MORNING LIST
Are you a fan of gentle slopes? Direction the valley of the Somme and its cycle route, which covers 160 kilometers from Ham to the mouth of the river. Rather climbing? Follow the “great crossing of the volcano by bike”, a 150-kilometer cycle route that links the Lot valley to the Val d’Allier.
Bay and marsh with Francette
It’s flat and your amateur thighs say thank you. It is beautiful and your confined mind experiences nothing but gratitude and a feeling of freedom. From Niort to La Rochelle, you will hardly feel the effort to cover these 90 kilometers of the Vélo Francette.
This route connects Normandy, starting from Ouistreham (Calvados), to the Atlantic, over 600 kilometers. Its last portion plunges into the Marais Poitevin, along the Sèvre Niortaise, a small coastal river that forms its backbone until it plunges into the bay of Aiguillon, facing the island of Ré (Charente-Maritime).
We follow its meanders along the towpaths, passing through Coulon (Deux-Sèvres), a medieval town from which we can escape by canoe-kayak to explore the marshes. It is then a question of giving a final impetus along the Marans canal to reach La Rochelle and take a dip.
To take in your saddlebags: “La Vélo Francette” by Philippe Coupy (Le Routard, Hachette, to be published in April).
Hydrangeas and rocky chaos just for the eyes
The water is too cold to dare risk more than a few toes? It doesn’t matter, you’re here to pedal. While your calves will set the pace, it will have time to imprint itself on your retinas, the sea bordered by this flamboyant pink granite coast, the flagship of northern Brittany.
With three days of pedaling, the route connects Saint-Brieuc to Perros-Guirec via Paimpol (Côtes-d’Armor): a route that takes a portion of the Vélomaritime, Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche ) to Roscoff (Finistère), itself an integral part of EuroVelo 4.
After having contemplated the bay of Saint-Brieuc, we walk along the Goëlo coast, stopping at the green cliffs of Plouha, the highest in Brittany. Then, we will navigate between turquoise waters, red rocks and views of the myriad islets emerging from the waves to the hydrangeas of Perros-Guirec. The participants of the Tour de France 2021 will complete the same route on Sunday, June 27, but in the opposite direction and in infinitely less time … As for the weather, we are betting everything on the wind, which will drive away temporary depressions as much as that of the ‘we’ve been dragging ourselves around for a year.
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