Road Trips! From campgrounds to college campus tours to good old-fashioned adventurism, the road trip has been the favored vacation model for thrill-seekers and the budget-challenged since the dawn of the automotive age. The road trip is the quintessential journey for anyone with a drivers license, a full tank of gas, and semi-functional radio, but why not try a different type of trek—one with two wheels and a helmet; perhaps a few reflectors, to boot? Why not take a life-changing ride along one of the world’s most famous routes: the Tour de France.
The Tour de France (or le Tour de France, if you want to say it in French) is the world’s largest, and by far most important cycling event, drawing thousands of spectators every year to cheer on the more than 180 world-class competitors. The Tour spans over 3,500 kilometers divided between 23 days and 21 stages, and runs its course throughout almost all of France, nearly circumnavigating the entire country.
Early this May, RealTravelers Julian and Thor set out to retrace this very trail. Traveling from their home town of Auckland, New Zealand, the pair of cycling enthusiasts have charted out the course of 2007’s Tour de France, packed up their bikes, helmets, and water bottles, and flown off to France to begin their 29 day ride, “from the beaches of Dunkirk,” they write, “to the pubs of Belgium, the plains of North Eastern France, The Alps, The Med, the Pyrenees, the Loire valley and up to Paris, we will be cycling our little hearts out with heads down and (sore) bums up.”
The pair has already traveled 733 kilometers in the first six days of their journey, rolling through the undulating hillsides of the French countryside, passing through vineyards and tiny villages populated by impeccably manicured homes and gardens, and at one point stumbling upon what Julian and Thor described as the perfect road:
“About 15km into our ride this morning, we came around a bend to see an extremely long straight road ahead of us with the end not in sight. Furthermore it was downhill, downwind and fabulously smooth. And we had it all to ourselves! This is what we came for.” (more…)
Retracing the tracks of 2007’s Tour de France is certainly a rather physically demanding journey, but one that can be easily replicated by following along (at least virtually) with Julian and Thor as they document their two-wheeled road trip through France. Stay tuned for more updates from the pair as they roll through the open green countryside, the cobbled city streets and airy peaks of France.
Click the link to read about another incredible cycling adventure: O.J.’s blog
