bdcheung

For my 30th birthday my wife and I are going to France to do some riding. My riding will be more serious (read: vertical) than hers, but we both want to ride. She may need to rent a road bike, I'll be bringing my own.

We've looked into various tours, including this REI one (https://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/.../ecf.html#sec1) but I was hoping to get some BF feedback on the best way to do this.

Ideally the trip would have some flat to moderate terrain for the two of us to ride, but opportunities for me to tackle some big climbs while she gets some nice spa treatment.

Bathe me in your experience and wisdom, BF.

BananaTugger

L'Etape du Tour.

Or else.

I highly recommend Graham Baxter's Sports Tours. He knows what's up.

DrPete 

www.diversedirections.net.

This is the company my wife and I used... "Self-guided touring." A far more romantic option than touring with a group. Go at your own pace, stop for lunch, have a glass of wine... whatever you want. You can do it up as fancy as you want with the hotels, and the support is great. You get maps/cue sheets for the whole ride, and every morning you check out of the hotel, drop your bags at the desk, and when you arrive at the next town/hotel your bags are ready for you.

Best trip of my entire friggin' life. We did "Provence of the Tour de France." A fantastic company, top-notch support, and one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Surferbruce

BD
I leave for France in two weeks for a year long stay. I'll be near Toulouse, about 2 hours from the Pyrenees. I've never done an organized tour, but have done many riding vacations ovet there. I'd focus on the region you want to be in, and pick a good base city or village and ride from there. Or hop in the car and head to the base of your chosen climb.
I'm partial to the area we'll be in, the Aveyron. I'ts got endless great riding, rolling and beautiful, and good weather without lots of wind. In many regions wind can be a nightmare. I stayed near Mt. Ventoux once for a couple weeks, and never got a day without serious wind. On another trip i stayed in the Rousillon, in the Aude valley below the Pyrenees and same thing, rides were incredible in one direction and pure hell the other. you'd have perfect beautiful sunny days with 20-25 mph winds all day.
I't be cool to hook up with another socal'r and show you around if you're interested.
I've never been an organized tour kinda guy, I like to ride when i want where i want and basically dictate my own deal, especially if i'm spending all that dough just to get there. France is so cycling friendly and easy to navigate, i don't see the point in a group tour, unless you just don't want to think about anything and leave all the decisions to someone else.
do it, you'll love riding over there. all the big cols are on my list this coming year, let's do a couple together.

bdcheung

My 30th birthday isn't for another 6 years, but thanks for the offer If you happen to be in France in 2014, I'll definitely hit you up!

The advice so far has been great, will really help with our planning.

botto 

you're planning a trip 6 years in advance?

bdcheung

Yes, that's the kind of people we are.

Plus, I need to know what my options are so I can price it out and start saving. This trip fits into a bigger life plan that involves kids, vacations, and home improvements.

botto 

with that kind of spontaneity, you must be dutch.

Enthalpic

You plan your holidays 6 years in advance?

bdcheung

With these kinds of responses, you must be single.

Which isn't a bad thing, it's just a different lifestyle.

Enthalpic

What kind of casket do you have picked out?

bdcheung

Cremation - it's cheaper. Now that I've established my excessive planning, can we get back on topic?

knucklesandwich

It's hard to give any recommendations now.
The tectonic plates may shift between now and then, and what's currently flat may be hors categorie, and Mont Ventoux might be level...

botto 

how much money have you spent on your bike in the past year? i'm guessing as much, if not more, than half the of the approximate price of your trip.

and whether one is in a relationship, or not, has nothing to do with it.

you just have your methodical way of doing things, and apparently i have my way of doing things.

no worries, france will still be there. i'll send you some postcards over the years.

bdcheung

The bike and the vacation have different funding sources, hence the impulsiveness of bike purchases and the long-range planning of vacations.

Gorgeous picture - do you have a recommendation as to a particular region of France that would suit us?

Pedaleur

Provence.

Are you getting all giddy with excitement, yet?

save10

wow. 6 years in advance! I'm going to flying to Okoberfest in few weeks and I dont even know what city I'm flying into because I'm on a standby ticket.

merlinextraligh

We've done several trips with Backroads.
Backroads.com

Very good accomdations, very good food, great leaders. Flexible iteneraries thatcan accomodate you and your wife.

+1 on L Etape de Tour also. It's a blast. I went with Custom Getaways for L'Etape.

bdcheung

Of course not, I've still got 6 years to wait!

rooftest

Geez - when I was 24, I didn't even think I'd LIVE to see 30.

botto 

i've only cycled once in france. here's where i went.

DrPete 

Yeah, this makes for a nice post-ride rest stop.

ROJA

Check out this website comparing a bunch of tour companies: https://www.biketour-reviews.com/
I found it pretty helpful.

Here is a brief write-up I sent someone else about Erickson:

I did the Erickson Cycle Tours Provence tour in May-June 2006 with my wife on a rented tandem. We liked the tour, but it was a little too hard for us, especially since it was our honeymoon.

My wife is not a huge cyclist, and this trip is really much more of a tour for real riders than the competition. The deal was hard to beat- basically twice as long for about half the price of Backroads, Ciclismo Classico, etc. That said, we should have gone for the more luxurious and easier tour with one of those companies.

If you are a big cyclist and like to ride hard and do lots of climbing every day (there aren't many rest days), you will love this tour and cover tons of ground. You also move almost every night, which I thought would be good (see more places) but I now think added to the hassle (you have to pack and unpack every night).

The accommodations were sometimes OK and sometimes really nice and the food was decent, but not amazing. You do this tour for the biking, period. If you know that going into it (and that's what you want), it's a great company and I don't know of any other companies that do the same thing.

Bottom line- great tour to do with a cycling buddy, but probably not great for a romantic vacation with your wife.

Let us know what you decide!

txvintage

6 years out isn't all that excessive. I have a plan for when I turn 55, which is almost 10 years out.

The downside is with that much of a wait, it is possible that the actual reality will never match the conceived dreams of what it will be. There's too much of a chance of trying to make everything turn out like you have planned, rather than experiencing it as it happens.

Surferbruce

do it now. i cannot say it any stronger. do it now.