Biking in Burgundy
If you like wine, vineyards, photography, and biking, there is no better way to get to know Burgundy. We spent a week in Burgundy this October, renting a wonderful home in the village of Puligny Montrachet. The owner of the home had several bikes in his storage area and I found this one in the photo that suited me just fine. If you rent a home or stay at a B&B, the usual policy is that bikes are provided for the guests. In Beaune, the main city of Burgundy, one can certainly find bikes to rent. The wonderful thing about riding a bike in Burgundy is that there are many backroads that take you from village to village. Only a couple of miles separate one village from another. Even on busy roads, bike riders are well respected by motorists. I saw many tourists of all ages riding bikes along the country roads. Here is a Website that offers a vineyard trail for bike riding. It goes from Beaune to Santenay, the area where we were located. Take your time and stop at the different villages and take a few detours when you come to small roads that run through the vineyards. Stop at one of the villages and have a casual lunch and perhaps a glass of Burgundy wine. Our favorite village was Meursault. There are plenty of choices for lunch. I left our rental home and rode through the main area of Puligny and up to the vineyards on Highway D113. While on D113, I spotted several bike riders included this lady in the photo. The bike was a rental from one of the villages. One of the great advantages of a bike is that you can pull over anywhere and enjoy the scenic vineyards and compose a great shot. When driving in a car on these small roads, it is often difficult to stop on the side of the road.