Thank you! I will keep posting maps to the videos. But I almost always forget to post them until after I've posted the video :-) So If you're missing a map, just let me know.
Here where I live in Florida, USA, I always ride solo. But if I’m going to a foreign country, I would probably rather go with a small group. This video makes me want to get on a plane with my bike and head out like you do!
Riding solo has many benefits. You stop when you want, shop/eat from where you want, sleep where you want and not be bound by someone else’s itinerary. That being said, there are sometimes difficult days on a tour and being with others allows one to share camaraderie and the pain. This summer a group of us riding through the French countryside were caught in a biblical storm. Water was bottom bracket height. We rode 80+ miles with our toes squelching and our bodies shivering. But, it left us with something to talk about later.
So I would say that solo and group cycling is just. fine, and yes your spouse would be an ideal addiiton I would have to say. Thanks for providing me with these insightful videos as I prepare my first European Cycle trip coming up in April of 2024 for 55 days. Continued success Mike!!!
Wow! This video is so full of charm and beauty, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for all your efforts to film it so we can all enjoy the ride. I haven't done a bike tour but when I travel I prefer to have a companion.
Mike, I am very much enjoying your adventures. I also am a married fellow, with a very understanding and supportive wife. Although I tour mostly solo self contained (I have participated in a few small group, and two large “fully supported” tours) I can very much relate to your comment about missing family. Enjoy the ride while you can, soak in all the adventures, perhaps one day she will be inspired by your videos and will join you!
Thanks for your input Sam! Always nice to hear from other cyclists that are in the same stage of life. I don't know if you have watched any of my other tours, but my wife has actually joined me a couple of times. We did a week long tour this summer in the Åland Islands, situated right between Sweden and Finland. And we plan to tour again sometime in the future.
Bike Touring Mike I have watched several of your videos (but have not yet seen the ones that you spoke of.). My youngest daughter is married to a Swedish gentleman. She, hew husband and their three boys lived near Stockholm for a while, then moved to Helsinki for several years and are now living in Grenoble France so my wife and I have been to visit several times. Sweden and Finland are beautiful countries and great places to cycle... Glad to hear that you and your bride have had an opportunity to tour together! Keep posting those videos... I especially like the little side trips you make and the photos/videos of the interesting town and villages you visit!
Another great video. Wonderful job capturing the sights and love the selections you choose for background music. Regarding traveling, I always love to spend time with just my wife for getaways from daily life. That said, I enjoy solo and have done this a number of times. It allows times for personal reflection on life, etc.
I haven't come that far in the planning yet. The only thing I'm certain on this far is that I'm planning on cycling the Wilderness Road. It's Sweden's highest located road and it's only open for traffic for 4 months each year. The rest of the year it's covered with snow. I'm also planning on doing some touring in Norway during the next year, just not sure where. My 3 top choices at the moment are Lofoten, Senja and Nordkapp.
Hej! Fin video! Personligt! Min man kommer från den här delen av Frankrike och vi tittar på dina videos med stor glädje! Du har inspirerat oss, i sommar ska vi cykla i Lappland :-) /Jenny och Arnaud
Hej! Men vad kul att höra, blir riktigt glad när man läser att man inspirerar någon. Vad trevligt att ni har tänkt cykla i Lappland i sommar. Har ni planerat någon särskild rutt?
Hej Mike, Those French mountain towns look wonderful, a smart move to visit out of season though i think. I watched this one with Marnie and she asked if this was your full time job. She also asked if Malin was on this trip with you, when I said no she asked who was doing the filming. I told her Steven Spielberg films and Malin was at home playing the accordion for the soundtrack. It was nice to watch a romantic film at Christmas. I nearly always like to bike with someone, if I can. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and all the best for the new Year
Well that gave me a good laugh! Sorry about the late responses for the last couple of days. I've tried to stay offline as much as possible. Hope you've had a great Christmas & New Years. I'm guessing you've had a extremely warm Christmas as well? We've had temperatures above zero almost every day, and the snow is melting away. If it wasn't for the days being around 4 hours long, I would have sworn it was March already. I'm glad we are heading for longer days now. Four hours of daylight is no fun at all. You just go around being tired and grumpy all the time.
