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From Away.com

The Tops in Touring: Road Cycling's Best Spots
A Biking Renaissance in France's Loire Valley

By David Noland

San Juan | The Pacific Coast Highway | Vermont | Ireland | Italy | Portugal | France

The ultimate trip for sybarites who don't mind getting sweaty. Some places you choose for the scenery or the culture or the challenge; this one you choose because you want to be ridiculously pampered and live like the rich and the royal who've been coming here for centuries. You stay in a different four-star riverside chateau every night. The cuisine is oh so haute. And did we mention that you're in the heart of one of France's great winemaking regions? (By the way, the cycling's not bad either.)

But Joan of Arc and the Renaissance and the Middle Ages all live still in the amazing chateaux of the Loire; eating and drinking your way through the countryside is only a part of the charm. Set out from Tours to visit Amboise (with Leonardo Da Vinci reportedly buried in the chapel), the town within the town of Blois, the immense Chambord and Chenonceaux. All will plunge you back centuries to drink in the life of the decadent royals. And an hour in the extensive formal gardens and parks will fortify you for the next leg in your journey.



Practically Speaking:
The planning of this trip can be as pampering as the trip itself; leave it all—hotels, meals, schlepping—in the hands of an operator who can simply hand over the handlebars and send you off with a guided group. Or you can save some money doing a self-guided tour (hotels and luggage handled, but you're free to move at your own pace and without "tourist companion" baggage).

It will be somewhat pricey; this is France, after all, and you're not here to skimp on eating and drinking. But there are affordable hotels and tours that can keep the costs to $125-$150/day (after airfare). You can go the superluxury route (in keeping with the Medicis), and spend up to $500/day without blinking.

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San Juan | The Pacific Coast Highway | Vermont | Ireland | Italy | Portugal | France


David Noland is a full-time professional freelance writer specializing in adventure travel, sports, and science. His book, Travels Along the Edge, published in 1997 by Vintage Books, is now in its fourth printing.