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Paris to Nice

Tom2306 15 Dec 09:56  

Joined: 15 Dec 2012

Posts: 1

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Hi all,

Me and 3 friends (ages 19-21) are looking to cycle from Paris to Nice in roughly 10/11 days in summer 2013. We are all quite fit and play a lot of sport but have never done anything like this before. Would we realistically be able to do roughly 60 miles a day quite easily i.e not spend literally all of our time cycling?

What is the best and most interesting route to do this? Should we steer clear of Grenoble and the Alps because it will be too hard? Is it worth doing the Loire valley and making the overall distance a bit longer?

Is late June/early July a good time to go?

We are also on a fairly tight budget with regard to accommodation? Is it possible to find really cheap hotels or hostels outside of the cities like Paris, Lyon etc.?

Also can anyone recommend any good road bikes for about £650 or less?

Is there anything else we need to consider that I might have forgotten about?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

jonsea 15 Dec 12:27  

Joined: 23 Feb 2012

Posts: 40

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Hello ,
I have done a couple of rides in France ( Canal du Midi and St Jaques de Compostelle )and have often used the Formule 1 chain of hotels which are situated all over France .

The hotel rooms cost about £30 per night and sleep 3 people so at £10 per head was ideal for our requirements, and there was always somewhere to lock our bikes up outside ( were advised to take the saddles into the room with us ) . In July/ August you would be well advised to book in advance , although you can just turn up anytime and get a room by inserting your credit card into the machine at the hotel entrance (of course providing there are rooms available ).

Have a look at their web site in English

Hope this helps a little .

My Latest Route: Apr 2012 lowestoft normanston park

dan_b23 15 Dec 15:27  

Joined: 12 Mar 2009

Posts: 21

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I did Calais to Nice with a friend this summer, averaging about 70 miles a day. I was in a similar situation, having never done anything of this scale. You should find that distance ok, but the first few days can be hard work.

We went through Grenoble and the Alps and I highly recommend doing that, you won't regret it! Yes it's hard but the views are stunning and it's a great feeling when you get to the top of a climb. Also the descents are so much fun (and terrifying at the same time).

Grenoble Echirolles is a nice youth hostel, and Mont Boron hostel in Nice has a great atmosphere. We camped most nights which is the best way if you want to keep the cost down.

My mate and I both had Trek road bikes. They were nice and light and had pannier mounting points. You could probably get a pretty decent new bike for that price.

Hope this helps :)

My Latest Route: Apr 2010 Ponteland to Matfen and Kirkheaton Loop

rustyspoke 16 Dec 07:03  

Joined: 28 Aug 2011

Posts: 244

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Paris to Nice is one of the classic cycling events why not follow the route they take
its always a fantastic race so it should be a good ride for your group good luck.
look on web for info


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