Great video. I wish I had your technology available at the time of my trips; it would have been nice to have something else than pictures as souvenirs. My trips varied between 21 to 40 days long from 1993 to 2010 (but didn't travelled every year!). I travelled with a good friend of mine. We had a blast. No doubt that Southern France was the most beautiful area of all my trips. Continue your adventures, it's great for the soul. Good Luck
Great Journey Mike, loving the videos. Life is like riding a bicycle.. it has it's UPS and DOWNS, only thing is the DOWNS is the best part. :) For my situation, my friends and family would prefer the comfort of Car, bed and restaurant meals, lol :D but maybe someday I will take them on an easy short scenic tour.. just to give them a general experience of bicycle travel otherwise people think I'm crazy. Solo is my preference for many good reasons and I enjoy being alone bicycle traveling, it gets lonely but as long I'm happy doing what I love the support is always there from family.
Thanks Jason! We also do a lot of car traveling in our family but, for the last 10 years or so we've switched the hotels for camping nights. The kids loved it when they were small. And it has certainly helped to ease them into bicycle touring. But I guess I'm a bit fortunate to live in Sweden, where camping opportunities are just around every corner.
@@BikeTouringMike Wow, that seems like a wonderful time and experience with the family. I look foward to bicycle touring those places you experienced and thanks for sharing it on your videos. Great reference for my future travels. No actual local campsites here only camp at your own risk but barely anyone does it with all the crimes and drugs going on this small paradise.. my bike would be gone or I might get harassed and robbed. Most people here don't even know what bicycle touring is, they think it's like the Tour de France event or competitions. 🤣🤣🚴♂️ This is why I travel alone, freedom and happiness 👍😄
Hi Mike, new to your channel and have really enjoyed watching your travels. Not sure I’m watching in the correct order but thank you for showing me places I perhaps would never see but for your videos. Some of the villages look so nice maybe I’ll try and visit once lockdown has been lifted. Safe travels from 🏴🙏🏼
Hi! So glad you've found my channel. The videos are mostly sorted in order of that certain trip, if that makes sense. Bicycle Touring Provance Day1, Day 2 and so on... Yeah, this trip was something special. And I had to pick and choose from all the picturesque small villages. They were litteraly all over the place. I'm sure I missed some good ones along the way. I can really recommend Provence as a great nike touring destination.
Bike Touring Mike Hi, thanks for the recommendation of Provence. Definitely going to plan something hopefully this year but more likely 2021 due to lockdown. Again, thanks for posting these beautiful locations and I’ll continue watching. Stay safe.
So great to watch this video and the music really added to it. You do seem to pick great music for your videos. Watching this is getting me excited for my up coming tour in Europe so thanks for being inspiring 👍☺️
Great video Mikael! Loved the French music you selected during certain parts of the video. You are so blessed to have toured France like you did...a dream come true I'm sure. Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to the next video. Stay safe my friend, Ken.
Thanks Ken! Glad you liked the cheesy French music ;-). Yes, going through these small idyllic French towns was truly special. Happy New Year to you Ken!
Hi Mike, to your question, for long tour's (over 1000km), I preferre it on my own, but the short with other peoples. I realy enjoy your video's and looking foreward to see more of them. Chears, Stefan
An all-around wonderfully presented video. Your eye for scenic shots and coordinated music made it a video easy to watch from start to finish. As for touring, at my age, I would prefer to ride alone. I ride too slowly and stop often. Would probably drive a partner crazy. The nicest tour I've had was a supported ride where my wife drove and shopped along the way as I rode. We would meet for lunch and dinner and stayed at small mom-and-pop motels along the way. A nice vacation along the West coast of Michigan and Upper Peninsula.
Thank you for your feedback Richard. Sounds like you have a wonderful wife as well. Well, my tempo is rather slow as well. I think Ibspend almost half the time shopping to take photos and filming for the TH-cam videos. When I toured with my wife this summer I think she got pretty bored of waiting for me all the time.
Yeah, just lovely colors on the houses. Forgot to mention that in the video, but supposedly the have a town rule that all the buildings has to be painted within the same color scale, to keep everything "genuine".
I really enjoyed touring with them, but with the way the world is right now plus the fact that Darren and I haven't spoken since last summer I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon unfortunately. Regarding my own plans I was planning on doing a tour up in the Lofoten/Senja aea in Norway. But the Norwegian border is sloed at the moment, so I really hope it opens until the summer. Otherwise I'm set on doing a fantastic tour here in Sweden called Vildmarksvägen (the Wilderness road). That will happen this summer since we are still allowed to travel within Sweden.
Hey Mike - these video series really inspire me to get a bike and go touring. I’m in Canada and would love to travel to Europe on a bike. If you were just starting out and did mostly paved roads but plan on some gravel also would you recommend the Sutra or something more robust like a Surly Bridge Club. Ideally would want a road tourer and a bike pack in bike but can’t afford two bikes. Thanks for all your videos! Cheers.
