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10 friends from all over France get together around a bike trip. Évasion à vélo consolidated all their requirements so they could enjoy the natural and gastronomic riches of the Périgord for 5 days.
Here's how it could work...
At the time we had chosen, Thibaut called the 3 organizers via a simultaneous WhatsApp call and we built our circuit together in a little over half an hour. He asked us the appropriate questions taking into account the wishes of the group (we had already discussed these between us) and that was it!
We therefore decided to leave at the beginning of September for a period of 5 days with stages of around 50 km per day, knowing that the terrain would be quite hilly.
We asked Evasion à vélo to guide our tour around castles, chasms and caves, while reserving a good part of the trip for gastronomy: the choice of Périgord, and in our case more specifically the Lot, was a natural one!
Evasion à vélo advised a “marguerite” circuit: staying in the same accommodation to make the most of the group moments.
As regards the accommodation, we wanted a very good level of service in a charming and well-equipped hotel, including a swimming pool and tennis courts. For dinner, we favoured quality, that of the hotel, in fact, since it is a Michelin-starred restaurant! We even opted for an exceptional gourmet dinner in the middle of the stay.
We also wanted an unusual day without a bike, so we let ourselves be tempted by potholing.
The following week we received the description with the price by e-mail. This conformed to our phone conversation and after distributing it to the entire team who enthusiastically approved it, we signed the quote and paid the deposit.
Two weeks before departure, one of us received all the useful elements for our trip by e-mail and post: the highlighted map and its protective cover, a smartphone holder, a very complete travel notebook and even ten waterproof covers with the Evasion à vélo logo to protect our bikes in case of rain, and also very useful to serve as a rallying sign during the stay! A link received by e-mail allowed each of us to have the route on our smartphones to complete the map.
Day 1
We gathered at the hotel in the afternoon, arriving in dribs and drabs depending on everyone's travel time, and all equipped with our bicycles. The lucky ones were able to enjoy the pool and tennis court and even have a round of golf at the golf course just a stone's throw away.
We dined at the hotel whose restaurant deserves its star!
Day 2 45 km 680 m + (1)
We started our journey by visiting the castle of Montal, Renaissance period, then the pretty little town of Saint-Céré. The road became more challenging up to the castle of the barons of Castelnau, but how beautiful it is! We then went down to Carennac and visited the Padirac abyss.
Back home at last, we enjoyed the pool and bar while remembering the good old days....
(1)This is the sum of the elevations of all the climbs of the course
Day 3 54 km 750 m + (long variant: 73 km 1050 m +)
We got an early start and took a quiet little road to Carennac, classified among the most beautiful villages in France. We followed the Dordogne, the road was quiet and beautiful, leaving us speechless.
We passed Floirac and Montvalent where we decided to do the long variant that allowed us to visit the beautiful caves of Lacave. The topology of the circuit showed that the last ten kilometers are downhill and the visit of the cave also gave us a break.
However, two of us preferred to stay on the original route and spent more time in Autoire, another listed village a few kilometres from the hotel.
At dinner, we enjoyed the tasting menu at the hotels’ restaurant: a great moment to celebrate our "veterans" anniversary with dignity!
Day 4
This day was dedicated to our "speleology" activity, well supervised by an instructor, which allowed us to spend more time underground in a more sporting context. A fabulous discovery for many of us!
We had a quiet late afternoon before dinner at the hotel, except for two of us who were competing with each other in a tough tennis match.
Day 5 56 km 840 m +
We again followed a very beautiful road with beautiful views, which passes through Thégra and Rignac to Rocamadour where we obviously stayed for a long time. Then we took the way back via Alvignac and then the superb little village and castle of Loubressac.
We enjoyed the pool one last time before our respective departures.
This bicycle tour enables exploration of the natural beauty, castles and villages of Périgord, while enjoying the regions’ gastronomic delights.
Price (excluding equipment rental): €700/person
Tempted by these travel tales? Like to try a cycling adventure and have fun? Well, yes, you can! Customize your next cycling holiday by simply going to create your customized holiday. Even if you only have the vaguest idea, we are here to guide you.
