summer when the days are long, there is no real need to carry lights, unless you intend riding back to your accommodation after dark from a restaurant or bar. However, it is essential to maintain high visibility to other road/trail users at all times, and particularly on public roads. Always wear bright colours, and consider using high-visibility reflective tabs and clothing.
Luggage
The next major decision relates to the method of carrying your equipment. Road cyclists will automatically choose panniers, but the mountain biker traditionally carries all his or her gear in a small backpack. This is fine for day riding, but the size and weight of the smallest backpack necessary, even when carrying the minimum of equipment, for a two- or three-week trip, is likely to be too much for comfort and safe riding.
It may be possible to carry part of your equipment in a small backpack, and the remainder securely strapped to a back pannier rack, so you don't need pannier bags. The problem with panniers on a mountain bike is the constant jolting of the bags over rough terrain, but most people would find it very difficult to carry enough gear without the use of back panniers. (Don't even think of front panniers – why so many cycle tourists find these necessary is beyond me. I have been on month-long camping cycle tours without the need for front panniers, carrying more than enough equipment on back panniers plus bar bag.)
If using panniers on your mountain bike, then be sure to fit the strongest, best-quality back pannier rack that you can afford – and fit it very firmly and securely. Make sure that the attachment mechanism for your panniers onto the pannier rack is a secure and safe one, and that it is not likely to work loose with constant jolting. The author used back panniers while riding the GTMC with satisfactory results, but you must be tolerant of the constant jolting of your luggage.
A good quality bar bag is an excellent idea for items to which you need constant access. Buy one with a map case attached, as reference to the route will be more frequent for the mountain biker than for the road cyclist. Remember that you will almost certainly have to carry your bike from time to time over difficult sections of the route, so it is important to not only keep the luggage weight down to a minimum (see below), but also ensure that it is balanced correctly on the bike. Finally, the author encountered a couple on the GTMC towing a specially designed luggage rack at the back of a mountain bike: even this coped with the rough terrain!
Packing Light
Whether mountain biking, road cycling or walking, the golden rule on a trip such as this, unless supported with a back-up vehicle, is to keep the panniers/pack weight down as low as possible, consistent with safety and comfort. This is particularly the case when mountain biking a long-distance route, where your luggage will have to cope with constant jolting over rough terrain.
Track outside Florac (Stage 10) (Alan Sides)
Packing light takes thought and time. Once you have assembled your basic gear, lay it out, weigh each item, and constantly ask yourself if you really need this or that. Keep a washing kit as small as possible, with a lightweight travel towel and only enough soap, toothpaste and shampoo to last you the trip. Take lightweight clothes wherever possible (this need not be expensive – Lidl and Aldi stores sell good-quality cycle clothing at very reasonable prices). You will not need many changes of basic clothing, as clothes can be washed each day and, in the usual weather conditions of southern France, should be dry by the morning. Cycling shorts and a lightweight top will be the general order of the day, but do make sure that you have the right gear to cope with extremes of weather. Although generally warm and often hot during the summer months, it can get very cold on the high-level plateau of the Massif Central, even in summer, particularly when a strong wind is blowing, and storms can produce a deluge of rain. Don't forget cycling gloves and a firstaid kit, and remember to leave enough space in your luggage for some food. To reiterate: think light, think safe.
Walkers should also think lightweight when packing for a traverse of the Massif Central. Size of pack will depend on whether camping gear is being carried – if you are relying on gîte d'étape and/or hotel accommodation, only a relatively small and light pack will be needed. (Over the years I have seen so many hikers struggling with enormous packs, invariably ending up at a post office to send unnecessary items home.) Good-quality lightweight boots are more than adequate for walking this trail.
Maps
The sketch mapping in this guidebook indicates the route of the GTMC, and shows key features, but is not detailed enough to allow the trail to be followed with certainty. This is particularly so in areas where navigation is not straightforward, and within the Cévennes National Park, where GTMC waymarking is not allowed, so you are strongly advised to equip yourself with the relevant mapping.
France's national mapping agency, equivalent to the British Ordnance Survey, is the Institut Géographique National, or IGN. It produces maps at 1:25,000 and 1:100,000 scale, covering the whole country.
The most economical way of acquiring all the IGN mapping needed to follow the GTMC is to buy the official French guide to the trail, which includes all the IGN mapping at 1:50,000 in the form of a series of leaflets (see Appendix E, Further Reading). The route of the GTMC is highlighted on these maps (occasionally not exactly as waymarked on the ground).
The alternatives are to acquire either the IGN 1:25,000 (see below) or 1:100,000 scale sheets to cover the route. The 1:25,000 maps are excellent, but a total of 21 sheets is required to cover the whole of the route from Clermont-Ferrand to Sète (see below). The 1:100,000 maps, although ideal for the road cyclist, are not always detailed enough for mountain bikers following the GTMC.
1:25,000 Maps
Walkers will need IGN 1:25,000 maps. These excellent cartes de randonnée give detailed topographical information, including long-distance and local routes, as well as useful information for tourists. The following sheets cover the entire route, in order, from Clermont-Ferrand to Sète.
2531ET (Chaîne des Puys), 2432ET (Massif du Sancy), 2534OT (Monts du Cézallier), 2535O (Murat), 2535E (St-Flour), 2635O (Lavoûte-Chilhac), 2636O (Le Malzieu-Ville), 2636E (Saugues), 2637E (St-Amans), 2737O (Grandrieu), 2738O (Le Bleymard), 2739OT (Mont Lozère), 2640OT (Gorges du Tarn), 2641ET (Mont Aigoual), 2641OT (Millau), 2641O (Nant), 2642O (Le Caylar), 2642ET (St-Guilheim-le-Désert, 2643E (Clermont – l'Hérault), 2743ET (Montpellier), 2645ET (Sète).
The E and O at the end of each sheet number stand for est (east) and ouest (west) respectively. Areas that are particularly popular are mapped by special tourist sheets, with wider coverage than the standard sheets, and offering good value for money. These are called Top 25 maps, and are identified by a T after the map sheet code. Sheets without a T in their code are in the Série Bleue (Blue Series). The latest editions of both the Top 25 and Série Bleue 1:25,000 maps have special gridlines that allow your position on the map to be located using a GPS device.
1:100,000 Maps
At the time of preparing this guidebook (2009), the IGN 1:100,000 series is in the process of being radically updated, and when finally issued will be re-numbered, easier to read, carry more tourist and long-distance trail information than the previous series, and be GPS-compatible. This new Top 100 series of 76 sheets will cover the whole of France, compared with the 74 sheets of the old series.
IGN 1:100,000 (to be phased out by 2010/11, but some libraries will no doubt carry them for some time) sheet numbers 49, 50, 58, 59 and 65 cover the whole of the GTMC from Clermont-Ferrand to Sète.
IGN Top 100 series (to be fully introduced by 2011/12) sheet numbers 155, 162, 163 and 170 cover much of the route, but the maps for the Clermont-Ferrand region had not been issued when this guide was published.
Other Maps
Road cyclists can either use 1:100,000 IGN maps, or some of the road maps in either the Michelin Local or Region series. The following maps are required to cover the entire route.
Michelin Local Series 1:150,000 and 1:175,000: 326 (Allier, Puy-de-Dôme), 330 (Cantal, Lozère), 339