"Fête du Tour" : cycling, supersized

Just like the champions...
Almost all of the stage-towns of the 2013 Tour will already have been linked together by
15 June by the thousands of cyclists setting out on the route's roads that are set to welcome the champions in July. One of the greatest cyclists, Bernard Hinault, has opted to set an example in his region by repeating the Saint-Gildas-des-Bois - St-Malo stage. The five-times winner of Le Tour will be appearing at St-Méen-le-Grand, the birthplace of Louison Bobet.

Cycling for all
Organised hikes will be taking place everywhere, more often than not with several different kilometre formats which will allow everyone to join in the fun. This means that the meeting point at Bourg d'Oisans is not exclusively for those intending to tackle the 21 hairpin bends leading up to L'Alpe d'Huez, whilst the Givors - Mont Ventoux stage will be held over two days, in keeping with the average of riders with less training. Above all, the Fête du Tour will include all forms of cycling: introductions to BMX or MTB in several different locations (even featuring the world champion Gilles Coustellier at Aix-en-Provence); closed circuits for the very young children (from 2 years upwards) such as Marseille's Parc Borély; a specially designed cycling studio “Vel'autisme” at Fougères to allow autistic children to ride on customised bikes; sessions aimed at raising awareness of road safety will be held at Avranches and Toulouse; “vintage” or even “comedy” bikes will be showcased at Bagnères-de-Bigorre; there will even be a chance to discover Rollapaluza at Saint-Nazaire, and much more.

At the table and in song
In the land of gastronomic delights, festivities often culminate with a banquet, a buffet or a picnic. Those on foot will be invited to join the cyclists, for example, at Albi, Saint-Gildas-des-Bois or Bourg d'Oisans. Then a series of free concerts will be held to reward the cyclists for their efforts: these will be happening at Porto-Vecchio, Ajaccio or even at Saint-Amand-Montrond.

Discover the whole range of activities in the « Fête du Tour » at letour.fr