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Loire by Bike: Inauguration of the Tours–Angers stretch - grand interregional festival 3 July 2005 in Montsoreau – Candes-Saint-Martin

Loire by Bike: Inauguration of the Tours–Angers stretch - grand interregional festival 3 July 2005 in Montsoreau – Candes-Saint-Martin

Published on 21 June 2005 - Updated 22 December 2010
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 19 ans

Tourism

The Centre and Pays de la Loire regions are delighted to announce the opening of a further section of the Loire à Vélo (Loire by Bike) cycle route. The route will eventually run all the way from Cuffy (Cher) to Saint-Brévin-les-Pins (Loire-Atlantique). By way of a warm-up, however, the two regions which instigated the project will be inaugurating the stretch between Tours and Angers on 3 July 2005. This summer’s opening of a significant stretch of the Loire by Bike route will allow residents of the two regions, as well as tourists, to cycle safely along 90 miles of continuously signposted cycle trails through the riches of a living cultural landscape included on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites.

The programme for the day aims to reflect the essence of the Loire by Bike project: relaxation and leisure alongside the river, on a route designed to combine enjoyment with safety and a chance to discover the cultural and natural riches of the Val de Loire, one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.

Touring cyclists will be setting off at intervals throughout the morning from Tours and Angers, with families joining the route at Chinon and Saumur. All those taking part will converge on the Montsoreau – Candes-Saint-Martin meeting point for lunch. Street entertainers, nature events, activities based on the river and a huge picnic area will all give the event a welcoming, family atmosphere.

This inauguration is also a symbol of the close cooperation between the Centre and Pays de la Loire regions, which initiated the project and which have been working on it together since 1995. The choice of Montsoreau as a venue – located at the point where the two regions meet – in the presence of elected representatives and residents from both regions, coming together at the end of the two stretches linking Tours and Chinon to Angers and Saumur, is an expression of the determination to emphasise the interregional nature of the Loire by Bike project.

Two new stretches are set to open in 2006. The first is in the eastern part of the Touraine between Tours, Montlouis-sur-Loire and Amboise, with the second in Anjou, to the east of Angers between Bouchemaine and Savennières.