Link’s Bike Tours offers one exciting tour in 2010    

                  

                     Provence Experience Tour  –  Sept 4 - 13

                            

                             This Tour is 10 days and 9 nights, offered at $3,195 each

                               Single Supplement -  $500.00       Bike Rental - $350.00

                             Self Guided Tours Are Available - Price to Be Determined

Welcome to Link's Bike Tours

PROVENCE  truly is a Great Place!    With great people . . . great scenery . . . great outdoors . . . great accommodations . . . great dining . . . great wine . . .  great companionship . . . great fun . . . great shopping . . . great biking . . . and a great time!  If you have never been on a bicycle tour now is the time to consider the possibilities. If you are an experienced cyclist looking for new adventures with a fresh perspective you have come to the right place. We invite you to join us and discover bicycle touring with a unique and special group.

If you like challenges, you can ride up the steep ascent of Mt Ventoux, a stage of the Tour de France. Every day will bring a new adventure.  Sipping a cafe au lait, talking to the locals, eating fresh fruit and vegetables, tasting the great wines of Provence, shopping at the unbelievable farmers markets, and soaking up the ambiance of another culture.

The Provence Experience Tour

Join us for some of the greatest and most challenging cycling in your lifetime. We will meet you at the TGV train station in Avignon and transport you to a lovely Bed and Breakfast in the Luberon.   We will have time to unpack, check out the bikes, lounge by the pool, and answer any questions that you might have.

We will be traveling north on our way to our stop – Seguret ,

which is named one of the most beautiful villages in France. 

We will spend six days at Le Vieux Figuier, a fabulous 18th

Century French Farmhouse owned by our delightful friends,

Jacques and Maite.  Link’s Bike Tours has exclusive use of this

Mas for these six days.

We will be going through the village of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.  It is nicknamed the Venice of Provence. Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is also an antique capital of France, second only to Paris.

Vaison la Romaine is one of our favorite towns. It features the best of all farmers markets. We will be able to visit the Roman ruins dotted around the town, which give the town its name.

Another town of great interest is Orange known for its prestigious Roman public buildings.  Self-guided tours will give you a great education about the Theatre Antique d'Orange.

Mt. Ventoux            

If you really want to challenge yourself, we invite you to attempt to bike up to the summit of Mt. Ventoux from all three villages that lead to the top.  If you complete all three climbs in one day you will become a member of a famous biking club in France.  It is called the Club des Cingles du Mont Ventoux, or the Club of the Crazies or Nuts of Mt Ventoux.  The club was started in 1988.  There are only about sixty Americans who are current members of this club that has over 2400 members.  It involves 86 miles of cycling and 15,000 feet of climbing.  Are you crazy enough to attempt this challenge?  Link is currently the oldest member of the Club des Cingles.

Daily Rides

There are a great variety of rides in the area of the Vaucluse which offer different challenges for all levels of riders.  Most of the rides will vary from 30 to 50 miles per day and will be held in the morning hours when the temperature is a little cooler. By riding in the morning you will have time to relax or play tourist in the afternoon.

Provencial Attitude

Life in Provence is all about enjoying yourself, learning to relax and appreciating the area and the lifestyle of the people. There are many resources available on the internet to help you learn about Provence. Two very good places to start are at www.FranceBeyond.com and Provence International. These web sites are excellent resources and contain many links relating to visiting Provence.  The best map to review the tour route is: Michelin 527 Regional - "Provence, Cote d'Azur".

Self Guided Tours in Provence

Considering a self-guided tour?  Maybe you would like to follow part of the Dauphiné Liberé, the Tour de France or climb Mt. Ventoux.  If you are an experienced road cyclist, Link’s Bike Tours can aid you with detailed maps and suggested routes, bicycle shops and bike rentals, accommodations, outstanding restaurant suggestions, and ideas of what to see off the bike for the non-cycling tourist/partner.

We have lead tours in Provence the past seven years and are very familiar with the area. During our two to three months stay every summer we have biked most of the back roads in Provence.  We feel confident you will be excited with the routes we suggest because they are the best.  We have focused on Provence because of its beauty and great biking venues. We will introduce you to the best farmers’ markets in the area, the Roman ruins and historical sites, the off-the-main-road wineries, and of course, the best places to enjoy the wonderful French food. 

Mt. Ventoux is a great challenge and we will share the best way to help you meet the challenge.  Link has climbed Mt. Ventoux 19 times and is the oldest cyclist to complete the triple assent in one day, so he knows what it takes to reach the top.

Contact us for a complete explanation of our self-guided tours and to find the answers to any questions you might have.