Bike excursion around Avignon
Hello (again) ! My husband is wondering if anybody can comment on the difficulty of the Avignon bike excursion. This one is listed as Activity 4 | Pace 3. He’s in good shape but we don’t ride bikes often - he’d like to sign up for this one. THX Tauckers!
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My wife and I did this ride in May 2022. At the time, we were both nearly 70. I ride a bit, my wife almost never. We both did fine. The ride we took (I presume yours will be similar) took us along the ancient city wall, through back streets to a large market hall where we stopped for a coffee, past the Palais des Papes, then across the Pont Edouard Daladier and through some farmland on an island in the Rhone, with a nice view of the medieval Pont d'Avignon. Totally flat except going over the gently arched bridge. The biggest challenge was maneuverability when going slowly, since we biked through some pedestrian streets that were crowded.
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We combined the Savoring France trip with an extra week in Paris and a visit to the Dordogne to see ancient cave paintings (and drink wine). Best trip ever!
Thank you so much @RickS - super helpful! We are VERY excited for this trip!
Did you see any tandem bikes here? I'm coming with adult grandchildren and their parents (my "kids") and would love to join them but haven't been on a bike in 15 years. Would love to be a "back seat" rider! I asked Tauck and they said they would check but that was 2 weeks ago and we leave in 30+ days. I may just walk around; which is also fine! Thanks in advance!
I did not see any tandem bikes on the bike tour. The group of riders in our group were all experienced except for my husband and I. We brought up the rear of the group, but it's not a big deal as one of the guides stays with you. Enjoy your trip!
Tauck contracts with local companies for the bike excursions and each company is different. We had a bike excursion as part of our cruise last summer in the Netherlands and at the start of the cruise the CD expressed concern for anyone taking it who had not ridden a bike in awhile. So before we got there my husband and I borrowed a couple of the bikes the ship's carry and we went for a ride along the bike path parallel to the water. Glad I did and yes I needed the practice. Especially as our excursion used ebikes which are heavy and take more effort to handle than non electric bikes.
I was almost 70 when we did Blue Danube which included optional short and long (43 km/26.7 mi.) bike rides. At the time I was swimming (interval training) for exercise so was not totally out of shape, but I almost never rode my bike, so a few months before our trip, I went into training. I rode a little each day and slowly increased my distance until I was able to do 26 mi. in one session at a moderate pace without stopping.
During the ride there were three groups- the young jackrabbits, who zoomed into the lead and left the rest of us in the dust, the turtles bringing up the rear, and just me between the two!
A TD was in the last group (it was reported they exercised their jaw muscles more than their legs 
). One of the two bike company riders cycled between the front and rear groups. A van was available mid-ride for those who were "done" early! 
I use a stationary bike regularly so my legs were fine but you forget how much balance and arm strength you need to control a real bike.
I have chosen bicycle excursions during 3 of my 4 Tauck river cruises. I have also requested a bicycle from the ones on the ship to venture out solo in the City of Lyon on its paved bicycle path.The only challenging portion of the Avignon cycling excursion was the brief part within the city... cobblestone streets and dodging traffic, other local cyclists and pedestrians. Once we crossed over the bridge to the island to cycle through the orchards, it was much easier and calmer,... a very pleasant experience.
My cycling excursion along the Saone river south to Macon was extremely windy and challenging, even for the local cycling guide. The excursion through the vineyards along the Douro in Portugal was challenging due to the sloping and rocky portions of the trek. Avignon was the easiest and least challenging.