La France en Bicyclette: de Paris a Grenoble et a Marseille

By Jean Bertot189431 chapters72 imagesFrench

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Contents

• Chapitre premier. Avant de partir (opens in a new tab)

  Before setting out from Paris on an 860-kilometre ride to Marseille by way of Nantua and Grenoble, the author recounts friends' alarmed advice, introduces his travelling companion, a young doctor nicknamed 'Hippocrate jeune,' and lists the bicycle, accessories, luggage and clothing they decide to take.
• Chapitre II. De Paris à Melun (opens in a new tab)

  On 4 August the two cyclists leave Paris through the Porte Dorée and the Bois de Vincennes, ride via Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and the Forêt de Sénart, and reach Melun, where they admire the churches and an evening open-air concert.
• Chapitre III. Montereau, Pont-sur-Yonne (opens in a new tab)

  From Melun the riders pass the Château de Vaux, reach Montereau-faut-Yonne at the meeting of the Seine and the Yonne, follow the Yonne valley, call on the writer Louis Piesse, and are plagued by swarms of mayflies at Pont-sur-Yonne.
• Chapitre IV. Sens, Joigny, Auxerre (opens in a new tab)

  The route runs on to Sens and its cathedral, through Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and Saint-Julien-du-Sault, then Joigny, before reaching Auxerre in the middle of a local festival, with the author musing on why cyclists are disliked by country people they pass.
• Chapitre V. Auxerre, Avallon, le Morvan (opens in a new tab)

  Leaving Auxerre's churches in heavy summer heat, the pair pass through Cravant and Vermenton, where timber is floated down the Yonne, visit the caves of Arcy-sur-Cure and the hilltop basilica of Vézelay, reach Avallon and the gorges of the Cousin, then march through the night into Quarré-les-Tombes.
• Chapitre VI. Le Morvan, Autun (opens in a new tab)

  Crossing the wild Morvan on poor roads through Dun-les-Places and past the Lac des Settons, where they find a colony of Marseille holidaymakers, the riders are caught in a violent storm near Moux before reaching the Roman town of Autun.
• Chapitre VII. Autun, le Creusot, Blanzy (opens in a new tab)

  In Autun the travellers tour the Roman ruins and the cathedral, then ride to Le Creusot to visit the great Schneider ironworks, before continuing to the mining town of Blanzy.
• Chapitre VIII. Cluny, Mâcon (opens in a new tab)

  From Blanzy the pair reach Cluny to see its old houses and ruined abbey, cross hill country, and arrive at Mâcon on the Saône for a cheerful dinner that ends in a puzzling mystery the author leaves unexplained.
• Chapitre IX. Bourg-en-Bresse, Nantua (opens in a new tab)

  After a night in a supposedly haunted room, the cyclists see the church of Brou at Bourg-en-Bresse, pass through Ceyzériat, explore the caves of Hautecour, and take several falls climbing the Côte de Berthiand before reaching Nantua.
• Chapitre X. Nantua, le Valromey (opens in a new tab)

  A rest morning by the Lac de Nantua is followed by the road toward Geneva into the fir-covered Valromey, descending the valley to spend the night at Champagne-en-Valromey.
• Chapitre XI. Le lac du Bourget, Aix, Chambéry (opens in a new tab)

  The riders reach the Lac du Bourget below the Dent du Chat, take an improvised lakeside lunch, mingle with fashionable society at Aix-les-Bains, and push on through traffic-clogged roads to Chambéry.
• Chapitre XII. Le Graisivaudan, Grenoble (opens in a new tab)

  Leaving Chambéry at four in the morning, they pass Fort Barraux and ride the Graisivaudan valley on a very poor road to Grenoble, from where they make excursions to the gorges of Sassenage.
• Chapitre XIII. Dans les montagnes (opens in a new tab)

  Following the line surveyed for the future Grenoble-to-Marseille railway through the mountains, the pair pass Monestier-de-Clermont, climb the Col de Fau in sight of the Mont Aiguille, and cross the Trièves region.
• Chapitre XIV. La Croix-Haute, Sisteron (opens in a new tab)

  Climbing the Col de la Croix-Haute at dawn and running into snow near Lus-la-Croix-Haute, the riders follow the Buëch valley through Serres before reaching the fortress town of Sisteron.
• Chapitre XV. La vallée de la Durance, Digne (opens in a new tab)

  Following the Durance on a bad road, the travellers pass a procession of penitents, reach Digne for a midday siesta, and cross torrents flooding the road on the way toward Puimoisson.
• Chapitre XVI. De Puimoisson à Calissanne (opens in a new tab)

