Loire Valley by bike!

I received some good news. Earlier this year I requested an extended vacation to do another bike tour as I did last year. Yesterday I received approval and I can now move to next stages of planning. If all goes well, I'll depart on June 1 by bike or train towards Orléans, France and continue along the famous Loire Valley that ends at the Atlantic Ocean.

I'm excited about the trip. The Loire Valley itself is only 500km long, so depending on my pace I'll extend the trip to some of eastern France or the Atlantic coast. I don't plan to cycle at the intensity I did last year. My biggest mistakes last year was setting a goal of where I'd like to be in four weeks, which forced me to cycle so many kilometers per day at the expense of not appreciating where I was. This would be a gross mistake to make in the Loire Valley, which is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous with the vineyards and castles.

It's likely a buddy from Canada will be joining me. He's doing some traveling and plans to be in Europe in early June. We just need to figure out how we'll get his cycling gear and a bike to our rendez-vous point. Any suggestions?