Arrival in Avignon and the Start of the Backroads Trip

 Arrival in Avignon

We arrived in Avignon on Saturday, May 6th, having taken the train from Paris that afternoon. Avignon is one of the largest cities in Provence and it serves as our jumping off point for the Backroads cycling trip. Jeff and Yvette Giller and Susan and I were staying at the same hotel in Avignon and we went to a great local restaurant for dinner on that Saturday night. Avignon sits on the banks of the Rhone River, one of Europe's largest rivers -- and it also happens to be the river that runs through my favorite wine region 😁

The Rhone River in Avignon

Avignon Main Square

Our Hotel In Avignon - Le Divine Comedie

Susan Looking out at the Rhone River

First Day of the Cycling Adventure . . . 

We got up fairly early on Sunday morning and went for a walk around Avignon. After that it was time to take a taxi to the Avignon train station to meet up with our Backroads leaders and the rest of our group. We had a total of 6 couples from Santa Barbara on this trip and we knew that there would also be other guests joining us. It turned out that there would be a total of 26 guests -- fairly large by Backroads standards. The folks who were not part of our group were from all over the United States and Canada.

Our Backroads Leader, Geoffrey, addressing us on the Bus

Getting our Bikes Ready for the First Ride on Day One

Lunch on the First Day at a Vineyard in Chateau Neuf du Pape

The Countryside in Chateau Neuf du Pape

Threatening Skies As I Ride near our Hotel on Day One


Our first day of riding took us from Chateau Neuf du Pape to Uchaux. Here is a link to my Strava Entry for that day's ride:


And here is a map of our route for Day One (we rode a total of 31 miles)



Our Hotel for our first night is called Chateau De Massillan, and it is a gorgeous old property with fairly modern amenities:









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