I'm training for the 2015 AIDS/LifeCycle, and didn't think I wanted to be off a bike for nearly…read morethree weeks while on vacation. So, I found Paris Bike Company and set up a ride with Sam, sending him the dimensions of my bike in advance. The original day we'd arranged for was rainy, and he was super-flexible about postponing it a day or two.
Once in Malakoff, I easily found his shop and Sam waiting for me. Sam is super-chill and isn't there to kick your butt, but rather lets you set the pace according to your ability (I discovered I'd been eating and drinking a little too much on my trip, so being allowed to set our pace was a good thing). We set off on our ride, him explaining some of the local rules of the road so as to make the trip a safe one. We rode out to Versailles and back, about a 50km round-trip. During the trip, Sam was a great tour guide. If it hadn't been quite so chilly (and I'd been a little better dressed for the cold), I would have gone out for longer. Although it cost a bit to do, having a private two-hour tour of the countryside was one of the best things I did in Paris!