An Attempt to Train for RAGBRAI

Ben and I determined our bicycles were looking pretty poorly used sitting in their lonely corner so we decided to take them out on Saturday, May 16. It was a beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky, despite the threat of rain during the week. Before heading out, Ben and I picked a bike route to take out of Toulouse, there are quite a few to choose from, once you find a good map. We chose the way which follows the Garonne. The Garonne is Toulouse's river, where many people like to sit and watch and enjoy the parks that are around it.When we set out, I figured this would be easy as pie just meandering through the crowds of people and being aware of traffic, just as long as we stuck to the bike path. But since it was a nice day EVERYONE was out. It seemed the whole city of Toulouse decided it was time to see the river and its splendors. So we crept along on our bikes, dodging a baby carriage, laughing teens and a elderly couple taking a stroll. It was all fine, it just seemed hectic and not as relaxing as I figured it would be. Finally, we broke free of the "downtown" rush next to the river and were on the edges of Toulouse. The path still was a little busy, but not as packed as the downtown part was. On this part of the path there were several people doing as we were, taking a ride on their bikes in a fairly leisurely manner. But there was also a few joggers, walkers and people just enjoying the scenery.
The ride only took a few minutes and we were at the Blagnac bridge (Pont de Blagnac). We crossed it to see what the trail looked liked on the other side (for we didn't really have a plan once we got to the bridge). It looked too muddy for our trusty road bikes, so we rode back across the bridge and decided to take a paved trail that lead through some countryside, hoping somehow that it would get to Cornebarrieu, our initial destination. It lead quite a ways, probably two to three miles long, it lead past a horse farm, with girls and their horses training fiercely at their jumps, and at the end a few companies we had not heard of. We began to follow other bicyclists and found ourselves at the edge of a park, with a couple mile lake next to it. The paths were too rocky (yet again) to continue with our bikes, but there were water skiers and wake boarders training on a ski-lift/pulling device on the water. They practiced jumps and turns as well as how to get off the water with a lot of momentum. Ben and I stood captivated for a little while, thus giving our legs and our arms a rest from our bikes.
"Are you tired?" Ben asked as he turned from the entertainment.
"Nope, I'm up for riding a bit more."
"Sounds good, cause it seems as if we'll have to back track to get to Pont de Blagnac yet again." I nodded my head and we headed back the way we had come.
Once back at the bridge, we crossed it yet again and found that a bike trail we could follow was on the road, headed toward Ben's work. We took it and soon found some more decent, road bike paths. One even had two lanes, just as the cars did. This two lane bike path led us straight (or nearly so) to Ben's work. It seemed a reasonable journey, one that could easily be taken to work. Ben thought so too. Later, Ben had to take those paths because the car was in the shop. But our destination wasn't quite reached. So we found our way through a maze of not so busy roads to the round-a-bouts we take to Cornebarrieu, still following our trusty bike path. Our bike path remained a good one straight up to the outskirts of Cornebarrieu. We decided to rest yet again for the heat was getting to us. After we finished resting, we quickly jumped on our bikes again, taking the trail back the way we came. It seemed faster to get back to Toulouse, than getting to Cornebarrieu, but I suppose that is because we knew exactly where we were headed and which paths to take. We soon were back at our apartment, exhausted and hot, but happy that our bike ride would qualify for training.
Toulouse is a pretty good place for a bike, the city has many bike paths. The only thing that makes riding to one destination or another slightly difficult is that the bike paths seem to break off now and again. With this is mind, it is still a good place to ride, especially if you know your destination. We had a pleasant time and would have done it many times over if we had the time and the good weather to allow us to. So rent a bike and ride through Toulouse!