Blog moto & voyages de Ride in Tours

I’ve been travelling on motorcycles ever since I got my licence 15 years ago at the age of 17. I started by riding all over the UK, but pretty soon that felt too small and so I headed to France…

On my first big trip, I landed in Calais, rode off the ferry, got lost within 5 minutes and pulled over into a quiet country layby. I had no idea where I was going, where I would stay that night or which road to take (I forgot to buy a map). There was a Frenchman in his car not far from me.

I walked over and asked if he could point me in the right direction. This stranger was the very first person I spoke to while motorcycling abroad…

He pulled out his phone and called his daughter. Told me that he had a business meeting to go to, but that his daughter would be here in five minutes and that I should follow her car back to their house where I could stay the night.

When talking about travelling on a motorcycle in Europe, Italy is a choice that automatically comes to mind almost as a reflex. For its nice climate suitable for any bike trip and many more reasons.  But also because motorcycling takes a much more important part in this country. Perhaps also because the country reflect us the idea of ​​a certain art of living.

Then appears images of an Italy that we would like to make ours.  These are the hilly landscapes  of Tuscany with their sinuous roads lined with cypresses.  These are also the beaches of the Adriatic along which, the youth of 7 to 77 years wanders on scooters or with a tasty italian ice cream in hand.  What can be called the transalpine charm, it also those swarms of mopeds and scooters that rush in pack like at a moto GP start at every traffic light.

It must be said that here the practice motorcycle and scooter is part of the life of everyone from the youngest age.  Everyone here, has a great enthusiasm for motorcycling champions.  Not a town, not a village where famous N°46 of the "Doctor "(Valentino Rossi) is worshiped.  Go visit his native village Tavullia (in Central Italy) and you’ll understand then that one don’t laugh with motorcycle racing.

Pyrénées, the most authentic mountain ranges of France, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, it's 500 km as the crow flies. Riding it with your motorcycle count at least double, while roads turns as much as you can wish!.

The departure is given on the Basque coast, in Saint Jean de Luz, on Jar Alai day, the sardine festival. The BMW 1200 GS harnessed like a trading post horse, is ready to roam 1200 km of road eastbound towards the Mediterranean. When one plunge in Basque County and moves away from the sea, the traffic weakens and the Basque soul is revealed. Our first step is short, we stop in Ainhoa, who has the label of "most beautiful villages in France".

In the middle of the white houses with green or red facings, we find the famous walls of Basque pelota where the chistera will soon be handled by pelotaris. Indeed, on the 15th of August, the celebrations are in full swing from the Landes region and the feria of Dax and extends to small communities lost to the hinterland of the Rhune where everywhere you’ll find competing Basque pelota or force play competitions .

A motorcycle ride in the heart of high Provence !

From olive oil to melons and the local wine, the first step of our motorcycle journey takes us in the tracks of this generous wilderness that has always been renowned in Provençal cuisine. 

From Avignon,the major town of Vaucluse county, we follow the road signs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The village is home of the remains of a castle that was used as a second residency for the Popes. But it is especially due to its wine ranked among the 13 grands crus côtes du Rhône , that Châteauneuf-du-Pape owes its fame. We continue our provence bike roadtrip by taking a portion of the scenic wine road of the Côtes-du-Rhône until Châteauneuf de Gadagne). The wine cellars are numerous, a good opportunity to improve  our wine culture knowledge and gratify our nose and palate. We leave the country road n°6 near Noves to reach Saint Rémy-de-Provence. This typical village of provence that marks the boundaries with the mountain range of Alpilles, a vast set of small mountains with white and rocky peaks. They surround extremely fertile lands , struck all day long by the sun. 

What makes motorcycle tours of Ride in Tours so special ?

If you have already read through our guided and self-guided motorcycle tours on our website , you probably noticed that we offer a wide selection of tours and destination for french and overseas motorcycle riders. But all those motorbike trips have the common point of been defined and conceived on the same bases and specifications : to make you discover and share a region or a country through its sightseeing, monuments and culture and to make you live a unique human motorcycle travel experience. And no need to go to the other side of the world to live it. For those who are ready to live it, the adventure begins at the corner of the street...

Designing a motorcycle tour itinerary for its customers is certainly the most exciting part for a motorcycle tour operator business owner because like a fashion designer or a stylist it often starts with a blank sheet or a basic idea that will have to grow.

I like the comparison with a cooking chef who assembles fresh and quality products by playing on flavors and fragrances to sublimate a dish that he will then offer on his menu. We too, for our motorcycle journeys, assemble products and flavors with the aim of always having the best tour and being able to satisfy the motorcyclists expectations and generate feelings that could not have been lived by realizing the trip on his own.