You travelled through some lovely towns and villages on this episode , you found some great music to go with your video. I always travel alone as my wife is unable these days to accompany me due to illness she picked up around 15 years back. atb Dave
Thanks Dave! This was a really great day on the bike. You could pick and choose between a smorgasbord of idyllic small towns in that region. Sorry about your wife's illness.
Great question Mike and one that many velo touristes must ask themselves... I've cycled solo on my 2 to 3 month tours to France, Italia, Suisse, Autriche in the past 14 years including a long one from Nordkapp to Syracusa Sicilia, which was a solo ride for Save The Children New Zealand. Prior to that I cycled with my brother in month long tours to France, Italia and Suisse. There have been many varied routes through the high mountains solo in the Alpes and the usual in the Dolomiti, Suisse Alpes, Sud Tirol and Bavaria. It sounds as though you have a young family, and I only started cycling away from my home (in New Zealand) when I was in my early 40s so the kids were 10 years and older more or less. In the final analysis it depends on your commitments and how you feel about leaving your family back at home, and maybe how good your marriage is, time available, and wanting to spend time with your kids. Everyone's different. I spent my life in a variety of high pressure jobs with no time available for anything. I then spent 15 years contract teaching and lecturing and being the main caregiver for my kids. It allowed me more time than the merchant banking by far and I loved looking after my kids. I found I could cycle alone easily and, I easily met people in French villages I became well acquainted with them over the years. I've knocked on doors high up in the Alpes at 9pm looking for a place to sleep and been very fortunate. I've slept behind hayricks, and in 5 star hotels, and in hostels, fields, campsites, and met many interesting people and learned a lot. So traveling solo I haven't found myself being lonely. It's been easier to meet people travelling alone, and I've enjoyed it, but I've loved velo touring with my brother and my son as well on 3 or 4 occasions in Autriche, where he lives and works, and in Suisse, Italia and France. Whatever gives you peace of mind and you and your family are ok with. Thanks, and love your work Mike.
Wow.. what awesome places you are going on the tour.. amazing.. and what amaze the most that there is towns and really few people. man thanks for the video . are really great.
Thank you for your feedback! Glad you liked the video! I think it's generally like that during spring/fall. I'm guessing a lot of these house may be summer houses that are more or less abandoned during the cold part of the year.
@@BikeTouringMike it's a really beautiful place.. I mean the while thing the scenario is just breathtaking... And you will no regret this trip... Away from the family... Just think what have you done so far....take care
Hi, Mike!! Merry Christmas to you, Malin and your boys! This video seems to be the awesomest in your series :) Looking at the views I fogot to breath! Towns immediately remind "A Good Year" with Russell Crowe. It is good that you and your wife are able to cycle together for a real bike tours, me - can't even dream about this :) So my trips are lonely. But they are toys in comparison with your's. Long ones are still in plans. And as they ARE in plans - I do not drop cycling in winter, too! (Recalling your -20C rides, wow!!)
Merry Christas and a Happy New Year to you as well. Yes, those were some amazing small towns. And I'm lucky to be able to go on tours with my wife. I like touring with her as well as going alone. Both have their benefits. When I'm alone it get a lot of time to think and connect with nature. And when I tour with Malin/my family the days usually fly by really fast since we always have something to talk about.
So Mikael, you must have called ahead for private tour of the entire French countryside...October seems to be the time to go. Anyway absolute stunning scenery, and some really great camera work. Thanks again Mikael....hope your enjoying family-time during the holidays. Side note.....how's the Kona treating you?
Yeah, I think I hit the sweet spot with the timing. Unfortunately I ran into some bad weather later. So that might have scared some people off. But generally I think late September-early October are great touring months. We are enjoying some wonderful winter weather at the moment. Just below freezing and plenty of snow in the trees. Skiing and skating adventures are right around the corner. My Kona is doing just fine. I might have to look into changing break pads this spring. Otherwise everything is still in mint condition.
To answer your question: I like to tour solo, with friends and with my wife. In April 2020 will be a new adventure... with my son. Each way has its pros and cons but all are great in their own way. Travelling solo permits some introspective time though it can be lonely at times.
I guess a balance of them all is the way to go. Your certainly in for something special Brent. I've only done overnights with my sons. It's a great way to spend some quality time with your son, and I can guarantee he'll remember this trip for the rest of his life!
Haha! Yeah, that will have to wait a while. Probably a couple of French people out there laughing at my poor French pronouciations during these videos instead.
