A first timers cycling in France

Not sure if a cycling holiday is right for you?  – Read about the experience of Product Manager Ali and her Mum Kathryn who cycled in Provence with Explore

Having worked for Explore for more than 7 years and leading tours for 3 of them I knew exactly what to expect from an Explore cycling tour and knew it would be great fun. I cycle home from the Explore office daily which is 10 miles so was comfortable to take on the

challenge of cycling through Provence. My mum on the other hand who has never travelled with Explore and not ridden bike for a good few years had her doubts! Below are her thoughts on the trip.

 

"My daughter phoned me one day and said “Mum, do you fancy joining me on a cycling holiday in France?“.  Are you serious I haven’t been on a bike since my teens, now well into my 50’s, yes she says, you’re fit, you swim, walk and garden, you’ll be fine.  Well it was awfully tempting, and it wasn’t until August, plenty of time to get on a bike again.  All good intentions, three weeks before the off I finally got on that bike, and living in Devon certainly helped with the training, no shortage of hills.

I must admit  to being more than slightly apprehensive about the whole thing, expecting a lot of fit 30ish, regular Explore devotees, how would they feel about being saddled with me?  No need to have worried though, everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and even offered the odd advice when I had the occasional hiccup with my gear changing! More to my surprise on the whole I managed to keep up pretty well.

The whole experience was most enjoyable, I always like going to France, everything ran smoothly, hotels were comfortable and welcoming, and it was relaxing travelling down by train.  The cycling was a good way to see the countryside and no need to feel guilty about tucking into the French cuisine after all that exercise. For me the only down side was the temperature, high 30’s most days, but you did get a breeze on the downhill!."