Route 1
Lake Geneva to Caen
Morges (Switzerland) to Ouistreham Riva-Bella. About 800km. September 2007.
Stories from this route
Six long bike rides for the bon vivant cyclist
The routes
Adam Ruck describes six long rides through the most beautiful French regions, designed for one-to-two-week touring holidays: 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.
From the book
The six routes
Route 2
Massif Central (Loire 1)
Vichy to Roanne via Langogne and the source of the Loire – up the upper Allier, down the upper Loire. About 550km. September 2009.
Stories from this route
Route 3
La Bastide to Arcachon
From the Cevennes to the Atlantic, via Robert Louis Stevenson’s donkey trail, the Tarn Gorges, the Lot and Sauternes. About 710km. May 2011
Stories from this route
Route 4
Biarritz to La Charité-sur-Loire
A reverse pilgrimage from Biarritz to La Charité-sur-Loire. About 880km. June 2011
Stories from this route
Route 5
Moulins to St-Brévin (Loire 2)
Moulins to St Brevin. About 750km. June/July 2011
Stories from this route
Route 6
Paris to Avignon
Melun to Avignon. About 840km. July/August 2011
Stories from this route
Beyond the book
More rides
Four extra rides, with maps and photographs: Alsace, Brittany, The Western Front and Corsica. Then St Moritz on two wheels (and the train), and the Ridgeway hill climbs in West Oxfordshire.
Four extra rides
More rides
Alsace Tour
A circuit from Strasbourg, July 2012 Strasbourg – Niederbronn – Natzwiller – Colroy La Roche – Colmar – Selestat – Strasbourg. About 420km Defined…
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Corsica
A preview of stages 2 and 3 of the 100th Tour de France’s Grand Départ, in 4 days (preceded by 2 days in the…
More rides
Brittany Tour
Brittany was an omission to be rectified: so accessible, and so inviting with its sandy coves, seafood and separateness. And no region has done…
More rides
The Western Front
Our ride along the Western Front fell mid-way through the four-year centenary of the First World War and 100 years to the month after…
St Moritz and the Ridgeway
More rides
St Moritz on two wheels (and the train)
‘The secret of riding a bicycle is to pedal just hard enough to keep the machine upright, then to increase the speed very gradually,…
More rides
Ridgeway hill climbs, West Oxfordshire
My base camp at the foot of the Lambourn Downs (north side) is well placed for bike rides up to the Ridgeway – short…
Planning a ride
Trains, punctures, maps and where to stay
Much of the Travel Notes section of the book deals with the more complicated aspects of taking bicycles on trains to and in France; on Eurostar and TGVs mainly.
The book
France on Two Wheels, by Adam Ruck
Six long bike rides for the bon vivant cyclist, published by Short Books in April 2012 and reprinted (with a few corrections and updates) in March 2014. This site is a companion and extension to the guide.