
Route 1
Lake Geneva to Caen
Morges (Switzerland) to Ouistreham Riva-Bella. About 800km. September 2007.
Six long bike rides for the bon vivant cyclist
by Adam Ruck
Take the slow road through rural France with this guide to cycle touring in the homeland of ‘la petite reine’. With frequent pauses for wine tasting, sightseeing and lunch, Adam Ruck describes six long rides through the most beautiful French regions, designed for one-to-two-week touring holidays.
… encouragement to cyclists of all abilities to discover France by bike
Sunday Times Book of the Week
From the book
Paris to Provence; down the Loire from its source to the sea (two rides); Lake Geneva to Normandy; the pilgrimage route between Burgundy and the Pyrenees; and from the Cevennes to the Atlantic coast via Robert Louis Stevenson’s donkey trail and the Tarn gorges.

Route 1
Morges (Switzerland) to Ouistreham Riva-Bella. About 800km. September 2007.

Route 2
Vichy to Roanne via Langogne and the source of the Loire – up the upper Allier, down the upper Loire. About 550km. September 2009.

Route 3
From the Cevennes to the Atlantic, via Robert Louis Stevenson’s donkey trail, the Tarn Gorges, the Lot and Sauternes. About 710km. May 2011

Route 4
A reverse pilgrimage from Biarritz to La Charité-sur-Loire. About 880km. June 2011

Route 5
Moulins to St Brevin. About 750km. June/July 2011

Route 6
Melun to Avignon. About 840km. July/August 2011
The book
The guide combines a wealth of cultural/historical background information with practical tips on rail travel and an invaluable selection of the best stopovers along each route – small hotels, chambre d’hôte B&Bs and splendid châteaux.
France On Two Wheels was published by Short Books in April 2012 and reprinted (with a few corrections and updates) in March 2014.
‘French food has never tasted so good, and after a week on the road you will have lost weight.’
Beyond the book
This site is designed to be a companion and extension to the guide, with more detailed maps and photography than could be included in the book, four extra rides – Alsace, Brittany, The Western Front and Corsica – a hotel archive, a forum for updates and feedback, and a blog.
Alsace Tour
A circuit from Strasbourg, July 2012 Strasbourg – Niederbronn – Natzwiller –…
Corsica
A preview of stages 2 and 3 of the 100th Tour de…
Brittany Tour
Brittany was an omission to be rectified: so accessible, and so inviting…
St Moritz on two wheels (and the train)
‘The secret of riding a bicycle is to pedal just hard enough…
The Western Front
Our ride along the Western Front fell mid-way through the four-year centenary…
Ridgeway hill climbs, West Oxfordshire
My base camp at the foot of the Lambourn Downs (north side)…
Reviews
“… a terrific guide to the culture, history, food, B&Bs and other French delights”
“Ooh – look at this! A book about cycling and France and food/wine too. Does it get any better than this?”
“charmingly written”
“Brilliantly funny and very useful. I just wish I’d read it before my first trip as I had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way”
“A light-hearted romp …. ditch the car and opt for pedal power. Witty observations make for a string of entertaining anecdotes, often involving a heavy cheese board and expensive wine”
“A beautifully crafted book …. after 10 minutes of reading you can feel the warm breeze on your face as you imagine yourself cycling alongside a canal, looking forward to a picnic”
“…. a refreshingly laid-back approach to cycling through France, sure to be inspiring to even the most hesitant of cyclists.”
“I thought this guy was a snob and a bore … I read it twice for pure entertainment.”
“Every evening when I climb into bed Adam is waiting to take me on an adventure ….”
“Whatever you take from this book, one thing is certain: it will make you want to ride your bike through France.”
“… an ideal gift for cyclists and francophiles”
Adam’s blog
Adam’s blog ·
Top-flight football is such an ugly spectacle, I can’t stand the sight of it. With all the hacking, diving, stamping, tripping, wrestling, nudging, shirt pulling, injury…

Adam’s blog ·
‘Just a piece of old tin,’ Aunt Sina famously observed, after my father misjudged his parking angle and cut a deep gouge down the side of…
Adam’s blog ·
As we near the conclusion of series 1 of The Lincoln Lawyer, no more than three years behind the televiewing curve, an idle thought that entered…
Help keep the guide up to date
France on Two Wheels, by Adam Ruck, is published by Short Books @ £8.99. Follow France on Two Wheels on Twitter: @france2wheels