From his bar, he sees them pass. Sharp colossi, teenagers at breakneck speeds, pensioners who want it. But also parents, with towed carts from which helmeted faces emerge. “Now that the tour of the lake is possible, it has developed at breakneck speed. There are people all the time.” says, at the beginning of July, Pierre, waiter in the establishment of the Société des regattas à voile d’Annecy.
Day loops, itinerant journeys over several days, long-distance journeys… bicycle tourism is accelerating its growth in France, the world’s second largest destination behind Germany. “Communities invested 500 million euros in 2019 to push this sector”assures Véronique Brizon, general manager of ADN Tourisme, the national federation of institutional tourism bodies.
In March, France had achieved 79.5% of the network planned in its national cycle route plan – which aims to have 26,115 kilometers by 2030 – and nearly 95% of that of the Euroveloroutes who cross it. “In 2022, the average frequentation of the routes of these European routes increased by 11% in France compared to 2021″, continues Mme Brizon, citing the example of the Vélodyssée (its French name), which connects Norway to Portugal via France, from Roscoff (Finistère) to Hendaye (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), at the Spanish border.
“Before, we only did repairs”
To support the movement, a Accueil vélo label, valid for three years, has been rolled out nationwide. Today, 6,400 service providers benefit from it. Tourist offices, hotels, campsites, river ports and even train stations, all of which provide services for cyclists. Among other things, that of having a bicycle space, concocting a breakfast worthy of the name, knowing the circuits or even having tools to make repairs.
On the shores of Lake Bourget, in the small port of Aix-les-Bains (Savoie), the Compagnie des Bateaux is one of the companies that have obtained this green label. “Before, we only did troubleshooting, today we equip ourselves”, explains Cécile Revol, reception manager. On the water, one of the shuttles has been redesigned to allow the rear suspension of around thirty two-wheelers. ” Some families come from Chambéry, we take them to Conjux, then they come back in the evening by boat,” she explains, specifying that the transport of the bike is free.
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