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Cycling in France :: If you go...Associated PressTuesday May 9, 2006 Use these resources to plan your cycling trip to France:
Getting there: Geneva airport, just over the border in Switzerland, is the easiest gateway to the Jura. Paris and Lyon airports are also easily accessible by car or train.
Bike rental and transportation: Many French towns have their own municipal bike rental systems and train stations have outlets for longer-term rentals. Prices are low, from about $12 a day plus a deposit, and bikes can normally be returned at other stations in the region. But reservations are needed to transport bicycles on some trains and the system can sometimes be a little baffling. Ask at the station or check www.velo.sncf.com (French only) for details.
Lodging and dining:
Logis de France has an excellent Web site at www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/index.htm or a central reservations hotline on (011) (33) 1-4584-8384.
The Sorgia has double rooms from $55 a night. The Logis de France has more than 20 hotels dotted around the Jura alone.
Another good bet for accommodation is the dense network of gites d’etape, akin to private youth hostels and designed specifically for cyclists and walkers - www.gite-etape.com (French only).
Most places offer a good choice of traditional (and often good value) French food with the emphasis on fresh products, with a wider variety of other types of cuisine in larger towns and major resorts.
Loire a Velo: Bike route in the Loire region; www.loire-a-velo.fr/index-en.htm.
Guide books: Lonely Planet publishes "Cycling France." Other detailed guide books for Europe and useful information available at www.bergstrassebikebooks.de
Tour de France: The 93rd Tour de France runs from July 1-23; www.letour.fr/indexus.html
Also be sure to check out www.gay-bike.com
For more information: Contact the Federation Francaise de Cyclotourisme, (011) (33) 5-5529-9878. Large-scale maps are available from the Institut Geographique National in Paris, www.ign.fr/rubrique.asp?rbr-id=1&lng-id=EN .
 Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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