Vive La France! La France en 2018!

Hope you all enjoyed the World Cup this time around. Win or lose, it's always good times to watch some world class footie. My team was eliminated in the Quarter Finals, by Germany no less, so I don't feel too bad. We watched the match surrounded by all the Frenchies at Belden Place, the tiny Financial District alley which is home to SF's French Quarter.



Germany has an incredible team and, I'll admit - it was cool to witness Thomas Müller's sick moves on the dance floor as he celebrated their ridiculous win over Brazil.



Nice shorts, dude.

Hope y'all had a great time watching all those hotties on the pitch, like I did!

Bring on 2018! Et ALLEZ LES BLEUS!

bonjour le tour!

Joyeux lundi à tous!

Vive le Québec!

Here's my little Ode to Montréal on the day that Charles De Gaulle declared "Vive le Québec Libre!"



You can get a sense of this liberté by renting a Bixi, in my humble opinion, the best way to check out this fun North American city - which also happens to be one of the top 20 bike towns in the world.



I happened to be visiting during la Fête de St. Jean-Baptiste, when all the Quebeckers proudly display their love for their pays.



Montréal's so cool that they named their bikes after it.



And the hot dudes on bikes are not to be missed.







My next installment on Montréal will be about the recent student movement, but for now let's relish in the uniqueness of this ville de merveilles.



Or just relish in the Poutine.

Le jour de gloire est arrivé!

Busting out an oldie but goodie from two years ago. It's Euro Championship time, and the fever is rising. In just one hour France will take on England in a historic match, wearing their new Gaultieresque uniforms.



Who will claim victory? I can't contain my excitement.

Frenchies sure know how to have a good time...

on le bicycle!

Paris vs. San Francisco

Inspired by the best-selling graphic book & blog Paris vs. New York...



I present Paris...


vs. San Francisco.


As lines are blurred, it's getting harder to tell the difference.



A good sign!

Paris Roule!

Voici ma photo à la Tour Eiffel!


Paris is so hip, even its carousel horses ride bikes.




And if you don't want to pay the 3 euros for a ride on the carousel, you can hop on the stationary penny farthing or unicycle for free...


comme moi.

do not judge a man on a bike by his clothes

On my latest trip to France, I saw more people cycling in athletic-wear or comfort clothing than I did in the fashionable apparel that we typically imagine most Frenchies wear. It could be the winter season, when perhaps fashion-minded people in France decide to take public transportation. Who really knows, and really, who am I to judge?



Take this senior gentleman on a tricycle, for instance. Unique and amazing in his own right. How can I judge a man on a bike by his choice of clothes? Should it not be enough to applaud his efforts and live by his example?

Bravo for your bravery, sir. Ride on into the sunset!

le long chemin

This weekend I was going through some of my photos from a past trip to France. It got me thinking about how strange and wonderful life is, and the many places - expected and unexpected - that it takes us.

That one day we can wake up in a foreign land, find new love, make a family, feel grounded, find ourselves. Each day that we wake up, no matter where the road of life takes us, is an opportunity to create new history. To explore the many avenues we can go down that take us to places that inspire us, frighten us, disgust us, entertain us, change us.



And even then, life keeps going. There seems to be more road behind us than ahead of us. When we're young, it seems like the road is never ending. How many miles or kilometers that lie ahead is inconceivable.

And yet, one day, we will all reach the end of that road.



I just hope that when I get there, I look all around me and all I see is beauty.

Vive le Vélo + Film

On Bastille Day, July 14th the Hotel Rex will play host to the French-Language Disposable Film Festival.

For this particular soirée, the Disposable Film crew has put together their most intriguing French-Language short films for us to enjoy the Joie of Film at our very own Hotel Rex. The screening begins at 8:00pm but we’ll be serving French-inspired drink specials in our Library Bar starting at 6:00pm. Attendance is free.

More info about the event on the Joie de Vivre blog.

KT will be there avec le Rouge et Noir, probably wearing something like this:

France's Big Comeback

KT falls into a state of delusion - I mean disillusionment - when all her teams are eliminated.

France and England duke it out Sumo-style for the Losers' Cup.

All of KT's Bike to the Cup Chronicles have been co-blogged on The Bay Soccer by Thierry Heumann, another Frenchie, and now KT wants to see him show up on his bike.

KT's Spirited Ride to the Gallows

My fever has made me slightly delirious. I only wish I had meant this as a satirical piece.

Join KT on her ride to The Gallows for the infamous June 17 France v. Mexico match.



Song inspired by Sortez-Vous Les Doigts du Cul/Internet pour les Bleus.

My team's World Cup 2010 story just keeps getting juicier and juicier. Even though I'd prefer to watch les Bleus stick them into the back of the net, this drama is even more intriguing than le head-butt.

My one question, if France refuses to play, is it going to be Bafana Bafana v. Bafana Bafana on Tuesday?

Vive la France! ¡Que Viva Mexico! Long Live Ireland!

MissionMission reader Andy B. has been ready all morning to watch to much-anticipated match between Mexico and France:

It was pretty damn hilarious biking down Mission Street this morning, documenting my friend’s rather bold display of patriotisme prior to the Mexico/France World Cup match. We saw lots of smiles and heard lots of honks and shouts of ¡Viva Mexico!


Meli sent me this blogpost from MissionMission just now and it kind of reminds me of the madness that I was up to today (though I didn't parade through the Mission or Sunset Districts, just in the FiDi). I also didn't watch the game at a French bar, and found myself surrounded by Mexico fans. Je ne vois pas de problème! I think we can all just get along, non?


Look - France is sucking couilles during this Cup, but there's nothing wrong with supporting your team. It's a sport, and I know a lot of people have been killed because of it, wars have broken out and a lot of nationalistic/racist attitudes are displayed, but this brave soul's love for his team, as he rides peacefully, almost humorously down Mission Street wearing his team's colors, does not seem offensive or asking for trouble to me.

He's riding his BIKE (ouais!), waving the tricolor flag with smile on his face, and excited for his team. C'est tout!

So lighten up folks, pop open a cervezita and enjoy the Beautiful Game.

let them wear berets!

Photo originally published in the SF Bay Guardian by Matt Reamer

Once again, I'm hearing the helmet/no helmet debate being argued with equal vitriol from both sides because of Steven Jones' Op/Ed piece in the SFBG's Streets Issue that just came out during Bike To Work Week.

Undoubtedly there are great benefits to wearing a helmet. And with pretty|funky|cute|sleek designs from companies such as Nutcase, Bern and Yakkay, the fashion-conscious can now see head protection as a beautiful accessory, and not dork material.



The only two-cents worth that I can offer - the voice of one urban cyclist - is that this seems to largely be an American debate. I only wonder why I rarely hear Europeans discussing whether or not a cyclist is reckless because he/she doesn't wear a helmet.

Coincidentally, I found this charming video last week in the blogosphere - the subject quite à apropos to our current debate. A classic French solution to headgear! À Vélo Citoyens!

Ride Béret Baguette - SNTRCK Edit from SoundTrack on Vimeo.

More coolness from Nantes

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Be Cool avec bicloo ! (Nantes' bikeshare program)

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(GDH) Foreign Correspondent

I'm here in the South of France where finding VV candidates is, as Lilia pointed out, "like shooting fish in a barrel." In the space of about 2 hours I was able to spot the following :

Sensible shoes and dress pants


A nice leather pannier (and something about only old men and children can wear shorts in France)


It was 29 degrees, but that shouldn't stop you wearing heels


Nor getting the kids home from school


And yes, you can even ride in chunky heels.