France

Stage 1

Paris - Courtenay  

Stage 2

Courtenay - Vézelay

Stage 3

Vézelay - Bourbon-Lancy

Stage 4

Bourbon-Lancy - Olliergues

Stage 5

Olliergues - Le Puy  

Rest day  Le Puy

Stage 6 

Stage 7

Villefort - Le Rozier  

Stage 8

Le Rozier - La Salvatat sur Agout

Stage 9

La Salvatat sur Agout - Carcassonne

Rest day  Carcassonne  

Stage 10

Carcassonne - Ax-les-Thermes

Stage 11

Ax-les-Thermes - Andorra  

An expedition which is called “Paris-Dakar by Bike” sets off of course in the French capital. The start line is at the base of the well-known Eiffel Tower on an early Sunday morning. You leave the sleeping metropolis over big boulevards and along the banks of the Seine where you can catch a last glance of impressive buildings like the Arc de Triomph, the Notre Dame and the Louvre Museum. 
Everyone can cycle his or her own pace when we come in the verdant French countryside with its panoramic views, lush farms and historic chateaux. The first place of interest on the route is already on the second day. Vézelay, the medieval town which is also known as the “eternal hill”. It’s one of the most beautiful towns in Burgundy, a UNESCO world heritage site and it was from here that the Crusades set off in the 12th century for the Holy Land.
Your first rest day is in the heart of the Massif Central, Le-Puy-en-Velay, another UNESCO world heritage site. The charming town is a pleasant place to wander around the narrow streets or to visit the impressive cathedral. Many pilgrims still gather here today to embark the route to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.
A peaceful road leads you through the picturesque Gorge du Tarn with its stunning steep cliffs. The Tarn River has eroded in million of years over a distance of 50 kilometres the deepest gorges to be found anywhere in Europe. You cycle at the end of the gorge below the huge Millau Viaduct. It’s the tallest vehicle bridge in the world with a highest pier which fits between the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building.
A second rest day is in Carcassonne. The town is located at the crossing of two major traffic routes in use since antiquity; the route leading from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and that from the Massif Central to Spain. Now it is on your route between Paris and Dakar. You can enjoy the rest day with a glass of local wine at one of the picturesque squares of the fortified city.
Most of the route in France passes rolling hills with lots of quiet winding roads in a green setting. You cycle through several regional and national parks before you reach the mountains of the Pyrenees in the south of France.

Copyright © 2006-

Bike-Dreams is registered under number 12060386 at the Chamber of Commerce in Roermond, The Netherlands

info@bike-dreams.com