France 2011 Countdown

I leave for France in two weeks.  Taking a bicycle to France for several weeks is now becoming an annual trip (starting in 2008).  In fact, I have gone to France for 2-5 weeks every summer since 2005 with the exception of 2008, which was the year that I moved to Texas.  I plan to spend three weeks in the Alps this year and two in the Pyrenees.  I will be spending one week in the middle of the trip at a language school in Chambéry.  One of the many highlights of the trip will be watching two stages of the 2011 Tour de France (TDF) up close and personal in the Pyrenees.

As usual, this is a self-guided trip.

• I am leasing a car this year instead of relying on the train and renting a car when I need it.  I leased a brand new Renault diesel for $1631 (zero deductible insurance included).  Last year I bought a Eurail Pass ($558.00) and rented a car from Hertz for two weeks ($1,179.14).  I also  paid some cab fare around Paris ($70) and had to buy an extra rail ticket (about $120), when the Eurail seats were all booked.  The grand total was well over $1900.  And no wrestling bikes on trains this year!
• I am flying Air France and KLM.  Bikes go as regular luggage as long as they are under 50 pounds.  The cost for an extra bag is $50.  Compare with Continental ($100 each way), Delta ($200 each way), Lufthansa ($250 each way), and United ($200 each way).  Even worse, the airlines charge you in euros going from Europe to the U.S.  So $200 becomes 200 euros.  At today's exchange rates, that's around $290!
• I booked my lodging for the Tour de France stages in October.  Book your TDF lodging reservations ASAP.  Everything else can wait.
• I am deliberately scheduling a rest week in the middle of the trip.  Five weeks of riding mountain passes in the Alps and Pyrenees is tiring.  My rest week will be spent bringing my language skills back up to speed.  Crea-Langues (http://www.crealangues.com/) was booked during the times that I wanted, so I am trying a different language school in Chambéry (http://www.ifalpes.fr/learn_french_france/institute_ifalpes_chambery.php) this year.  It comes with a recommendation.