Going for a bike ride with kids from Montpellier is not easy

Avant de partir, mieux vaut se rappeler dans quelles conditions se fera le trajet retour. Midi Libre – giacomo italiano

This week, Le Nez dans le Handledon has desires elsewhere. And going outside the city walls. The fact remains that, here, from the Hérault prefecture, things sometimes tend to get complicated. Especially since, from now on, the ban on cyclists, even on Sundays, taking the tram does not help anything.

The heat is already showing its nose. It’s time to check your frames for a family ride. Anticipate and check in advance, otherwise it's guaranteed stress mode, impatient children bickering, while you try to inflate the tires with a mini-pump.

Climbing, headwind: be careful!

Also prepare what you need in case of a problem: a large hand pump, a patch and glue kit (not dry), a multi-tool, two tire levers, two inner tubes of the right size , water cans, each person has their own helmet, gloves, energy bars… Brakes that work… The basis! The little essential for ailments too.

Plan your walk: what a place for a fun break halfway through ? What terrain profile ? And this point is very important: watch out for climbs! A child’s bike easily weighs half its weight, or more! Imagine yourself with a forty kilo bike! The walk is intended to be a happy memory, not an ordeal!

A necessary reflection to have on the tramway

But be careful! Leaving Montpellier with your family is not easy. You won't be able to go anywhere, especially with the little ones.

Few options are available to you from the city center without risking your life in a giant roundabout: Rives du Lez, cycle path to be found behind the SNCF rails towards Le Cres. As for the cycle path towards Pignan and Cournonterral, recovering it is a gymkhana.

Let's wait for the Tram work to finish and we will take stock of the network. The ideal would be to take the Tramway to Jacou, Saint-Jean-de-Védas, towards the sea, in order to start your walk from peaceful areas. But this is impossible because the trams are now closed to bicycles! A struggle, especially if, after an easy descent to the sea with the wind at your back, the children are exhausted and you haven't anticipated a return with a headwind.

We are going to inquire about a real reflection on the use of the tram on weekends and during periods of low traffic. In the meantime, let's hope the driver will be understanding.

Section produced with Le Criquet de Talus velociste at 3, rue Lunaret in Montpellier.