Anjou Velo Vintage : en route to the good old days

La quatrième édition d'Anjou Vélo Vintage aura lieu les 28 et 29 juin dans le Saumurois. Cet événement est devenu en quelques années une référence internationalement établie pour les amoureux du vélo. Son dress-code et les cycles utilisables - deux conditions non négociables - donnent à cette manifestation les allures d'une balade dans le temps.

Credit pictures : Anjou Vélo vintage

Anjou Vélo Vintage is back on the track. Its fourth edition will take place on June 28 et 29 and, for the first time, a "Solex caravan joins the peloton of the retro bike ride". The routes of that tour, from Saumur, have been completely redesigned. The first, called "The discovery Solex" (30 km), goes through scenic roads and booming vineyards, charming villages with troglodytes as well as prestigious castles. One of them, the Brézé castle will host a unique lunch on the grass. Another route, "The stroll" (55 km) is designed for regular cyclists not frazzled after thirty kilometres and will lead these 25 meters underground in the basement of cellars and on the highs of Chenehutte where a single panorama, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

"The Hike" (90 km) matches cycling addicts and will make them discover the wooden lanscapes of the Anjou countryside and the Loire royal valley with a stop at the castle of Brissac, the Downton Abbeay of Anjou, also known as the Giant of the Loire Valley (seven floors and 204 rooms). Last but not least, the "Retro", a legendary race dedicated to road slaves (150 km) : "Beginner, to abstain from", the race "offers a large-scale version for the bitumen fanatics who will discover beautiful sceneries" but experiment muscular aches! Those who will reach the finish line will receive the honors of a final refreshment point in the cellars of the fine bubble winery Bouvet-Ladubay.

The fees for all the routes include food supplies, a bucolic lunch and a beggar's bag including a numbered plate and the wristband of the event. In four years, Anjou Velo Vintage has become the foremost French retro cycling event. The third edition registered 2,650 participants and 20,000 visitors from 71 French departments and 20 countries. A detailed dress-code gives to the event its vintage touch. That one, and the bicycle frame (pre-1987), are two non-negotiable requirements. The initiative has got an international news coverage with the Financial Times or the Eastern Daily Press which qualifies it as "ride into the past".