le 1000 de St-Germain (9 or 10th of July 2014)

[Panoramix]

I think that some of you might be interested in this Brevet that will start on the 9 or 10th of July 2014 from Saint Germain de Tournebut 20km away from Cherbourg which is itself a ferry ride away from Portsmouth. The organiser told me that they have a bike trailer and would be willing to collect a British group if everybody come by the same boat.

The ride will cross Normandy, go towards the "heart of France" (well at least where the French kings used to live and hunt) that is the Loire Valley with an emphasis on seeing as many castles as possible, come back along the marches of Brittany with more castles to see, pass by the the mont Saint Michel and back to the start. It really is a route aimied at those who have an interest in France's landscapes, history and architecture.

Here is alink to the route: le 1000 de St-Germain

There are two options:

• the BRM one which is what we are used to in the UK, 75 hours start on the 10th of July
• the "Brevet fédéral", 109 hours with the Brevet neutred 8 hours per night and a start on the 9th at 8am.

There is a webpage in French: Some info in French, scroll to the bottom

There is also on this page details about a 400km Brevet with the "battle of Normandy" as a theme. (13th of July)


I will foward questions asked here to the organiser.

[Plodder]

I was disappointed thinking that I would miss this being away on holiday until I read this...

Pour ses trente ans (Liste des festivités à venir), le Cyclo Club de Montebourg – Saint Germain de Tournebut vous propose, en juillet 2014, un brevet de 1000km, touristique.

So, eighteen months to get this past SWMBO and then only a short hop across the Channel.

Merci, Panoramix.

[jsabine]

Looks rather good - I must say I'm quite drawn to it. (And even to the possibilities held out by the fact the 400 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day is meant to leave on the Sunday, when the 100 has arrived on the Saturday ...)

One thing though, the dates on that web page are a bit confused - it currently claims the BRM is in August while the BF ride is in July, and the days of the week are a bit screwy. Still, it's 18 months away so plenty of time to be sorted.

[Panoramix]

Looks rather good - I must say I'm quite drawn to it. (And even to the possibilities held out by the fact the 400 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day is meant to leave on the Sunday, when the 100 has arrived on the Saturday ...)

One thing though, the dates on that web page are a bit confused - it currently claims the BRM is in August while the BF ride is in July, and the days of the week are a bit screwy. Still, it's 18 months away so plenty of time to be sorted.

Yes, I think it is all in July (from what I understood from them) but I have asked them to clarify.

[Panoramix]

OK, so it is all in July, the dates are going to be corrected on the website. The organiser is now monitoring this thread 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Panoramix has unfinished 1000 business with HK and I, so dates are in the diary.

[Panoramix]

Panoramix has unfinished 1000 business with HK and I, so dates are in the diary.

 

Looking forward to this.

[bikey-mikey]

Does the Brevet Federal count as a calendar event for points etc??

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Does the Brevet Federal count as a calendar event for points etc??

No

[bikey-mikey]

Never mind - I would love to have a go at one of the overseas events, but I would struggle with the logistics, and probably curl up and die with anxiety, bearing in mind that I've just about managed to get to UK events, with help from travelodges and trains and days of planning each week!!!!

[marcusjb]

What does BPF mean on the description of controls panoramix?

Sounds like this could be a really easy ride to get down to - simple blast to Portsmouth, ferry and then 20km in France.

Long time yet, but an appealing concept.

[jsabine]

What does BPF mean on the description of controls panoramix?

As far as I can tell (thank you Mr Google), it's Brevet des Provinces Françaises - more detail at http://www.ffct.org/index.php?id=365.

Six spots in each French departement, picked to be of interest to tourists for their historic, aesthetic or other appeal, and grouped by the historic provinces of France. Get a stamp from a local business (or a receipt, or a photo of your bike with the town sign or a distinctive local feature) on your brevet card, get 'em validated, and eventually you'll finish.

With a mere 534 places to visit, what are we waiting for? (Oh, and because it's supposed to encourage a tourist's enjoyment of the place - especially views or history I guess - night-time controls will not be validated. There is a simpler version, the Brevet de cyclotourisme national, where you only need one stamp per departement.)

[Revellinho]

I thought about doing all the counties in England.  Has that ever been done as a recorded/validated ride?  I would expect so.

I stopped thinking about it in the end, because I got confused about what constitutes a county these days.  Sorry to contribute to such off-topicness - the OP really does look interesting.

[Panoramix]

What does BPF mean on the description of controls panoramix?

As far as I can tell (thank you Mr Google), it's Brevet des Provinces Françaises - more detail at http://www.ffct.org/index.php?id=365.