Great videos, Mike! I've been following you ever since I saw you in Darrin's videos. Your video quality gets better and better each time and I really enjoy this France series because of the places and videos you've shown. I ride solo because my wife and friends don't find multi-day touring enjoyable. Do you ever have strangers join you on your travels like Darrin does? I don't find it appealing to go on those big bicycle tours with a bunch of people, but riding with 2 or 3 others sounds like it would be fun.
Thanks NOMAP! Really glad you like the videos! I have been touring in all types of constallations, and I think 2-4 is my favorite. I've been thinking about maybe doing a tour here in Sweden with people that watch. We'll have to se if it happens some time in the future.
Thanks Tim! And an Happy New Year to you as well! I use a service called Epidemic Sound to find music for my videos. www.epidemicsound.com/referral/oncotm/ They have a huge library of copyright free music, so I just basically type in "French" to find those tunes.
I have never toured with any kind of company, and when I'm out touring I tend to change my mind on the issue quite frequently. This summer, (I cycled from Stockholm to Amsterdam on an expensive carbon bike with electronic gears) when I was fixing a flat in the middle of a huge open field, with no shelter from the rain in sight. I felt really miserable, and at the same time kind of relieved that no companion had to endure my constant whining and complaining. On other occasions I kind of wish that I had a girlfriend, and toured with her. Which is actually one of the few occasions that I actually wish I had a girlfriend...
Both has it's pros and cons I guess. A travel partner make sthe time go faster and can probably keep you in a better mood. But at the same time a travel partner can also slow you down a lot as you will always have to take the parter's needs into consideration. I like both. That's way I sometimes go on tour alone and sometimes with others.
I hate that you pour out half the bottle of wine. Was there not a smaller bottle for purchase? Could you not carry the remaining half bottle to the next night's stop?
Hej! Det varierar väldigt mycket beroende på terräng, väder och hur mycket jag filmar medan jag cyklar. Den här dagen t.ex. Var väldigt mycket upp och ned, samt att jag filmade mycket. Så jag tror bara att jag cyklade runt 55 km. Medan några av de andra dagarna cyklade jag 100 km. Normalt när jag cyklar hemma i Sverige brukar jag ligga på 90-100 km på 5-6 timmar. Här är det mesta relativt platt. Nere i Frankrike/Spanien är det mer kuperat så där kanske jag cyklar 55-80 km en vanlig dag.
Touring solo is a necessity for me as no one I know bike tours. I think it would be generally better with 2-3 people in a group. I have tried to encourage them to come on tours or take it up but no success. There is a cost barrier to entry ie bike and equipment, but also time availability at the same time. I wish is was more popular as although its not super cheap, it is good value and generally low cost and good for the environment. You have to experience it to know how good it is, and that can be another barrier.
Good points there Alan. I don't really know anyone else except for my wife who are into bike touring. Like you mention there can be a lot of different hurdles for people to get started.
@@BikeTouringMike If you are ever looking on doing a tour on west coast Europe eg Normandy, Holland or Rhine id more than like to go along, or even UK.
Back with a new touring videos this week. The map over Day 5's ride is avaliable at ridewithgps.com/routes/31650593
Bike Touring Mike I love that you share your maps! Keep up the great videos. Hope to meet you and your family someday.
Thank you! I will keep posting maps to the videos. But I almost always forget to post them until after I've posted the video :-) So If you're missing a map, just let me know.
Your route looks great on the videos! Nice to see the maps for when I am in the area👍 keep up the great work.
Here where I live in Florida, USA, I always ride solo. But if I’m going to a foreign country, I would probably rather go with a small group. This video makes me want to get on a plane with my bike and head out like you do!
Riding solo has many benefits. You stop when you want, shop/eat from where you want, sleep where you want and not be bound by someone else’s itinerary. That being said, there are sometimes difficult days on a tour and being with others allows one to share camaraderie and the pain. This summer a group of us riding through the French countryside were caught in a biblical storm. Water was bottom bracket height. We rode 80+ miles with our toes squelching and our bodies shivering. But, it left us with something to talk about later.
So I would say that solo and group cycling is just. fine, and yes your spouse would be an ideal addiiton I would have to say. Thanks for providing me with these insightful videos as I prepare my first European Cycle trip coming up in April of 2024 for 55 days. Continued success Mike!!!
I like your films and getting inspired.
Thank you! Glad you like the videos!
Just discovering these vids and love your friendly relaxed style. Keep them coming.
Thank you! Glad you enjoy them.
THE most important peice of equipment to take on any bike tour is a good friend.
Fantastic series, Mike. Thanks for doing this, much appreciated.
Wow! This video is so full of charm and beauty, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for all your efforts to film it so we can all enjoy the ride. I haven't done a bike tour but when I travel I prefer to have a companion.
