wrote in message
...
Hi

I am posting on here about bicycle travel to France on American
airlines to see if anyone
recently has does this. I searched this group but all the postings I
can find are from 2003 or earlier.
I want to plan a trip to see the later stages of the Tour de France. I
already have a plane ticket to
Orly airport and a Rail Europe anywhere/anytime France ticket. I know
American airlines charges $100 for bicycles. I still have a few
questions.
1. Does Rail Europe thru France allow bikes on the train without a
case or box?
2. Where do you store the case if it is a large plastic one? (I was
thinking about getting a nylon one so it is easier to store in a
locker at the airport or at the trail station where I arrive,)
3. Does the train going to London under the chunnel (eurostar) allow
bikes? (I'm planning on going to England after the Tour)
4. Does anyone have any experience spectating the Tour de France with
their bicycle as the main means of getting around? Then leaving by
train and air?
Thanks for any help .
Jeff
)

OK, a bunch of things to deal with here.

First of all, there's no such train as "RailEurope." RailEurope is the
US ticketing agency for many European trains, including Eurostar, the
French TGV, Belgian Thalys, German ICE etc. About the only reason to
buy from RailEurope is a RailPass, which you generally have to buy
outside the country you're traveling (that may not be the case anymore,
haven't tried lately).

Both French TGV and the Eurostar have rather draconian restrictions for
carrying bicycles. There are a small number of TGV trains that will
carry bicycles that have not been taken apart, and there is a service
offered by Eurostar that may, but does not guarantee, getting your
complete bicycle to you at your destination at the time you arrive (you
have to drop it off earlier, don't remember if it's a full day or what).
The absolute best website for planning train trips is here-
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

In general, if you wish relatively unrestricted travel on trains, you're
going to have to pack your bike in a bicycle "bag" no greater than 120cm
x 90cm. This is what I've done and trust me, it's not fun. It's a
terribly difficult way to haul a bike around, and there's no special
place on the train for the bike, you just stuff it in the luggage area
at the end of the car, which will be crammed full so your bike is going
to end up being stuffed in the vestibule itself, in front of one of the
doors. Which means at each stop, you're going to have to go to where
your bike is stored and make sure it's not blocking the side people will
be entering/exiting from (which varies from station to station) and that
nobody is carrying your bike off the train. Thankfully, the fast trains
make very few stops.

Another interesting thing about French TGV trains. When you buy a
RailPass of any sort, that does not include a reservation for a given
train. That's purchased separately. Reservations aren't very expensive,
it's just a bit of a hassle figuring out how to do it. Local trains
don't generally require reservations or, when they do, it's only during
peak travel hours.

You can use this same bag to transport the bike on the plane in. It
won't give you a very secure feeling, because you have no hard box or
case around your bike, but somehow the bike (usually) survives the
experience. By the way, the $100 fee American is charging is currently
*low* compared to many other carriers. United, for example, is now $200
each way. Last year it was free (part of your baggage allowance). Oh
right, one more thing. Make very sure your bike plus box does not exceed
the weight allowance. Extra weight charges can be horrendous.

On "local" trains, you'll typically have a baggage car and be allowed
(or required) to load the bike into it. The conductor will tell you
they'll take it off for you at your destination, but do not count on
that. At the 2007 TdF we had our bikes in the baggage car on a "local"
train that terminated in Angoulume. We exited the train and waited for a
minute or two, but nothing was being unloaded from the baggage car. I
finally just climbed up into the car (no conductor around) and got our
bikes out. Within 30 seconds of getting the bikes off, the train just
took off, without warning, to wherever trains that have finished their
journey go. Weird!

As for getting around to see the TdF, your best bet is to find a good
location from which you can accees three stages, and then move on. It's
a royal pain moving every single day. For our trip this year, we'll be
spending 6 days in Albertville, which will allow us to see several
Alpine stages by bike (and one or two by car, which we'll be renting in
Chambery). Then we'll drive south to Avignon for the big Ventoux stage,
return the car there, and take the train north to Paris for the finale
the next morning.

Many people do camp, but I prefer a place with a hot shower, air
conditioning (it can get very hot during the summer in France) and wi-fi
(for updating our shop's website). You can get all of that for less than
$50/night at the Etap hotels, one of the lower-tier Accor offerings.
Very cookie-cutter and without any particular charm, kind of a
mildly-upscale Motel 6 if that makes sense.

OK, looking at your follow-up post, I see you're flying into Paris. CDG
is an amazing airport, be thankful you're flying into it and not out.
The place is a huge mess of lines snaking everywhere. But getting from
CDG to anyplace, if you've got unwieldy luggage, is a royal pain. Taxis
into Paris with a bike in a box are going to run nearly $100!!! And
taking the RER regional train into Paris (to get to one of the main
stations that go places) requires a fair amount of walking and flights
of stairs. Your best bet is to find a TGV that leaves direct from CDG to
your destination. I would recommend looking to Lyon as your initial
destination, since it's well-served by TGVs from CDG (and only one
intermediate stop, just 15 minutes out of the airport).

Hope this helps get you in the right direction! You might find some more
useful info on this part of our website-
www.ChainReaction.com/france.htm

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com