pgjackson

Watched every stage of the TdF and don't remember ever seeing any dedicated lanes for cyclists. Do they not do bike lanes in Europe?

bitingduck

I spent about a week riding around southern France about 12 years ago, and drivers were generally very courteous to cyclists. Typically they'd go all the way into the opposite lane to pass. They don't have the aversion to crossing the centerline in areas where passing is allowed that Americans seem to have. Riding up to Andorra we got lots of cheers.

Rhodabike

Paris is full of bike lanes, as are most other larger cities. If you're referring to paved hard shoulders, they are seen on the motorways, but are not for cycling but for cars to pull off. Not that you'd want to cycle on the major motorways anyway - the speed limit is 130 km/hr in dry conditions and 110 for wet, but most people go much faster. Except transport trucks - they are required to do 100 in dry conditions, 90 in wet.
Chances are the paved hard shoulders where you live are not actually meant to be bike lanes either, they just end up being used as such.

pgjackson

North County San Diego is full of dedicated bike lanes. I just don't recall any portion of the tour where it appeared that there were any bike lanes or even shoulders on the side of the roads.

Bob Dopolina 

Yes, they're called roads.

Dalai

As already mentioned there are bike lanes on many roads, including on main roads in the Alps like those around Bourg d'Oisans. But realistically they are unnecessary - motorists are very respectful of bikes, even when on the narrow mountain climbs!

It is law in France to give 1.5 meters clearance when passing and they do this. Saw quite a few of these signs when riding in the French Alps last year...

fenice

I can assure you that we do have bike lanes in France (and many European countries), there are plenty of them in Brittany where I live and they even build separate ones apart from the traffic. As has been mentioned already, the drivers in France are (in general) very tolerant of cyclists and do give you a wide berth - sometimes to my consternation when I'm driving and they've crossed over a white line to give a cyclist some space and are coming straight for me.

chasm54

"Shoulders" are pretty uncommon in most of Europe. There are dedicated bike lanes, with their frequency increasing in and around large towns, but for the most part different types of traffic simply co-exist. It varies from country to country - drivers in the UK tend to be less bicycle-conscious - but in southern Europe, the low countries, Scandinavia, cyclists are well accepted and given time and space.

ahsposo 

This is commonly referred to as "civilized society"...

Sooner Rider

I don't recall bike lanes in Italy either, whether in Florence on throughout rural Tuscany. Which is nice - I think the sentiment is that cyclists are vehicles that don't need to be treated any differently than cars. Furthermore, a drivers license is more difficult to obtain and easier to lose in Europe than the states, and so you've got a better driver from the start.

And there's a pronounced lack of Escallades, Hummers, Suburbans and F-350s.

contango 

I definitely noticed a few bike lanes, I forget which stages but they were definitely there in places.

In the UK we have bike lanes, sometimes they are marked sections of the road (often in green), sometimes they are marked sections of the footpath, sometimes you'll see a sign to show a path is for shared use by pedestrians and cyclists.

contango 

That's debatable to be honest. We've got our share of boneheads behind the wheel here as well.

We don't see many of the biggest SUVs in the UK but plenty of mid-size versions - things like the BMW X5, Range Rover etc. At a push I'd say they're about the size of a Ford Explorer, and tend to be very popular with drivers who are so small they can barely see over the steering wheel.

DropDeadFred

i saw them cross over bike lanes...a few times during their laps...you need to look harder.

proileri

We have a lot of suburban pedestrian/bicycle roads (separated from the car lanes by a bit of green or a ditch, usually) around here in Scandinavia, and some of those connect nearby towns. But on the main roads, there's usually only a thin shoulder. So either you get the privilege of your own road, or you drive alongside cars that do 60 mph. That's one factor in route planning

LansingWes

I'm thinking the presence (or lack) of a bike lane doesn't factor in the Race Organizer's route planning. It's not like there's any traffic competing with the peleton.

Velo Vol 

Welcome to the real world.

pgjackson

Anywhere I go in this country, most roads at least have a 1-2 foot shoulder, and in many areas there is a designated bike lane. I didn't watch all 100+ hours of the race, but I did watch a lot of every stage. I don't recall even seeing shoulders on the roads. I just thought that was odd. Not a criticism, just a question.

Scummer

There is a reason why a driver's license is 1500 Euro's in Germany. In the mandatory 40 hours of theoretical classes you are being drilled tirelessly to watch out for and be courteous to 'weaker' traffic, that includes, m-cycles, bicycles, pedestrians and kids.
I imagine it is the about the same in other European countries.

Scummer

Of course, everywhere you have dumbasses behind wheels. But the ratio of idiots to cautious and respectful drivers in the US is concerning.

alpha_bravo

What about the roads in the Pyrenees? I distinctly remember seeing one ascent (the Col d' Aspin I believe) where there was a center stripe in the road, but there is no way a car could fit in the tiny lane. Even a single cyclist was taking up pretty much the whole thing. Are those narrow mountain roads one way up one way down? Or is it a case of when two cars meet, they figure a way to get around one another?

Dalai

@alpha_bravo - two way roads taking not just cars but often motorhomes! People just make room and get past... Very amusing to see centre markings on these roads that barely fit a car!

With cycling on these narrow mountain roads, was initially disconcerting to have cars wait patiently behind. Back home that just doesn’t happen…

Typical road - Gorges du Nan in the Vercors

Compsci523

There are like one of the guys said you just have to look at the footage a little better. Overall though, people in Europe like/respect cyclists. It's just this continent that doesn't. There are the minority of people that like us but they're usually other cyclists haha.

Machka 

+1

I've cycled various places in France and if you stick to the N or D roads, there won't be bicycle lanes, and there won't likely be shoulders, but the traffic will generally be quite light and quite good.

Velo Vol 

wut

Sooner Rider

This is another reminder why I don't have a bike carrier on the roof of my car!