Mike, I am very much enjoying your adventures. I also am a married fellow, with a very understanding and supportive wife. Although I tour mostly solo self contained (I have participated in a few small group, and two large “fully supported” tours) I can very much relate to your comment about missing family. Enjoy the ride while you can, soak in all the adventures, perhaps one day she will be inspired by your videos and will join you!
Thanks for your input Sam! Always nice to hear from other cyclists that are in the same stage of life. I don't know if you have watched any of my other tours, but my wife has actually joined me a couple of times. We did a week long tour this summer in the Åland Islands, situated right between Sweden and Finland. And we plan to tour again sometime in the future.
Bike Touring Mike I have watched several of your videos (but have not yet seen the ones that you spoke of.). My youngest daughter is married to a Swedish gentleman. She, hew husband and their three boys lived near Stockholm for a while, then moved to Helsinki for several years and are now living in Grenoble France so my wife and I have been to visit several times. Sweden and Finland are beautiful countries and great places to cycle... Glad to hear that you and your bride have had an opportunity to tour together!
Keep posting those videos... I especially like the little side trips you make and the photos/videos of the interesting town and villages you visit!
You have a great eye for interesting things.Love all your videos
Thanks Tom! Really appreciate your feedback!
Amazing places again Mike. 👍
Thank you! This was a truly special day. These small hilltop towns feel really exoctic for me living in Sweden where everything is mainly flat.
Another great video. Wonderful job capturing the sights and love the selections you choose for background music. Regarding traveling, I always love to spend time with just my wife for getaways from daily life. That said, I enjoy solo and have done this a number of times. It allows times for personal reflection on life, etc.
Another great video Mikael,great views too my friend.
Thank you Michael! Hope you have had a great Christmas!
@@BikeTouringMike Just went out for lunch then to the casino after.What are your bike touring plans for 2020?
I haven't come that far in the planning yet. The only thing I'm certain on this far is that I'm planning on cycling the Wilderness Road. It's Sweden's highest located road and it's only open for traffic for 4 months each year. The rest of the year it's covered with snow. I'm also planning on doing some touring in Norway during the next year, just not sure where. My 3 top choices at the moment are Lofoten, Senja and Nordkapp.
Hej! Fin video! Personligt!
Min man kommer från den här delen av Frankrike och vi tittar på dina videos med stor glädje!
Du har inspirerat oss, i sommar ska vi cykla i Lappland :-)
/Jenny och Arnaud
Hej! Men vad kul att höra, blir riktigt glad när man läser att man inspirerar någon. Vad trevligt att ni har tänkt cykla i Lappland i sommar. Har ni planerat någon särskild rutt?
Hej Mike, Those French mountain towns look wonderful, a smart move to visit out of season though i think.
I watched this one with Marnie and she asked if this was your full time job. She also asked if Malin was on this trip with you, when I said no she asked who was doing the filming. I told her Steven Spielberg films and Malin was at home playing the accordion for the soundtrack.
It was nice to watch a romantic film at Christmas.
I nearly always like to bike with someone, if I can.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and all the best for the new Year
Well that gave me a good laugh! Sorry about the late responses for the last couple of days. I've tried to stay offline as much as possible. Hope you've had a great Christmas & New Years. I'm guessing you've had a extremely warm Christmas as well? We've had temperatures above zero almost every day, and the snow is melting away. If it wasn't for the days being around 4 hours long, I would have sworn it was March already. I'm glad we are heading for longer days now. Four hours of daylight is no fun at all. You just go around being tired and grumpy all the time.
Great video. I wish I had your technology available at the time of my trips; it would have been nice to have something else than pictures as souvenirs. My trips varied between 21 to 40 days long from 1993 to 2010 (but didn't travelled every year!). I travelled with a good friend of mine. We had a blast. No doubt that Southern France was the most beautiful area of all my trips. Continue your adventures, it's great for the soul. Good Luck
Great Journey Mike, loving the videos. Life is like riding a bicycle.. it has it's UPS and DOWNS, only thing is the DOWNS is the best part. :) For my situation, my friends and family would prefer the comfort of Car, bed and restaurant meals, lol :D but maybe someday I will take them on an easy short scenic tour.. just to give them a general experience of bicycle travel otherwise people think I'm crazy. Solo is my preference for many good reasons and I enjoy being alone bicycle traveling, it gets lonely but as long I'm happy doing what I love the support is always there from family.
Thanks Jason! We also do a lot of car traveling in our family but, for the last 10 years or so we've switched the hotels for camping nights. The kids loved it when they were small. And it has certainly helped to ease them into bicycle touring. But I guess I'm a bit fortunate to live in Sweden, where camping opportunities are just around every corner.
