Cyclosportives
For those interested in cyclosportives there are many events taking place in the region almost every two weeks from March to October. Some of the better known events are: L'Ariégeoise, La Marmotte d'Olt, La Barousse-Balès, La Fabio Casartelli, La Hubert Arbes, La Pyrénéenne, La Tarbaise. See Cyclosport.com for a calendar of cyclosportives in the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées region.
Pro-Cycling: In addition to being convenient to the Pyrénéen
Stages of the Tour de France we are also ideally located for watching the UCI
4 day stage race La
Route Du Sud. This race takes place in June each year and is held
over four stages in the Midi-Pyrénées. In August there is also
the UCI three day Tour
des Pyrénées. These are your chance to get close
to many of the top professional teams taking part without the crowds and tight
security associated with the tour de France. Mountain Biking (VTT) Vélo tout terrain is very popular in this region of France, featuring hundreds of kilometers of way-marked routes on tracks, forest trails and single-track. Cross country events organized along the same format as the cyclosportives are common and can be found advertised on the internet throughout the year on dedicated “rando vtt” sites.
Cycle Touring: Active Vacances is an ideal base to explore the foothills of the Pyrénées by bicycle. Traffic is light and the peaceful roads are ideal for enjoying the picturesque scenery. There are a multitude of routes to choose, from long, flat river valleys, gentle rolling hills to steep little used Pyrénéen mountain roads as well as the classic, more well ridden Tour de France climbs.
On your arrival you will be met by the gîte owners, Paul and Kath, who will be on hand to help you enjoy your holiday. Paul is a veteran of over 20 years in international triathlon, also competing in diverse cycling events such as the Etape du Tour, the Marmotte, the Trans-Rockies mountain bike race . . . and is happy to help with suggested routes or guided routes. For 22 years he was a qualified osteopath specialising in sports injuries gathering a wealth of experience working at events including the World Student Games, the 1997 Everest Marathon and the Commonwealth Games along with treating professional and keen amateur sports people. He is available to offer help and advice on injuries with sports therapy and massage as optional extras. There are many cyclo-sportives in the local area and if you want to take part in one of these we can arrange this for you. If triathlon is your passion this is probably the perfect training location. A locally based UK qualified swim coach is available if you want to work on your swim technique in our private 25 metre pool. Over the past two years we have built up a good local knowledge of the many cycling and running routes in our area and are happy to help you with either guided or self-guided rides. We are also happy to help you arrange days out and bookings for other activities.
Should you become exhausted by the French gastronomy and for reluctant cooks or serious triathletes we are happy to prepare simple, healthy & hearty food on request, which you can enjoy at home.