Six spots in each French departement, picked to be of interest to tourists for their historic, aesthetic or other appeal, and grouped by the historic provinces of France. Get a stamp from a local business (or a receipt, or a photo of your bike with the town sign or a distinctive local feature) on your brevet card, get 'em validated, and eventually you'll finish.

With a mere 534 places to visit, what are we waiting for? (Oh, and because it's supposed to encourage a tourist's enjoyment of the place - especially views or history I guess - night-time controls will not be validated. There is a simpler version, the Brevet de cyclotourisme national, where you only need one stamp per departement.)

I think that you've answered the question!

So in short the ride is designed to help those who are after this Brevet (note : in French brevet = diploma). Even if you aren't after it, it means that the route shouldn't be dull.

Never mind - I would love to have a go at one of the overseas events, but I would struggle with the logistics, and probably curl up and die with anxiety, bearing in mind that I've just about managed to get to UK events, with help from travelodges and trains and days of planning each week!!!!

If you can manage Portsmouth from Bristol (double check but if I remember well the trains are at 22 past the hour at temple meads), you've done most of the work. You then need to go to the ferry terminal, queue with the cars, show an id, have a nap in the ferry and finally ride 20km to the start.

I don't think that it can be easier than this, it certainly is much easier than going to Paris for PBP.

[BRM 1000 - St Germain]

Hello.
I’m Stéphane Gibon. I’m 25 years old and I'm the organizer to "BRM 1000 in St-Germain de Tournebut".
I'm not fluent in English, I don’t practice for 4 years, but I want to help you to answer any questions. For me, It’s easier to write and read short sentence.

In fist, I learn to use YACK and I will to read any questions and I try to answered one by one

[BRM 1000 - St Germain]

OK, so it is all in July, the dates are going to be corrected on the website. The organiser is now monitoring this thread 

The 2 brevets start in July. The Website is Up to date

[BRM 1000 - St Germain]

Never mind - I would love to have a go at one of the overseas events, but I would struggle with the logistics, and probably curl up and die with anxiety, bearing in mind that I've just about managed to get to UK events, with help from travelodges and trains and days of planning each week!!!!

I can pick you up to the Cherbourg port and sleep at St Germain

[bikey-mikey]

Never mind - I would love to have a go at one of the overseas events, but I would struggle with the logistics, and probably curl up and die with anxiety, bearing in mind that I've just about managed to get to UK events, with help from travelodges and trains and days of planning each week!!!!

I can pick you up to the Cherbourg port and sleep at St Germain

Thanks - I'll keep that in mind as we get nearer !!!      

[Jacques]

Providing my back holds up during my slow build up to getting back to long distances I hope to give this a bash. I don't live local but think it is well worth the effort to travel to.
I've had a good nose around the website too & it seems a thriving club to be involved with. I like the way they seem to theme their rides. Next year they do a ride to commemorate the D-Day landings with a route visiting famous sites. May give that a bash too. Sounds fun.

[Old Git]

Uummm .. 18 months away, sounds very tempting   

[Smiffy]

I keep reading this thread which must tell me I'm interested.........now can I do the 160 miles to Bournemouth , stay with the mother-in-law, then off to Portsmouth fir the ferry ...have the french adventure and then turn round and go home.......

[i cycle]

Getting interested in this as it would be a good introduction to riding in France before PBP.

[The French Tandem]

Very interesting! We'll keep  an eye on this thread.

Stéphane, with so many Britons expected to ride in France with us, think about placing a marshal after each control, shouting at the riders "Ride on the right side!"
After our LEL experience, I can tell you that on the first hundred meters after each control, you are very likely to forget where you are and ride on the wrong side.

[The French Tandem]

I  have just looked at the route on openrunner. The part along the Loire valley is our very own playground!

There is one thing I would change on the route. The D751 between Azay and Chinon is actually the continuation of the motorway from Tours, and most cars
keep on driving there at motorway speeds. It's also a very boring stretch of a road. There is a very nice and quiet alternative road using the D17 and D7 along the river.

[Jacques]

Very interesting! We'll keep  an eye on this thread.

Stéphane, with so many Britons expected to ride in France with us, think about placing a marshal after each control, shouting at the riders "Ride on the right side!"
After our LEL experience, I can tell you that on the first hundred meters after each control, you are very likely to forget where you are and ride on the wrong side.

After living in France for just a few months I returned to the UK and did a 400 on my visit. Middle of the night I was happily sailing along on lovely quiet country roads. Then slowly I had a nagging feeling inside my head that something wasn't quite right. The big clue came a few minutes later when a car undertook (is that a word?) me on the left while I pootled along on the wrong side of the road. God knows how many kms I'd done on that side but it certainly made me concentrate.

Back on topic. This is still on my list to do next year.