But they charge bikes on Autostradas at exactly the same rate as for cars.

At least on French Autoroutes they charge bikes at a little over half the rate they charge for cars.

TIP for French Autoroutes. Do not take bikes into the automatic Peage/Toll lanes for Credit Card or cash in the basket payment. The machines thinks you are a car and charges you nearly double the rate for bikes!
Go to manned lanes where you can still pay by Credit Card or cash.

You don't have to pay in Italy - you ride round the end of the barrier! Have done this everytime as advised by other (Italian) bikers. That way it works out a lot cheaper! There is always one lane that has a shorter barrier than the usual to allow you to do this.

Last year I forgot about the Tour and caught up with the caravan in the Pyrennees... that was the most nerve wrecking and annoying time I have ever had since I started riding a bike. Cyclists running amok, miles and miles of slow campervans behind each other... you won't like it. Or maybe you will, I don't know. I wrote about my experience here: [url=http://barothi.com/2010/07/wherever-the-wind-blows-me/]

I agree, I payed once in Italy but the first bike I saw that rode around the barrier, I instinctively followed and then never paid for a toll again. Perfect.:thumbup1:

When I got to the end of the peage at the toll booths in Milan, I just followed the car in front of me out. I guess the machine thought he had a trailer :)

The "camp followers" of Le Tour are just crazy. On a number of the downhill sections in the Alps (Galibier etc) I've been unable to stay with some of them when I've been on a 1000cc bike. I've been touching the footpegs down on blind hairpin bends and been overtaken by groups of cyclists on the wrong side of the road :eek3: They'll just ride down on the white line weaving to whichever side happens to empty.

I suppose it must be some sort of consolation for the endless torment of having the ride up there in the first place!! :rofl::rofl: