France on Two Wheels: Six Long Bike Rides for the Bon Vivant Cyclist

For Adam Ruck, France and cycling go together like a rich Camembert and a heady glass of Bordeaux. This book - full of useful details and tips - follows him through six intricately plotted Gallic cycling routes; from Lake Geneva to the Channel, the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, Vichy to Roanne, Paris to Provence, Roanne to the Atlantic, and Burgundy to Spain. Having lived in France in his youth, Adam, now in his fifties, sets out to rediscover a landscape that was once familiar, now forgotten. His journey combines the pleasures of exploring a landscape by bike with the pleasures of exploring the depths and idiosyncrasies of another culture. It is a passionate moment in the British love affair with all things Gallic. Both a practical companion and a story of exploration and rediscovery, France on Two Wheels offers detailed descriptions of useful routes, stop-off points and watering-holes, along with detours into subjects as varied as wine, Flaubert, windmills, Wodehouse, belfries, battlefields and beer. It is vivid proof that the only way to experience the French countryside is on two wheels.