France by Bicycle | PART 24: ADVENTURES ALONG THE RHONE

Our ride along the Rhône River has been spectacular, not because it’s full of sites or famous cities, but because the route carries us through miles and miles of such serene landscapes, quiet villages we will never know the name of, and into such a blissful state of existence that it’s going to be hard to ever get back to normal life. Our breakfast at our BnB was beyond exceptional, our morning ride past Mirmande, with its quintessential hillside elegance was simply exquisite, and our ride along the river was like a dream. These are the days we live for, exploring the world at a slow and gentle pace. And after a very long day, we were lucky enough to enjoy a Cotes du Rhône that was perhaps the finest wine we've ever had. What a day!
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
The Reach - So Vea
Epidemic Sound
The Snow Flakes - Ruiqi Zhau
Epidemic Sound
Anten Before Dawn - Candelion
Epidemic Sound

[@markclemens3409]

Worth it just for the shots of flowers and pollinators at 8 minutes in.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

One of the things I love about bike touring is that it keeps you in touch with the small things.

[@tomm8660]

Wow! Wonderful segment. Beautiful scenery punctuated with a rocky uphill segment, but ending with fine wine and dinner and enchanting company. Who could ask for more?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

As any bike tourist could tell you, the hardships just make the good times all that much better!

[@AngelaMcTag]

Your marvellous videos have become my Saturday morning treat - a big bowl of café au lait, something delicious from the local bakery and the latest episode of Roland and Juliana. What a way to start the weekend! The photography, music, and commentary, combined with the wonderful scenery and beautiful architecture of rural France is truly inspiring. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. The Via Rhona videos are especially interesting for me as I will be heading that way shortly. I can’t wait! All the best to you both, Angela

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Ahh thank you Angela, we're so glad to hear that. I hope you enjoy your time on the Rhone as much as we did. It's a magical place!

[@belladrayven]

I always learn something new & interesting with each episode, I love how you intertwine that into your episodes. This weeks was how to drink wine properly :) Thank you!! Cant wait to try that out. And Julianna thank you for feeding the little wild kittens, your heart is so precious. Thanks guys!! See you next week! :)

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello again! Julianna says you're welcome, all in an honest day's work. The wine tasting technique really does work! A little lesson from Leslie our wine connoisseur way back in Blaye. See ya!

[@belladrayven]

@@TheBicycleTourists :)

[@sergemilaire3474]

We're loving all your videos, thanks for letting us tag along on your fabulous journey.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you so much! We are truly glad to have you join us!

[@dondonner1095]

Truly a trip of a lifetime. You surely earned that dinner and wine after pushing through those rocks. Thanks for the ridse.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

We've been looking for that wine ever since we got back with no luck. If we found it would it taste the same? I always wonder, was it the wine or just being there that was so amazing?

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Get in touch with Daniel Lambert Wines, a Brit who left “Brexitland” in July 2022, relocated his wine export business of 30 years in the UK and who now lives in France with his family and exports world wide from there. Interesting article about him in the Guardian.

[@maxdugan5319]

Opening shot of the sky was mesmerizing! Another great video!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Definitely something to wake up to!

[@lindahowes5949]

Gorgeous sunrise, beautiful section of your ride. Loved seeing the flowers and pollinators. Wow, that rocky section was rough! 💜

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I have to admit we're kind of addicted to the ups and downs of bicycle touring. The hard times just make the good times so much finer!

[@PumpkinVillage]

More beautiful history, some really tough trail and an epic ending. What an adventure this has been. Take care, Al

[@TheBicycleTourists]

All's well that ends well, they say. Hope your summer is going well, Al.

[@TerrapinCyclist]

Love all the colors. Put this section on the bucket list !

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Go for it ! Yet, another reason to cycle the ViaRhôna southbound, with good old fashion 650b wheels or with one of these modern 28” Gravel bikes which can accommodate big tyres, you will be able to cycle this hike-a-bike section downhill.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

@TerrapinCyclist , I agree, the ViaRhôna was outstanding all the way through. Scenery, culture, history, wine, food, and the route itself were all five star in our book.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

@cyclistefroisse9267, I'm with you, if we had it to do over again we would ride our little circle around France clockwise instead of counter clockwise, and would advise others to do the same.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Clockwise wouldn’t work either, prevailing winds blow from the West by the western shores of France and into valleys, so you can cycle the Loire valley West-East with a tailwind for a good deal of it. Then you’d reach mountains and there would be a discontinuity, no Loire Valley-ViaRhôna easy junction. Then, more tailwind, flying if the Mistral pushes you, down the ViaRhôna but arriving by the Med, you are stuck heading West alongside the Canal du Midi, there’s a good chance of headwinds. Unsquarable. You have chosen the best option, going anti-clockwise, following bike paths interconnected.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Good to know! And as you know, winds are simply a part of riding. No getting around it.

