Epicurean E-bike cycling tour in the authentic Provence

Traveler Reviews

• 

  Dana

  September 30th, 2021
  4.0
  My husband and I went with another couple. After the long COVID shutdown, we were ecstatic to travel to France and...
  My husband and I went with another couple. After the long COVID shutdown, we were ecstatic to travel to France and bike through Provence. We saw incredible views and road through sweet villages. We will never have another experience like biking down the Nesque Gorge! Wow! There was a bike race on the route that morning, which delayed us, but it also blocked the traffic once we were able to start and it was incredible. And even though the lavender was no longer blooming in September, we could still smell it, which was lovely. The accommodations were nice and most of the meals were 'epicurean delights'. I think the exception was in Sault, which was a buffet style and was fairly simple food. The location and food in Roussillon, though, was incredible!! We were perched on a cliff watching the sunset on the red rocks eating the best food of our trip. And our accommodation was the best, as well. We spent an extra day there. It was a good time to rest, and there is plenty to see and do in this town. We were a little nervous about the mileage and elevation of this trip, which I communicated to the tour director, Simon. He said with the e-bike option, it would not be a problem. (We upgraded our e-bikes, as well.) Simon was great to work with - very responsive. We just unfortunately had trouble with our bikes and with parts of the tour path. On two separate days, two bikers ended up walking their bikes, because of operational battery failure. Additionally, on day 1, the indicated path led us up a washed-out gravel road that was impossible for any of us to ride on. On the last day, our path into Avignon took us to a route that was blocked by brush and garbage. We had to find our way into the busy city on our own. We had trouble reaching the Sun bike company. We also had trouble with English communication with the bike company. The gentleman Mario who met us with our bikes was kind, but didn't speak any English. I thought that we would be provided with a GPS device, but we were not. There is a phone app to download the daily route. Coming from the US, we did not have international data plans for our phone - we just use WiFi. If you don't have data, you can still follow the path from a WiFi download, but the roads don't have names - they are just fuzzy. We got turned around numerous times because of the fuzzy road issue. The written directions that accompany the GPS are difficult to follow and sometimes say meters when they mean kilometers. The great majority of this trip is on roads, not bike paths. (And most of the roads are paved.) French drivers are mostly kind and observant of bikers. Our luggage was always waiting for us at the next location and the hotels/restaurants were ready to welcome us. We were a bit surprised on Day 2 when we got a text at 0848 that they were going to pick up our bags at 0900. Overall, this was a good experience. Our ages ranged from 55-64, and we made it! I think we would've enjoyed it more if we hadn't been worrying about running out of battery daily. We never knew how much elevation was still to come, so we conserved battery when we could. (The elevation change map on the app only worked on 2 days.) I would suggest putting your charger in your panier and charging during lunch breaks.Show more
  Traveled in September 2021
  

  Reply from: So Provence So Alps !

  Dear Dana, Thank you for your feedback about your trip to the inland Provence, we are always interested in hearing about your overall experience and what you thought of our services. This is important for us and the following travelers! Concerning the issues with the Ebilkes, I will personally check with our local providers what went wrong with your group. I wish you a great time now that you are back in the US! All my best, Simon

  Show more