@@BikeTouringMike Wow, that seems like a wonderful time and experience with the family. I look foward to bicycle touring those places you experienced and thanks for sharing it on your videos. Great reference for my future travels. No actual local campsites here only camp at your own risk but barely anyone does it with all the crimes and drugs going on this small paradise.. my bike would be gone or I might get harassed and robbed. Most people here don't even know what bicycle touring is, they think it's like the Tour de France event or competitions. 🤣🤣🚴♂️ This is why I travel alone, freedom and happiness 👍😄
Lovely film again and great scenery Mikael - and a really appropriate selection of backing music. The French Tourist Board would be proud of that one!
Thank you Colin! That is very kind of you.
Great video - I`ve been cycling alot in this area with friends
Thank you for all your videos hope the new year brings all the health and happy Ness you both DESIRE from Pacific northwest.
Very inspirational!
Thank you Brian. Glad to be able to provide some inspiration.
Hi Mike, new to your channel and have really enjoyed watching your travels. Not sure I’m watching in the correct order but thank you for showing me places I perhaps would never see but for your videos. Some of the villages look so nice maybe I’ll try and visit once lockdown has been lifted. Safe travels from 🏴🙏🏼
Hi! So glad you've found my channel. The videos are mostly sorted in order of that certain trip, if that makes sense. Bicycle Touring Provance Day1, Day 2 and so on...
Yeah, this trip was something special. And I had to pick and choose from all the picturesque small villages. They were litteraly all over the place. I'm sure I missed some good ones along the way. I can really recommend Provence as a great nike touring destination.
Bike Touring Mike Hi, thanks for the recommendation of Provence. Definitely going to plan something hopefully this year but more likely 2021 due to lockdown. Again, thanks for posting these beautiful locations and I’ll continue watching. Stay safe.
So great to watch this video and the music really added to it. You do seem to pick great music for your videos. Watching this is getting me excited for my up coming tour in Europe so thanks for being inspiring 👍☺️
Thank you Sylvia! Glad you like the music. Where in Europe are you planning on going?
Flying in to Zurich and cycling along the Rhine to Holland, that’s where I was born so lots of family to visit 😃
Great video Mikael! Loved the French music you selected during certain parts of the video. You are so blessed to have toured France like you did...a dream come true I'm sure. Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to the next video. Stay safe my friend, Ken.
Thanks Ken! Glad you liked the cheesy French music ;-). Yes, going through these small idyllic French towns was truly special. Happy New Year to you Ken!
Also, Happy New Year to you and your lovely family. Have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year! Ken
Hi Mike,
to your question, for long tour's (over 1000km), I preferre it on my own, but the short with other peoples. I realy enjoy your video's and looking foreward to see more of them. Chears, Stefan
An all-around wonderfully presented video. Your eye for scenic shots and coordinated music made it a video easy to watch from start to finish. As for touring, at my age, I would prefer to ride alone. I ride too slowly and stop often. Would probably drive a partner crazy. The nicest tour I've had was a supported ride where my wife drove and shopped along the way as I rode. We would meet for lunch and dinner and stayed at small mom-and-pop motels along the way. A nice vacation along the West coast of Michigan and Upper Peninsula.
Thank you for your feedback Richard. Sounds like you have a wonderful wife as well. Well, my tempo is rather slow as well. I think Ibspend almost half the time shopping to take photos and filming for the TH-cam videos. When I toured with my wife this summer I think she got pretty bored of waiting for me all the time.
I remember Roussillon as a village where every way you looked was a photo op. I noticed one of those spots in your video. Awesome memories.
Yeah, just lovely colors on the houses. Forgot to mention that in the video, but supposedly the have a town rule that all the buildings has to be painted within the same color scale, to keep everything "genuine".
Any plans for the future? You, Kevin, Line and Darren were a fantastic group. I miss you all.
I really enjoyed touring with them, but with the way the world is right now plus the fact that Darren and I haven't spoken since last summer I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon unfortunately. Regarding my own plans I was planning on doing a tour up in the Lofoten/Senja aea in Norway. But the Norwegian border is sloed at the moment, so I really hope it opens until the summer. Otherwise I'm set on doing a fantastic tour here in Sweden called Vildmarksvägen (the Wilderness road). That will happen this summer since we are still allowed to travel within Sweden.
Thanks again for the wonderful video mate; all the best for Xmas and the New year to you and your family.
Thank you Andy! A Happy New Year to you as well!
