There are many ways to associate a country with biking.  The caricature (to the right) of the old French man riding along with a béret and baguette  is just that, a caricature.  In point of fact, this photo was the only image I could find easily on Google whether searching in French or in English,  which tells you something about how representative it actually is.  Except for occasional organized bike riders on small country roads, à la Tour de France, I do not see many bicyclists in my town.  And that’s not surprising: there are few official bike paths, and those that exist are often obstructed by pedestrians, parked cars, and delivery trucks.   Biking in town is not the norm.  And I am sorry, but I would not be the first to jump on one in Aix-en-Provence, either.