My First Bike Road Trip
(updated July 2026)
I took the train home and looked back on those few days of cycling. I had planned a journey of a little over 150 kilometers over three or four days, especially to prepare for a longer departure, perhaps abroad.
In the end, I covered the loop between Mâcon and Chalon-sur-Saône in two days, passing through the greenway and the blueway. I did not expect to cover so much ground in such a short time. Two days, it's not really a road trip anymore, is it?
I didn't leave very early. On Wednesday, I took a train around noon with my electric-assist bike, a tent, a duvet, a foam mattress, and enough gear to convince myself I was ready to sleep outside.
Arriving around 2:30 PM in Mâcon, I started on the greenway towards Cluny, then Chalon-sur-Saône. The landscapes were pleasant, even if I didn't feel particularly out of place amidst the cows, fields, and forests.
The most astonishing part was the Bois Clair tunnel, an old railway tunnel open for only part of the year. Bats apparently live there. I didn't see any, but the idea was enough to make the passage a bit more interesting.
After a few hours, my bike's battery started to fail. I decided to stop at Buxy for the night.
Since I had not planned anything in advance, I obviously hadn't booked any rooms. Airbnb could have saved me if the app had worked. Technology wasn't really with me at that moment, so I waited for a response in a pizzeria while eating something good enough to spare you the photo.
The only affordable host never replied.
Around 9 PM, I decided to continue the road to Chalon-sur-Saône. There were still about twenty kilometers left, without electric assistance. I was tired, night was falling, but the idea of finding a not-too-expensive hotel in a slightly larger town still seemed preferable to setting up my tent in the cold.
However, I had set off with everything necessary to sleep outside. Tent, duvet, floor mat. I was ready for the adventure.
But not necessarily for the cold.
I finally found an F1 hotel in Chalon-sur-Saône.
My first bike road trip therefore ended for the night in a cheap room, with a shower and heating. It wasn't very wild, but at that moment, it felt exactly like an adventure.
