Following SNCF’s axe falling upon the very handy and cheap
night train from Paris to St. Gervais Les Bains last autumn, it’s time to reassess
how you can get to the Western Alps and some proper hillage...
Great idea – how do we get there?!
It is that time of year when Google maps becomes
criss-crossed with blue routes while a street-view reveals M. Bertillon crossing
the road with a large saucepan. Your
route is going great until you reach the daft limit of ten blobs - and a trip
that is actually 200 miles has become 519 as one stubborn blob won’t budge.
Landscapes are gawped at, breath taken and gradients checked. Is that a
motorway or a rarely used single-track pass you wonder as you squint at a
grainy earth-view image? Head over to climbbybike for some stats: 25-mile climb
average 8% - I can do that! Just need to get in 150 miles a week and keep
cycling up and down the ramp into the parking zone at Lidl. Is there a
campsite? Is there a get-out clause in the form of a railway?
That’s all sorted but then comes the real clincher: how the
hell do I get there? It is not the ‘I’ that is the problem, it is, of course,
the bike and your bits’n’bobs.
The easiest foreign parts to get to from the UK are Ireland
and the stretch of coast from Roscoff to the Hook of Holland. I completed the
latter, more or less, last May. I know the check-in staff at most of the Channel
ports by name - they are on my Christmas card list – I am godfather to their
children. Of course, that is a fabrication but there is just so much one can
take (meant in the nicest possible way) of those necks of the woods along the
Channel/Manche coast. Indeed, I have a couple of dashes across the Channel each
year to enjoy the very easy going roads and treats that France and Belgium have to offer - the Somme and Flanders are both worth revisiting. If you cheat a bit and take a car – you can even sample
Luxembourg. But, with three bikes in/on a car, logistics, driving distances
eating into riding time, tolls, and parking, organising the trip turns into a
headache.
Trains?
Eurostar is an option – to Paris at least. On top of the
fare, which can start as low as £29, there is £25 or £30 for the bike each way, depending upon whether you
take it with you or put in on in advance. There is a possibility, with the former, of having your bike put on the next service and arriving after you.
From Paris – many of its other stations are within a ‘short’
ride from Gare du Nord – trains can be taken to pretty much anywhere but the
assembled bike may limit the choice. Some TGVs do take a very limited number of assembled bikes with an extra payment but have to be booked with the seat. You have to select a TGV service and see whether the bike symbol is shown or not - some services of Annecy take them and some don't.You then have to call to make the booking as the bike cannot be booked online. Use link below for more details.
TGV Lyria to Geneva also provides spaces for €10. As mentioned, SNCF has cut its night train to the St
Gervais les Bains in the Alps. This was very handy for the north western Alps.
There remains the Intercitie Nuit service to Briancon via Gap, which is useful
for more southerly routes - for Vars, and Bonnette etc. Night trains also head down to the Cevennes, south
of France and Spain. Check with the link
Intercities
de nuit site.
Ignore the graphic as it still shows the discontinued St
Gervais service.
Day time services in France? For example, if you go to Caen,
via Portsmouth, a train south heads to Tours – which sets you up for jaunts
around the west and central France. But, as with day time services from Paris,
you are spending precious time on your butt in a train and you’re going to have
to spend a similar time getting back – two days of a seven day trip not spent cycling.
The train is a great option but takes a lot longer, requires
more planning and generally costs more and so, if the train doesn’t grab you,
we revert, once again, to the conundrum of ...
Bikes on a plane
Once you've figured on the best aiport (Geneva is first choice) then you can ponder the options.
One radical solution is tour with a folding bike. This
solution may have other issues but not only will you get your bike onto a plane
with more ease, you stand a chance of using TGVs as well – which may even
negate a flight in the first place.
But, assuming you already have your bike – one with big
wheels and a decidedly unfoldable frame -what are the options for flying with
your bike?
1. Turn up and go. This basic approach was most popular back
in the days of BOAC, Sturmey-Archer and canvas saddle bags. Do absolutely
nothing to the bike, except let the tyres down bit. I did this once, unaware of
the existence of a pedal spanner. It was ideal but nowadays Airlines want to
see packaging and the airports may not let it through due to it being too large
for the scanner. Apart from reducing the chances of damage to your, packing a
bike keeps other passengers’ luggage clean.
2. Pack it up.
There are three very different ways to pack a bike.
2.1 The first is to slip the assembled bike into a
translucent polythene bag – the CTC bag, in fact:
 |
| CTC 'bike bag' in action |
This will require the pedals be removed, the handlebars
turned in, and the saddle lowered – plus the usual tyre deflation. Tape will be
needed to keep things tidy. You can also leave a pannier on. Allow at least an hour to do the needful and
remember to make sure the tools go with the bike. This is not hugely different
from option 1 but does qualify as being in a ‘recognised cycle bag’ –
recognised as CTC lobby airlines to allow this bag. The chances of damage are
high even if baggage handlers take care with the bike being clearly visible. I
once watched in despair as my bike was blown off a luggage truck thanks to the
bag/spinnaker billowing with a fresh sou-sou wester or whatever it was.
Airlines may take it but again, the airports may not. I once had a close shave
at Gatwick with the bag while, on another occasion, Geneva refused. This leads
nicely into boxes.
2.2 Hard case bike box: There are two distinct versions of
these – the reusable, expensive, hard case: the ultimate and ideal way to treat
your bike - and the throwaway cardboard box.
Though the most expensive option, the hard case is the best
way to get your bike on board. However the hard boxes do not suit touring bikes.
They are very precise inside, tend to be narrow and short, and with space at a
premium. This adds up to having to exclude mudguards and the racks. But the
obvious drawback is what you do with your hard case once you have reassembled
the bike. It lends itself to round trips and not A to B – if you are happy with
that then just find an obliging hotel or campsite to start from and return to. They
are quite heavy and may take you over your baggage weight allowance. The soft
case bag presents the same problem of disposal. While they are (generally) cheaper
and lighter than the hard case, they do not offer the same protection.
2.3 This leaves the cardboard box. If the airports that suit
your trip sell these then you have the best option, though they are not cheap. Rutland
Cycles sell them at £50.00 a pop. As they are quite awkward to get through a
letter-box the delivery may be tricky and might reflect in the cost. Packaging
companies sell bike boxes for a lot less.
Cardboard boxes are sturdy enough to offer some protection
and can accommodate the racks and mudguards. In addition to the adjustments
made for the CTC bag, you will have to take the front wheel off, which leaves
the front fork’s dropouts vulnerable – inserting an adapted axle does the job
of stopping the forks getting forced together. You can also squeeze in a few
bits and bobs into the box and maybe able to forgo the second piece of luggage
and save a bit. People write about getting such boxes from bike shops – a nice
idea that just leaves the issues of finding a cycle shop with a spare box, taking
it home or to the hotel/campsite, then getting to the airport. If you obtain
them at the airport, allow an hour to undertake the minor disassembly. There
are some limitations to these boxes – if they get wet they can disintegrate,
they are cumbersome, and may they may get damaged or ripped and allow your gear
to fall out. They are not as protective as a hard case.
safe-bag.com/
provide bicycle boxes in a number of European airports in Italy, France,
Portugal and Switzerland, and a couple in Canada.
Happy conundrumming!
