Nature is Bike: The First Gravel Festival in Angers This June

Angers will host the first Gravel Festival on June 27 and 28, an event entirely dedicated to the practice and world of Gravel. The two-day program includes: an exhibitors’ fair, a friendly village, a nocturnal challenge, a family ride, and a 100-kilometer loop for the more experienced.

Source: Press Release – Photo credits: All rights reserved 

Organized by Destination Angers, the Gravel Festival will take place on the Saint-Serge plain, near the banks of the Maine river. Named “Nature is Bike”, this Gravel Festival is an unprecedented event in France, aiming to bring together a large and diverse public for a weekend to experience Gravel in a friendly atmosphere, and to be a place for exchange and sharing for all participants.

HIGHLIGHTS: 

– A fair dedicated to gravel (June 27 and 28), intended to be a meeting point for enthusiasts, amateurs, and the curious. A place where everyone can exchange, discover the latest innovations and developments thanks to the presence of gravel professionals. The market leaders have not been mistaken, SPECIALIZED, MAVIC, SHIMANO… among others, have already scheduled their participation!

– A friendly village (June 27 and 28), a place for exchange and sharing that comes alive day and night. Visitors will find local food and drinks, as well as a real space for awareness and animation around nature and adventure! In addition, some musical surprises are planned.

– An unprecedented nocturnal challenge (June 27), the Gravel Night, which will bring together competitors solo or in teams on a circuit of approximately 65 kilometers traced along the banks of the Maine. A challenge to experience as close to nature as possible.

– A family ride (June 28), where residents of Angers and visitors can experience a fun ride on their own bikes in a green setting. Each “tribe” will set off at their own pace from the village installed on the Saint-Serge plain towards the green loop routes to discover the surrounding landscapes and nature. Sunday, June 28, a 100-kilometer ride is also planned for experienced adventurers.

ANGERS, GREEN CITY AND CYCLING TERRITORY

Angers has every legitimacy to host Nature is Bike, due to its environment and quality of life, but also the important place it dedicates to cycling. The City of Angers has been designated the greenest city in France. It has nearly 100 m² of green spaces per inhabitant, double the national average. Public green spaces represent 15% of the municipal area, including 300 continuous hectares with the Saint-Nicolas, Balzac, and Lac de Maine parks. In early 2019, Angers adopted a master plan for Angers landscapes, which aims to reinforce the city’s landscape identity and complete the green infrastructure by prioritizing the sustainable management of sensitive natural areas. By 2025, 100,000 trees will be planted. Angers is also a territory where cycling plays a predominant role. The Angers agglomeration has 450 km of cycle paths. In Angers, one-third of the roads are reserved for two-wheelers, which earned the city a place on the national podium of cycling cities established by the French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB). Angers, where the first Cycling Plan in France was signed, is also at the crossroads of three cycle routes: the Loire à vélo, the Vélofrancette, and the Vallée du Loir à vélo. 

Nature is Bike aims to bring together in the same ecosystem associations and pioneering companies on various innovative subjects: sustainable food, green technology, energy, transport, water, circular economy… A pitch area will allow for raising public awareness and introducing new actors of change in the face of major environmental and societal challenges. Nature is Bike is part of an eco-responsible approach, focusing on different areas such as food and transport, aiming for a neutral environmental impact.