Hey Mike - these video series really inspire me to get a bike and go touring. I’m in Canada and would love to travel to Europe on a bike. If you were just starting out and did mostly paved roads but plan on some gravel also would you recommend the Sutra or something more robust like a Surly Bridge Club. Ideally would want a road tourer and a bike pack in bike but can’t afford two bikes. Thanks for all your videos! Cheers.
You travelled through some lovely towns and villages on this episode , you found some great music to go with your video. I always travel alone as my wife is unable these days to accompany me due to illness she picked up around 15 years back. atb Dave
Thanks Dave! This was a really great day on the bike. You could pick and choose between a smorgasbord of idyllic small towns in that region. Sorry about your wife's illness.
Great question Mike and one that many velo touristes must ask themselves... I've cycled solo on my 2 to 3 month tours to France, Italia, Suisse, Autriche in the past 14 years including a long one from Nordkapp to Syracusa Sicilia, which was a solo ride for Save The Children New Zealand. Prior to that I cycled with my brother in month long tours to France, Italia and Suisse. There have been many varied routes through the high mountains solo in the Alpes and the usual in the Dolomiti, Suisse Alpes, Sud Tirol and Bavaria. It sounds as though you have a young family, and I only started cycling away from my home (in New Zealand) when I was in my early 40s so the kids were 10 years and older more or less. In the final analysis it depends on your commitments and how you feel about leaving your family back at home, and maybe how good your marriage is, time available, and wanting to spend time with your kids. Everyone's different. I spent my life in a variety of high pressure jobs with no time available for anything. I then spent 15 years contract teaching and lecturing and being the main caregiver for my kids. It allowed me more time than the merchant banking by far and I loved looking after my kids. I found I could cycle alone easily and, I easily met people in French villages I became well acquainted with them over the years. I've knocked on doors high up in the Alpes at 9pm looking for a place to sleep and been very fortunate. I've slept behind hayricks, and in 5 star hotels, and in hostels, fields, campsites, and met many interesting people and learned a lot. So traveling solo I haven't found myself being lonely. It's been easier to meet people travelling alone, and I've enjoyed it, but I've loved velo touring with my brother and my son as well on 3 or 4 occasions in Autriche, where he lives and works, and in Suisse, Italia and France. Whatever gives you peace of mind and you and your family are ok with. Thanks, and love your work Mike.
Wow.. what awesome places you are going on the tour.. amazing.. and what amaze the most that there is towns and really few people. man thanks for the video . are really great.
Thank you for your feedback! Glad you liked the video! I think it's generally like that during spring/fall. I'm guessing a lot of these house may be summer houses that are more or less abandoned during the cold part of the year.
@@BikeTouringMike it's a really beautiful place.. I mean the while thing the scenario is just breathtaking... And you will no regret this trip... Away from the family... Just think what have you done so far....take care
Hi, Mike!! Merry Christmas to you, Malin and your boys! This video seems to be the awesomest in your series :) Looking at the views I fogot to breath! Towns immediately remind "A Good Year" with Russell Crowe. It is good that you and your wife are able to cycle together for a real bike tours, me - can't even dream about this :) So my trips are lonely. But they are toys in comparison with your's. Long ones are still in plans. And as they ARE in plans - I do not drop cycling in winter, too! (Recalling your -20C rides, wow!!)
Merry Christas and a Happy New Year to you as well. Yes, those were some amazing small towns. And I'm lucky to be able to go on tours with my wife. I like touring with her as well as going alone. Both have their benefits. When I'm alone it get a lot of time to think and connect with nature. And when I tour with Malin/my family the days usually fly by really fast since we always have something to talk about.
So Mikael, you must have called ahead for private tour of the entire French countryside...October seems to be the time to go. Anyway absolute stunning scenery, and some really great camera work. Thanks again Mikael....hope your enjoying family-time during the holidays. Side note.....how's the Kona treating you?
Yeah, I think I hit the sweet spot with the timing. Unfortunately I ran into some bad weather later. So that might have scared some people off. But generally I think late September-early October are great touring months. We are enjoying some wonderful winter weather at the moment. Just below freezing and plenty of snow in the trees. Skiing and skating adventures are right around the corner. My Kona is doing just fine. I might have to look into changing break pads this spring. Otherwise everything is still in mint condition.
To answer your question: I like to tour solo, with friends and with my wife. In April 2020 will be a new adventure... with my son. Each way has its pros and cons but all are great in their own way. Travelling solo permits some introspective time though it can be lonely at times.
I guess a balance of them all is the way to go. Your certainly in for something special Brent. I've only done overnights with my sons. It's a great way to spend some quality time with your son, and I can guarantee he'll remember this trip for the rest of his life!
