The Biking Life
by: Naomi Bloom 2/1/2002
Biking Southern France -- Top 5 Reasons
Last month I outlined five excellent reasons to experience la vie en velo -- life on a bicycle in the South of France. I was thinking specifically about cycling in the Dordogne, a treasure trove of prehistory, medieval history and scenic beauty east of Bordeaux and south of the Grand Massif.
This month I'll elaborate on five more reasons -- numbers 5 through 1 -- the Dordogne is a veritable cycling paradise. Just for a quick review, though, I'll run briefly through reasons 10 through 6 for you here. If you want more information about any of these attractions, read about them in my January column.
Reason Number 10- Caves
The Cro-Magnons and the art they created form the backdrop to "le pays de l'Homme," the land of prehistoric man. Cave tours are part and parcel of the best bike tours in the Dordogne.
Reason Number 9 - Castles and chateaux
Pedal along country roads to magnificent castles built during and after the Hundred Years War. Or spot them on the hilltops and ridges from the seat of your bike.
Reason Number 8 - Churches
More architectural curiosities, including the spectacular chapels built into the hillside at Rocamadour, down the Dordogne River in the Lot.
Reason Number 7 - Les petites routes
You just can't beat the back roads of southern France for debris-free, traffic-free cycling.
Reason Number 6 - French drivers
They respect cyclists and wish they could be out en velowith us.
Okay, now let's get to the top five. (By the way, when it comes to classifying the "top 10" of such a wonderful experience, your mileage may vary. Once you've toured in southern France, you may find that my Reason Number 10 is your Number 1.)
Reason Number 5 - Southern French hospitality
Last year, Jim and I calculated that 12 days in the Dordogne at two- and three-star hotels cost us less than a week would at a Motel 6 in Fresno!
Most of these small French country resorts are family run, and they treat you like part of the family. They all have sparklingly inviting swimming pools and squeaky clean dining rooms. And they especially welcome cyclists. They'll give you a secure, sheltered place to store your bike. Feed you breakfast (and often dinner). And go out of their way to make your stay special.
Par exemple: The owner of the two-star hotel we stayed at in Les Eyzies, a cyclist himself, was most anxious that we we saw something new and special every day. He insisted on seeing Jim's maps and route plans to be certain we weren't backtracking over the same roads on each day's ride. "I couldn't have done better myself," he praised Jim's work.
Reason Number 4 - The food, and le bon vin
En France, on mange bien. Literally, "in France, one eats well." Or, to put it in more American terms, the food is fantastic! And nowhere else in France is the food quite as good as in the Dordogne. Indeed all the Perigord can lay reasonable claim to having rocked the cradle of French haute cuisine.
Specialites of the region include: goat cheese, pate de foie gras, fresh-water fish (salmon, trout, perch), walnuts (in tarts, salads, sauces, cakes, paste, oil, etc., etc.), crunchy fresh bread, crayfish, and duck cooked just about any way you can imagine. You'll find any and all of these mouth-watering dishes on both lunch and dinner menus. In fact, lunch (le dejenuer) is just as hearty a meal as dinner, so there's no need to worry about in-between, on-bike supplements.
And then there's the wines. Yes, you can order most any wine from Burgundy or les cotes du Rhone. But the Perigord itself boasts some of the most prolific, most delightful appellations in all of France. Be sure to sample the reds of Pecharmant and Bergerac. The Bergerac whites are darned good too. And for accompanying a pate or seafood appetizer (l'entree in France) try a sweet yet dry Monbazillac.
Reason Number 3 - Land and light
The Dordogne is one of the most scenic places on earth. This is not an overstatement. Hundreds of photographers flock
to its countryside to burn mountains of film on the rich land soaking up the warm, soft light, then publish yet another best-selling coffee table book filled with the results. You can buy one of the best of these from the photographer himself in the village of Sarlat, the "county seat" of the Dordogne.
Of course, you'll want to snap your own pics as well. Cycling the banks of the Dordogne and Vezere rivers gives you the finest vistas possible. Not to be missed: the confluence of the two rivers at Limeuil and the overlook of the Cingle de Tremolat, a waterway meander that stretches for miles in the soft light. And all along the rivers, looming above you on one or both banks, are the limestone cliffs pocked with caves and shelters that cradled prehistoric peoples tens of thousands of years ago.
The long switch-backed climbs up the soft, round hills lead to meandering descents, all revealing colors of brown, red, orange, and every shade of green.
Keep in mind that I'm referring to the weather in late spring to early autumn. Winters in the Dordogne are much like those here in Northern California, cold and wet. Sometimes it even snows (although it's rare for snow to stay on the ground into the day). But summer, oh summer! Last year we enjoyed hot weather with temperatures up into the 40s Celsius (that's about 80 to 90 Fahrenheit). And the sun only hid behind clouds one day out of 15.
Reason Number 2 - The best guides
Perhaps because the Dordogne is so popular, the best touring companies in the world offer good packages. You can go with a European company or an all-American outfit like Backroads. Or you can sign up with the likes of Randonee Tours for a self-guided excursion; they give you the maps and routes, haul your luggage to your next destination and leave you alone to do the rest yourself.
They're all good, but the The Bicycle Outfitter offers some of the biggest advantages of them all. This year Jim Chaskin (the Jim I keep referring to) is leading the Outfitter's Dordogne tour. After living just a few miles from Les Eyzies for a total of nine weeks in 1998, he knows almost every petite route between Lalinde and Rocamadour. And since he's an ace bike mechanic, he'll make sure your ride is trouble-free.
If you're making the trip as a couple, consider renting a tandem from the Bicycle Outfitter. You won't have to ship it or haul it as luggage; the Outfitter maintains a tandem fleet in Carmensac, the very village Jim lived in for those nine weeks. (In fact, he was the one who assembled those very tandems.)
Riding on your own? You can also rent a good-quality hybrid touring bike from Bourgogne Randonnees. They'll deliver the bike to any address in France, and pick it up at any address when you've finished your tour.
Reason Number 1: And the number one best reason to ride anywhere in France?
PELFORTH BRUNE
Forget all those horror stories you may have heard about French beer. After you've finished the 10-kilometer climb to Rocamadour, or spent a hot afternoon exploring Domme or Tremolat, pull up to any bar-tabac and order "une Pelforth Brune, s'il vous plait." You won't be disappointed.
What a shame this fine amber ale isn't available anywhere outside France. It's produced and distributed by Killian's Red, but even the Brits are crying that they have to cross the Channel to quaff what the French can just pop down to the corner cafe for.
Truth to tell, you can enjoy nearly all of these top ten advantages on just about any tour in any of France's southern regions. I intend to visit them all en velo, on a bike. So far I've toured in the Cathar region and the department of the Tarn in the Midi-Pyrenees, as well as the Dordogne in Aquitaine. Next up: Provence!
When you go, you may end up devising your own list of top ten reasons to return -- or to stay forever. That's our dream -- to someday have a permanent home in the Dordogne with a a tandem and a couple of single bikes in the garage, a dog in the yard and fresh baguettes and cheese on the kitchen table (not to mention a bottle of Monbazillac).
Vive la France! Vive le Perigord! Vive le velo!
Naomi can be reached at naomibloom@earthlink.net