Seek Travel Ride Newsletter July Edition

• The ever popular travel destination of Pont du Gard in Provence has been given another boost with the opening of a new ‘Voie Verte’. Seeking to capitalise on the growing cyclo-tourist market, the Department has invested over 17 million euros since 2015 towards the development of more cycling greenways in the region. This new addition canvases a 10km route which will allow for car free travel from Uzès to Pont du Gard on the newly constructed 3 metre wide path.

• Want to ride in France but can’t travel there due to COVID-19? Perhaps you could ride there virtually? The popular indoor training platform Zwift has recently released two new maps for users to ride. Introduced as part of the Virtual Tour de France, subscribers are now able to choose to ride various routes which put you on roads mimicking the French countryside as well as Paris. Famous landmarks such as Mont St Michel & Pont du Gard make appearances, as well as a challenging route all the way to the summit of Mont Ventoux. You can even pedal on the circuit course of Les Champs-Elysées.

• In a sign of the times we now have a page on our web site with the latest COVID-19 information as it relates to France. The page will be updated regularly as information changes.

• As part of the bailout conditions for Air France, the number of short-haul domestic flights (less than 2.5hrs) could be cut. The aim is to push more people onto rail helping France reduce its CO2 levels.

• Qantas has announced it is unlikely to resume international flights from Australia until March 2021.

• The Train Loire a Velo have increased capacity for carriage of bikes on train services between Orléans, Tours, Nantes and Le Croisic. In an effort to boost cycle tourism this summer, each train service will now have capacity for between 50 – 83 bicycles. Read more here.

Ride

Cyclosportifs

Many cycling events have been cancelled in France this year due to COVID-19 but there are still some that will be going ahead. Click on the name for the event website.

• 24 Hour Velo – scheduled for 22-23 August
• La Marmotte – scheduled for 5 September
• L’Etape du Tour – scheduled for 6 September
• Haute Route – running a 3 day Mont Ventoux tour starting 2 October. Their usual Haute route events for the Pyrenees and French Alps have been cancelled for 2020.

Car Free Days

You will be able to ride some of the famous climbs in the Pyrenees from July 27 through to July 31 car free. Each day will feature different routes and include legendary climbs like Col du Tourmalet, Col du Perysourde and Col d’Aubisque. In all 10 cols will be included and the road will be closed to traffic from 9am-12pm. Full details here.

The Haute Alpes will run its annual program of car free days in the French Alpes including Col d’Izoard, Col du Galibier and Col Agnel. Click here for their website.

The Oisans Col Series will run its annual program of car free days in the Oisans region. Climbs include Col d’Ornon, Alpe d’Huez and Col de Sarenne. Click here for full details.