Reports by Greg Shannan

This is a bike tour from Lyon to Nice through the Alps. The biggest col was the Cime de la Bonnette; but we also went up the Alpe d'Huez for fun.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

This trip took place just after the September 11th tragedy, just after an emergency landing of the Air Transat flight in the Azores (Air Transat is our carrier), and during a period when we were told that flights over the pole would have to take a more southerly route because the Russians were testing missiles there. It wasn't until after we got back that the Ukrainians managed to shoot down an Israeli airliner with missiles over the Black Sea.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

Last year we biked from Toulouse to Nîs. We thought we would have liked to go further, but ran out of time. So this year we decided to "finish" the bottom of France and check out Provence. Here is a map.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

Clermont-Ferrand is considered to be the capital of the Massif Central area. It is a city with a population of 150,000, its main industry seems to be Michelin tires, and its main historical claims to fame are that it is near Vercingetorix's capital (he's the Gaulish chieftain who was beaten by Julius Ceasar -- and they are still sore about it around here), and the crusades were started here.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

This year we biked from Lyon in West central France through some of the passes in the Alps.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

So this year we decided to ride in Italy. We wanted to see Rome and Florence and possibly further. In the end we didn't get much further.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

We had already biked through some of France and Italy, so we decided that we should try to see some of Spain. Plus, after biking a bit through the Alps, we wanted to check out the Pyrenees; and since I'm pushing 63 and only have one good leg, I felt I'd better do this soon.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

In 2007 Kate and I biked from Venice to Milan over the Stelvio Pass. When we got to the top of the Stelvio we found that this was the second highest pass in Europe. So this year we decided that we really needed to bike over the highest pass in Europe. This is the Col de l'Iseran, which, at 2770m, towers over the Stelvio by a full 13m.

To do this we decided to start from Marseille, and bike up to Bourg Saint Maurice, where we ended a previous trip over the Grand and Petite Saint Bernard Passes, and knew a friendly hotel. On the way we would see the Gorges du Verdon, the biggest canyon in Europe, and climb the Col d'Allos, the Col de Var, the Col de l'Izoard, the Col de Lauteret and the Galibier, and finally the Col de l'Iseran.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

Last year we biked some serious hills in the French Alps; so we wanted something less strenuous this year. We decided to go to Spain for a change, and settled on a trip through Andalusia from Granada through Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, then the Mountains to Ronda and finally to Gibraltar.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

Last year we biked through Andalusia in Spain to Gibraltar. This year we wanted to see some of Italy that we hadn't seen. Particularly, we wanted to see Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Mt. Vesuvius, and bike the Amalfi coast. This inevitably involved going to Naples.

Descriptions of our cycling holidays in Europe for our friends. We are an old couple (a Canadian and an American) that travel by bike using hotels. This is a description of the places as much as the biking, but also relays our experience as cycling tourists in Europe.

The idea behind this trip was that we would see Venice and Milan and get to bike another alpine pass, this time the Stelvio.