[@garyseckel295]

SO excellent and incredible scenery! Also, such excellent, tasteful background music! So pretty to go with you two on your rides!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you again and again, Gary. Such a beautiful world. All you gotta do is point your camera at it!

[@ovillagebedandbreakfastino2243]

Watching your videos is like ready poetry Roland :) I was curious to see this video as I often pass by Valence on the high speed train on my way to Paris andI noticed by the window that the countryside was beautiful around there. At slow pace like you did it is even more spectacular! Cycling in the beautiful fall season may be best time of the year to enjoy the colors of nature.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Merci Kathryn! It is indeed a beautiful landscape, and so worth it if you ever find the time to explore it on bicycle for yourself. Hope you're having a great summer!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Sorry I'm so late in watching, I'm at my father's house in jersey, what a beautiful country that is. Looked like a great ride except short up hill gravel trail. Love red wine, living in Sonoma County, I tasted many bottles from a lot of different wineries. Thanks for a great video

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hey Dennis. Been thinking of doing a short tour in California wine country. Have a daughter who lives in SF. Love riding through wine country!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

@@TheBicycleTourists really, you should give our roads in wine country a try. It's a nice ride from Windsor thru my town of Healdsburg to cloverdale.

[@michelesauret7779]

I would have liked to visit Mirmande with you... Nice ride with good wine

[@TheBicycleTourists]

That was such a beautiful morning. Sometimes you stumble onto the most amazing places!

[@Midlothian1000]

I can’t remember when I’ve watched such wonderful segments of travel with excellent production !! Will you produce a detailed map of all your travels and places you have stayed overnight ? Thanks for making this ……

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you so much for your kind words! If you look on our channel there is a video: "Five Things You Should Know Before You Take Your Bike Tour Through France". Some more route detail in there. Not sure if KZbin allows me to link to it, but I'll give it a shot here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWLcep-HedV0aZI

[@garryhatchett775]

Beautiful country side. Did you ship your bikes over or did you rent bikes in France?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

We broke them down ourselves and shipped them, then rebuilt.A bit of a hassle, but with so many days on the road, it was definitely worth it.

[@maxdavies9327]

Roland, What navigation app were you using. ????. You did mention something in this vid but I could not understand what you said. Max. Australia.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Komoot.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Salut R&J, There ! Told you so last week ! Much to many French riders (ample supply of YT videos, vlogs, blogs and whatnot abundantly documented with pictures) annoyance, there are *still*, whilst track works have been promised by local authorities for years, sections of the ViaRhôna which aren’t rideable ! 🤬 Thanks to Komoot you’ve dodged, down south, several sections which weren’t any better, if not worse. When Komoot insisted that you were on the right track, it was definitely right, from a cyclist perspective, every other option, but a short 20 minutes @ a slow speed averaging probably less than 80km/h, costing less than 3€, train ride ( great to enjoy the views from a perspective no other mean of transportation provides) was worse.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Well, that's what we figured, at a certain point you trust the app even when you seem like you are on the wrong track. It says a lot about Komoot and our faith in it. But I tend to see these difficulties as a part of the adventure, something to remember fondly. It puts a smile on my face.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

It does, indeed, says a lot about Komoot, I couldn’t agree more. Not surprised it put a smile on your face, then and even more now, but you and Julianna are experienced cyclists with thousands of miles in your bikes saddles. What drives me mad is that the ViaRhôna is advertised as perfectly doable for families with children either on their own bikes or little ones in trailers. Not sure parents with exhausted screaming children smile very much confronted to hike-a-bike sections like this one. Holding my breath in anticipation of your next week installment... there’s another tricky section up North. Trying to find out about its upgrade to decent cycling standards, I read this afternoon that it is home of 28 species of dragonflies, twenty heigh, no typo + beavers.... Oh, and you can’t fall a tree anymore in this area (has somebody told the beavers?)

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes, it seems there is a bit of work to do before the route is family friendly.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Absolutely, family friendly and also bike-commuters usable. Hence these heated conversations taking place about a multi-purpose ViaRhôna, in urbanized areas, meant to be simultaneously a bike tourism infrastructure but also to offer a practical alternative for would-be 🚲 daily commuters.

[@CarolMARTIN-hy5gy]

Hi you two! Great vids One question as we are preparing to ride the route through September 24 would you recommend to go north -south or south to north? Are trip will include a traverse of the Pyrenees to the coast but can do in ant direction luckilyThoughts please Cliff

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Cliff. If I were to do it again I would start in Geneva or above, and head downstream. Also, it appears that the Mistral winds - which can be fairly intense in the Rhone valley and Provence - tend to blow north to south.