My tips for cycling in France

[briantrumpet]

Why would this be, please?

The yellow jersey from the Tour de France: it's an almost sacred symbol amongst proper French cyclists, and you might well get some filthy looks.

 

[briantrumpet]

Updating this on driver behaviour from this year...

I'm not sure what's come over Belgian drivers this year, but they are now no longer officially the worst at passing cyclists... in fact, they were rather good. The prize this year, weirdly, goes to Dutch drivers, especially ones with caravans. (British drivers don't qualify for the league, as I only saw about six in eight weeks.)

 

[Punkawallah]

The yellow jersey from the Tour de France: it's an almost sacred symbol amongst proper French cyclists, and you might well get some filthy looks.

Ah! Thanks for that. :-)

 

[DRM]

Ah! Thanks for that. :-)

I think the average French cyclist can tell the difference between a maillot jaune and a jersey, club or otherwise that just happens to be yellow

 

[Biker man]

I think the lack of helicopters is likely to be a bit of a giveaway.

Was going to go cycling in France with my mate but Covid and lock down came so I don't about it .I hired a bike in Canada the man said keep a eye out for bears unnerved me a bit .🤠

 

[briantrumpet]

I think the average French cyclist can tell the difference between a maillot jaune and a jersey, club or otherwise that just happens to be yellow

I'm sure they can, and though I do wear my (yellow) club jersey there, I still quite like the fact that, even amongst not-cyclists, yellow jerseys are 'a thing'.

 

[neil_merseyside]

I got honked by a French registered car in France, I told the driver "to go (in short jerky motions) back to the UK" he seemed rather stunned I knew he spoke english. Easy peasy, a frenchman would never honk a cyclist, and actually only foreigners ever drove (drive? has it changed?) cars with a 60 in the registration. Other (near) Europeans obviously had their own cars, so that only leaves brits, or merkins with impatience issues with regard to cyclists obeying the rules of the road.
To be fair Brits can't cope with being on the other side of the road with gear stick where the door handle should be...

 

[Brandane]

a frenchman would never honk a cyclist,

They do! I've been honked at regularly in France. The difference being, it has always been a double honk, in a friendly toot-toot way, sometimes accompanied by a wave of encouragement or something shouted (assumingly friendly going by the tone) out the Peugeot/Citroen/Renault window, while I have been struggling my way up a hill!
The British equivalent would be a close pass, a long blast of the horn, and "get a feckin car" shouted out the BMW/Audi/Merc window.

 

[yello]

only foreigners ever drove (drive? has it changed?) cars with a 60 in the registration

I wasn't aware it ever was like that tbh. Did you do a lot of cycling in the Oise by any chance? Because that's department 60.

 

[Biker man]

They do! I've been honked at regularly in France. The difference being, it has always been a double honk, in a friendly toot-toot way, sometimes accompanied by a wave of encouragement or something shouted (assumingly friendly going by the tone) out the Peugeot/Citroen/Renault window, while I have been struggling my way up a hill!
The British equivalent would be a close pass, a long blast of the horn, and "get a feckin car" shouted out the BMW/Audi/Merc window.

You get it everywhere when I was in Cambridgeshire a white van Man would blast his horn from behind you it was madness .

 

[neil_merseyside]

I wasn't aware it ever was like that tbh. Did you do a lot of cycling in the Oise by any chance? Because that's department 60.

I'm told all the hire car companies used that department for taxing vehicles as it was cheapest! Certainly in 10 years of working in France (and CH) all the French hire cars had 60 number plates.
I can say that department 75 and 92+ drivers could all qualify as Brits from driving (in)ability...

 

[yello]

I'm told all the hire car companies used that department for taxing vehicles as it was cheapest!

Ah, gotcha now. I've not noticed and to be perfectly honest, I've no idea but I'd certainly say it was possible. There is a 'local' level taxation applied on some things, and it wouldn't surprise me if car reg was one of them, but I've no idea who sets it, how it's controlled etc etc etc.

You've piqued my interest now! I'll both keep an eye out and do a bit of research.

 

[Brandane]

department 75

Paris.
Did they not change the registration formats a while back though? A lot of newer cars seem to have different formats, dropping the regional identifiers which used to be the last 2 digits.

 

[yello]

Did they not change the registration formats a while back though? A lot of newer cars seem to have different formats, dropping the regional identifiers which used to be the last 2 digits.

They did (2009?), though obviously you still have loads of old style plates around. The car keeps its reg number for life now, though re-registration is still expensive and, yes, there are indeed different regional level taxes to pay as a part of that cost. Quite significant differences too, depending on the vehicle. So I could well imagine that a hire company might base its fleet in one particular department (though obviously the reg number would no longer show which department).

 

[DRM]

Paris.
Did they not change the registration formats a while back though? A lot of newer cars seem to have different formats, dropping the regional identifiers which used to be the last 2 digits.

Yes they did alter, but they have the blue euro F on the left, on the right they have the department symbol and number, the actual reg number doesn’t give any clue as to where it comes from now