More MultiSport Tours in France

Coming on the back of our very successful launch of our Provence Multisport trip in 2009 that was a Best Trip Selection by National Geographic Adventure, we have now launched new multisport tours in other regions of France for 2010!

2 New Multisport trips are now shown, and a 3rd will be posted soon. We have listed tours in the Languedoc region and the Dordogne/Aquitaine region. Coming soon will be a multisport trip in the Loire Valley.

Languedoc Multisport -this trip features the highlights of the Mediterranean Sea and the beaches of La Grande Motte, then inland for some mountain biking, hiking, and then canoeing. We include some small towns along the way and the very charming village of St Guilhem Le Desert. Tom, from our France office was out a few weeks ago preparing the route books, here is his description of the hike from St Guilhem. (pictures are taken from this hike, provided by the CRT Languedoc when the season was nicer!)

Today you will hike in the beautiful and peaceful countryside of Saint-Guilhem. First, you will go at the end of the “rue du bout du Monde” (End of the world street!) and pass the ancient fortified stone door of the village. Soon after, you will admire the ruins of an ancient castle just on top of the village and enjoy a nice view on the village and its world famous abbey. A lovely path in the shade will bring you to the lovely forest of Saint-Guilhem, you will see a very rare pine tree species called “Salzmann” (a black pine tree) : it is the only place in the world where you can see so many Salzmann, this unique forest is known is many legends.
Then you can rest at the Ermitage du Lieu-Plaisant (also called “Notre-Dame de Belle-Grace”). This Hermitage is still active, you have to respect the quietness of the place, but you are allowed to refill your water bottle with the delicious cold water from the natural fountain behind the stone house. Finally, you will pass by many different types of rocks and find many spots with breathtaking views before your come back to the village. This hike is easy but in the summer time, you have to look for the shade! They are 2 options for this hike 7km or 12km

This tour is a great mix of sun, country, beaches, sport, and culture. Our offices are just minutes away from the start in La Grande Motte, so we know the area extremely well and we highly recommend this trip anyone looking for a

You Tube Channel

We have started to accumulate enough video now that we can announce our YouTube channel!
http://www.youtube.com/user/CyclingFrance

We will soon have links posted on the various websites that will take browsers here too, but for now we want to encourage subscribers to our fan pages, blogs, and enews to subscribe to our video channel too!

Also, we'd like to invite you to submit your video or send us a link to your video/video site about France and your travel experiences in France.

Sample video put up by Tom from our France office:
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Fast Food on the Rise in France

The French have succumbed...sort of:

Fast food in France?
France is well known for its gastronomy but French people do need fast food.
A market analysis reports that French workers have an average of 30mn for their lunch break, that’s why most of these workers go out to grab a quick lunch.
But France is also famous for its strong traditional spirit, maybe that’s why it is the only country in the world where the hamburger is not the number one fast food seller!
Sandwiches made with the famous baguette are still number one in France.
From cheap basic to very fancy organic, there is such a large variety everywhere that analysts predict than within 10 years, sandwich sales will double.
Despise nutritionist recommendation, 2/3 of sandwiches sold are made with charcuterie or fromage (cooked pork meats or cheese)!

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Tour de France Tours 2010

Bonjour et ca va?

Yes, it's winter and you may (or may not!) have snow on the ground, but it's not too early to start talking Tour de France. The holidays are past and it is time to talk Tour de France 2010 again! The Tour Down Under starts in a few days and voila, pro racing is back on for 2010!

You may have heard that Discover France/Cycling Classics is one of only four cycling touring companies worldwide, to be named an official, licensed partner of the Tour de France. That means guests on our VIP tours get special access to the riders, the race courses, the finish lines, and much, much more. We've put together four to 14-day trips, beginning in gorgeous Annecy (scene of the Tour time trial in 2009) and finishing with the wildly exciting sprints on the Champs Elysees, where you can have a grand stand seat. Wonderful food, top notch hotels, lots of racing and riding will add up to create the trip of a lifetime.

Word about our special VIP packages is already getting out, so make sure you check out www.cyclingclassics.com/Tour-de-France-Tours.php as soon as you can, so you can witness what's shaping up to be one of the best Tours ever. And of course, we are offering a full range of Tour de France trips, from VIP to guided domestique tours to self-guided tours, even etape rides!

Contact us to get more information or to sign up and secure your spot. We are excited about what's to come this July, and we'll be sure to tell you more in the coming weeks and months!

Submitted by Wendy C - she'll see you in France!

Winter in Southern France

Snow white France

Here it is! After covering northern France regularly for a few weeks now, snow has arrived in Languedoc and Provence! At the end of last week, 57 départements were put under weather alert for snow fall, including all southern east France. It snowed most of Friday, and with the freezing cold temperatures it hasn’t melted completely yet. Vineyards and orchard tree fields are now covered in white, offering a beautiful winter landscape. Today roofs and fields were still white, but weather forecast some rain starting Wednesday, so it won’t last long.

Laura