This was enjoyable to watch on a gloomy late afternoon. I do look forward to Pronounce This Swedish Town Name though. Bike on!
Haha! Yeah, that will have to wait a while. Probably a couple of French people out there laughing at my poor French pronouciations during these videos instead.
Thanks!
Thank you for your generous contribution David!
Great videos, Mike! I've been following you ever since I saw you in Darrin's videos. Your video quality gets better and better each time and I really enjoy this France series because of the places and videos you've shown. I ride solo because my wife and friends don't find multi-day touring enjoyable. Do you ever have strangers join you on your travels like Darrin does? I don't find it appealing to go on those big bicycle tours with a bunch of people, but riding with 2 or 3 others sounds like it would be fun.
Thanks NOMAP! Really glad you like the videos! I have been touring in all types of constallations, and I think 2-4 is my favorite. I've been thinking about maybe doing a tour here in Sweden with people that watch. We'll have to se if it happens some time in the future.
We are planning a biking trip in Provence in June. Can you please share your itinerary? And camp grounds you stayed in? Please
I enjoyed this video. Where did you find the lovely French music for your soundtrack? Happy New Year to you and your family.
Thanks Tim! And an Happy New Year to you as well! I use a service called Epidemic Sound to find music for my videos. www.epidemicsound.com/referral/oncotm/
They have a huge library of copyright free music, so I just basically type in "French" to find those tunes.
I agree. The accordion went bautifully with the footage.
You missed kräftost? 😀
I have never toured with any kind of company, and when I'm out touring I tend to change my mind on the issue quite frequently. This summer, (I cycled from Stockholm to Amsterdam on an expensive carbon bike with electronic gears) when I was fixing a flat in the middle of a huge open field, with no shelter from the rain in sight. I felt really miserable, and at the same time kind of relieved that no companion had to endure my constant whining and complaining. On other occasions I kind of wish that I had a girlfriend, and toured with her. Which is actually one of the few occasions that I actually wish I had a girlfriend...
Both has it's pros and cons I guess. A travel partner make sthe time go faster and can probably keep you in a better mood. But at the same time a travel partner can also slow you down a lot as you will always have to take the parter's needs into consideration. I like both. That's way I sometimes go on tour alone and sometimes with others.
I hate that you pour out half the bottle of wine. Was there not a smaller bottle for purchase? Could you not carry the remaining half bottle to the next night's stop?
Hi what does your bike weigh in total all gear bike etc thanks .
It really varies a lot from tour to tour, but I would guess on average around 40 kgs.
najs men hur länge per dag cyklar du? Jag menar timmar och Km!
Hej! Det varierar väldigt mycket beroende på terräng, väder och hur mycket jag filmar medan jag cyklar. Den här dagen t.ex. Var väldigt mycket upp och ned, samt att jag filmade mycket. Så jag tror bara att jag cyklade runt 55 km. Medan några av de andra dagarna cyklade jag 100 km. Normalt när jag cyklar hemma i Sverige brukar jag ligga på 90-100 km på 5-6 timmar. Här är det mesta relativt platt. Nere i Frankrike/Spanien är det mer kuperat så där kanske jag cyklar 55-80 km en vanlig dag.
@@BikeTouringMike nice. Den första januari ska jag cykla 250 km under natten i tyskland till berlin.
Oj, det låter tufft. Jag har cyklat 300 km i sträck två gånger (Vätternrundan). Men det var under sommaren. Ingen snö på marken i Tyskland hoppas jag?
@@BikeTouringMike aooo jag med
@@BikeTouringMike Gjorde det på 4 dagar.
Touring solo is a necessity for me as no one I know bike tours. I think it would be generally better with 2-3 people in a group. I have tried to encourage them to come on tours or take it up but no success. There is a cost barrier to entry ie bike and equipment, but also time availability at the same time. I wish is was more popular as although its not super cheap, it is good value and generally low cost and good for the environment. You have to experience it to know how good it is, and that can be another barrier.
Good points there Alan. I don't really know anyone else except for my wife who are into bike touring. Like you mention there can be a lot of different hurdles for people to get started.
@@BikeTouringMike If you are ever looking on doing a tour on west coast Europe eg Normandy, Holland or Rhine id more than like to go along, or even UK.
I'm sure I'll do a tour in those areas sometime in the future. But unfortunately I don't think it will be this year. But I will keep you in mind.
@@BikeTouringMike That would be great, thanks
providence canyon state park in lumpkin, ga has similar red clay cliffs. a monument to poor farming practices.
Found some pictures of it. It looks very similar.