a shorter ride this autumn with my daughters that will be supported but self-guided, so I'll find out what that's like. The sound quality on the newer GoPros is much better than the 4, as is the stabilization. We used GoPro 8 and 9. Also, a cheap foam wrap around the camera (found on Amazon, ask for gopro foam wind cover) helps cut down the wind. But it's a crap shoot, sometimes the wind gets the upper hand. I can't really tell you how much we spent, because we've never sat down to figure it out (and to be honest don't want to know!) but our rooms were easy to find (on BookingDotCom) and rarely more than $80-$100 a night.

[@tomm8660]

Excellent short segment this week! A video production question.... How do you make the intro map showing your animated route for this weeks segment?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Tom. That's a process. I take a photo of a MIchilin map of France, then in Photoshop add the glows of the start and stop points, and the line that connects them in 3 separate JPGs. Then animate it in Premiere Pro. It's a bit convoluted, but it works.

[@tomm8660]

@@TheBicycleTourists Roland, thanks for the description! Inspired by you, I found this technique for creating animated maps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poqZfoOsi76psMk I tested it by creating my own animation of a recent ride I did as part of the El Tour de Zona cycling event. Here is my animation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqSkYmyrlqeZjtU

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Well done! I'll have to check that out. I haven't viewed through the whole video yet, do they convert it to a .mpg or a .mov at the end?

[@tomm8660]

@@TheBicycleTourists Yes, the last step is an export to some variant of an mpg video. I exported to full 4K to see if it would do it - which it did. There is a follow up instruction video that covered how to get the animated bicycle image along with the line: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnqoc4aJgMd3Zq8

[@markclemens3409]

You're very nimble with the camera. One gets all sorts of angles, and that spices up the videos. Don't you ever drop it? . Today's stage really pairs mythic wine towns: Tain l'Hermitage and Condrieu.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Mark. I've got a GoPro handle that keeps it firmly in my grip so no drops yet, but i have a makeshift contraption on my handlebars so I can grab it quickly, and it has fallen out of that from time to time on some of these bumpy roads. GoPros can handle some pretty rough treatment, fortunately.