  From Puimoisson the route passes the Roman remains of Riez, descends into the Quinson valley to cross the Verdon, and continues through Montmeyan, with its memories of the Moors, and Fox-Amphoux to reach Calissanne.
• Chapitre XVII. Dans le Var, Barjols et ses environs (opens in a new tab)

  Exploring the little-visited Var, the cyclists stay at Barjols, climb the Besseillons hills above the town, and visit the Vallon Sourd and Sillans before riding on toward Meyrargues through a thunderstorm.
• Chapitre XVIII. Cotignac, la Garde-Freinet (opens in a new tab)

  After alternating rain and sun at Cotignac beneath its cliff, the riders pass through Le Luc and cross the wooded Massif des Maures to La Garde-Freinet, where they meet a retired colonial settler from Dunkirk.
• Chapitre XIX. La mer, Hyères, Toulon (opens in a new tab)

  Leaving La Garde-Freinet the pair catch their first sight of the Mediterranean, ride through the cork-oak country around Cogolin to Hyères, and reach the naval town of Toulon, touring its quays, the arsenal, and its cafés.
• Chapitre XX. La mer, la Ciotat, Marseille (opens in a new tab)

  Skirting the roadstead of Toulon through Saint-Nazaire and Bandol, the cyclists reach La Ciotat and Cassis before arriving in Marseille, where they part from a couple they had befriended and take a boat trip out to sea and a swim.
• Chapitre XXI. Marseille, Salon, Orgon (opens in a new tab)

  Riding out of Marseille through its suburbs, the pair skirt the Étang de Berre, pass the old château at Lançon and the town of Salon, and spend a miserable night at Orgon among bad food and worse beds.
• Chapitre XXII. Avignon, Orange (opens in a new tab)

  From Orgon the route leads to Avignon, where the travellers tour the decaying Palais des Papes, the ramparts and the Pont d'Avignon, visit Villeneuve-lès-Avignon with its view of Mont Ventoux, and continue to the Roman remains at Orange.
• Chapitre XXIII. Les châteaux des bords du Rhône (opens in a new tab)

  Riding north along the Rhône through Piolenc, Mornas, Mondragon and Donzère, the author recalls the region's religious wars, visits Viviers, and continues through Le Teil and Rochemaure to Cruas.
• Chapitre XXIV. Les bords du Rhône, Valence (opens in a new tab)

  From the abbey at Cruas the road passes La Voulte, Beauchastel and the ruined château of Crussol to Valence, then through the wine country of Tain and Tournon and past army manoeuvres at Saint-Vallier to Peyraud.
• Chapitre XXV. Vienne, Lyon (opens in a new tab)

  Passing Sainte-Colombe, the travellers reach Vienne to see its Roman ruins, catch a distant glimpse of Mont Blanc, and enter Lyon, where they climb to the basilica of Fourvière and reflect on artworks lost during the Revolution.
• Chapitre XXVI. Le Beaujolais, la vallée de l'Azergues (opens in a new tab)

  Leaving Lyon through the Beaujolais, the pair follow the Azergues valley past La Mure and climb the Col des Écharmeaux, riding on through heavy rain past a string of uneven inns to reach La Clayette.
• Chapitre XXVII. Le Charolais, Digoin (opens in a new tab)

  Crossing the Charolais on a rainy Sunday, the travellers pass through Oyé and reach the Loire at Digoin, with the author describing the river's changing character along the way.
• Chapitre XXVIII. Au bord de la Loire (opens in a new tab)

  Following the Loire from Digoin through Cronat, the riders reach Decize and the ironworks town of Imphy, watched over by an idle gendarme, under skies that finally clear after days of rain.
• Chapitre XXIX. Au bord de la Loire, Nevers (opens in a new tab)

  The route continues along the Loire to Nevers and its cathedral, then through Pougues, La Charité-sur-Loire and Pouilly to Cosne.
• Chapitre XXX. De Cosne à Paris (opens in a new tab)

  The final stage follows the Loire on through the Gâtinais, passes Montargis, and crosses the Forêt de Fontainebleau on the road home, closing the tour of the Paris-to-Marseille journey.
• Renseignements pratiques (opens in a new tab)

  A practical appendix gives exact kilometre distances, road conditions, and recommended hotels or inns for each stage of the Paris-to-Marseille itinerary described in the book, for cyclists wishing to follow the same route.