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Paris might not be best known for its bicycle paths - but a network of routes can take you out of the city for the day and show you a different side of France.
The opening of the Ve’lib rental bike scheme brought biking in Paris into the public eye this summer. Bikes can be rented from numerous points in Paris, and the first half hour is free (though you do have to register). So far, the scheme looks like a success – Parisians are nipping to meetings or out to lunch on a Velib. They’ve already taken 2 million trips in just over a month since the launch date. But while Parisians are mainly using the Velib for short runs, the city also has some fine longer distance tracks to offer the more serious cyclist. Start out gently with the Bois de Boulogne, to the west of the city, which some good bike tracks in leafy surroundings. You can hire a bike from the entrance of the Jardin d’Acclimatation, every day from April to October (and in the low season, on weekends and public holidays). You can easily spend a whole afternoon here; as well as biking, people-watching is a great sport, and the park has numerous other attractions. For fine views over Paris, cross the Seine by the pedestrian bridge to the Park of Saint-Cloud; there’s a short, steep climb, but once there the fine formal gardens of this former royal domain are open to explore. (You can also rent bikes, including tandems and trios, from the charmingly named ‘Velocipéderie’ in the park.) If you’re using the Bois de Boulogne at weekends, though, you need to keep an eye open for the serious road racers – they can reach high speeds, and often come in packs. Another great ride begins at the Bastille, just behind the opera house. For the first part of the route, cycles take the street at ground level, but pedestrians (and of course, you can be one if you decide to wheel your bike) take the viaduct which brought the railway into the old Bastille station, high above the streets. From the point where they join, the routes run together through the Parisian suburbs towards the Bois de Vincennes and its medieval castle. The whole trip out is about five kilometres, then another four or so around the park could make a fourteen or fifteen kilometre trip out from the centre. At weekends, though, the park becomes busy with racers – so take a trip during the week or early in the morning to avoid the rush. To the north-east of Paris, the towpath of the Canal de l’Ourcq is open to cyclists from Porte de la Villette. At first it runs through post-industrial suburbs, with some fine old factories including the memorable Grands Moulins de Pantin – destined to become the headquarters of a French bank. Later, though, the tree-lined canal runs through gentle French countryside towards Meaux – home of the soft and chalky Brie cheese. The towpath is barred to cars, so your only companions will be boats on the canal. A longer waterside route follows the river Marne from the bois de Vincennes. Where the canal is a thin, straight line, the Marne has a quite different character – it’s a wide, meandering river, in one place expanding into a wide lake where rowing crews often train. Again, the cycle path is barred to traffic. But the farmland and small villages are similar; from the bustle of Paris, you soon reach the rather sleepy, gentle countryside. Take a trip outside Paris to Fontainebleau for a quite different experience; riding on sandy tracks through the forest. The Tourist Office rents bikes by the day or half-day. Three circular tours have been put together for mountain bikers, of 38 to 48 kilometres each, but they are not compulsory. While some bikers find the forest claustrophobic, it’s lovely in summer, when the branches woven together overhead protect you from the heat of the day. There are strange rock formations in the park – almost mini-mountains; Parisian rock climbers practise here at weekends before they head off to the Alps. Cycling interest apart, Fontainebleau also has a fine Renaissance royal chateau that’s worth a visit. Across the whole greater Paris area, bikes can be taken on the Ile de France regional trains and on the RER (but not in the rush hour), opening up trips even further afield. But, if you do want to take one of these longer routes, don't take out a Velib. The scheme is intended for short trips, and the cost rockets once you’ve had the bike out for more than an hour, to EUR 8 an hour at top rate. Much cheaper to rent from one of Paris’ bike shops. Resources Roue Libre offers bike rental, with 14 different sites in Paris (major ones at Les Halles and Bastille, open 0700-1900 7 days a week). Roue Libre also offers guided tours. Fat Tire Bike Tours offers half day and all-day cycle tours in Paris, as well as a full day cycle tour of the Loire valley chateaux. They also rent out bicycles Cyclo Pouce (01 42 41 76 98) offers bike rental at Porte de la Villette.
The copyright of the article Cycling in Paris in France Travel is owned by Andrea Kirkby. Permission to republish Cycling in Paris in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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