Gravel Fever in October: an event not to be missed!

Experience is important, and the only way to get it is to go out and seek it… This is the mindset in which 3bikes.fr is taking on the challenge of cycling from Paris to Châtellerault in the Vienne department for the Gravel Fever event, which will take place on October 20, 21, and 22.

Our bike is ready for our first Ultra experience.

Gravel Fever, or literally translated as the Gravel fever, is the name of a future festival that will take place in Châtellerault at the end of October. The three-day program will be very eclectic: from ultra-distance (which will be our baptism in this format) to timed races, including, of course, more classic Gravel rides or even races in a more accessible format and always “FFC-certified.”

So why Châtellerault? We asked former European MTB champion Jean-Christophe Savignoni – now a consultant and event coordinator – the reason for this choice. Because when we talk about Gravel, it’s not the first place that comes to mind. And beyond the fact that this territory seems to have some assets for this practice, for FVE (France Vélo Evènement), which organizes this gathering and is the master of ceremonies, this location is the perfect terrain for this very popular practice that mixes road sections with trails, tracks, and paths, with a lesser notion of commitment and notable difficulties than we might have found if we had ventured into the Alps or the Pyrenees.

Jean-Christophe Savignoni was European MTB champion in 1995 and a two-time winner of the Roc d’Azur. He is the coordinator of Gravel Fever 2023.

Finally, while the practice has exploded in the United States for several years, with numerous specialized events, it is still developing in Europe with the emergence of the same type of races and rides offered by FVE this year. Gravel is a practice similar to cyclocross but with a lesser notion of performance, and it is generally practiced on longer rides, hence a need for additional comfort, as we discovered on the Santiago AL from Officine Mattio and the 3T Exploro that we tested this year, which also allowed us to experience this discipline with a new perspective on this cycling practice – less competitive and more open to nature and its grandeur.

Thus, FVE, which was born from the alliance of Hopscotch Groupe and the French Cycling Federation, chose the location itself and set itself the goal of exploiting this fertile ground to make this wonderful discipline flourish among the general public in an inclusive and innovative way, maximizing the value of the locations.

The locations, by the way…

FVE, which is therefore overseeing this very first Gravel show a stone’s throw from Futuroscope, has chosen La Manu as the nerve center for this Gravel Fever event. Built in 1819, the former industrial site is an emblematic place in the city, with its two large chimneys. First a white weapons factory and then a firearms factory, it definitively closed its doors in 1968. But unlike other similar sites, this one did not have time to become an industrial wasteland.

From the early 1970s, a certain Count Bernard de Lassée, a car enthusiast, converted the old “Manu” into a “Museum of Automobile and Technology.” Today, La Manu still houses the museum, which has been enriched with a collection of old bicycles. Because, like Manufrance in Saint-Étienne, the site also saw the production of bicycles. Now a cultural venue, it also houses an ice rink, a skatepark, and a circus school. The two towers have been enhanced with a panoramic platform from which you can admire the city.

Varied routes

For those who, like us, choose to travel far by starting close by, and therefore choose to register for The Ultra 400 (2100m D+) which will be the flagship event of Gravel Fever, the itinerary will therefore include 400 km, to be completed in semi-autonomy, starting on Friday after the four o’clock snack from the future Paris 2024 Olympic Games Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and then passing through the fabulous Chevreuse Valley, a famous playground for many well-known cycling champions. Except that this time we will rediscover it via paths, forests, and trails. And then when night falls, if all goes well, we will be in Beauce and the Orléanais province. A very fertile agricultural region that will offer us an even more wonderful connection to nature. We will then follow the banks of the Loire, hoping that the light of our headlamp will illuminate us enough to admire the Château de Chambord, or the Château d’Amboise and all the other majestic castles that make up the historical richness of our beautiful country. But the adventure will not be over… Among all these beautiful preserved expanses that we will have the chance to contemplate, the second part of this journey will take us to the pretty city of Tours, with our wheels shod with 45 mm tires. From there, we will bypass the magical medieval city of Loches and the Brenne natural park to end our expedition in this emblematic place we mentioned earlier, which is La Manu de Châtellerault – the base camp of Gravel Fever where we hope we can celebrate our accomplishment of having finished this magical event.

Former champion Sylvain Chavanel, a native of Châtellerault, designed part of the routes.

So, are you ready to participate too? Because if you find the 400 too long, you won’t have an excuse for the Race 160. A 160 km loop starting from La Manu in Châtellerault, with 1400 m of positive elevation gain, partly designed by local rider Sylvain Chavanel. Indeed, the former cycling champion is a native of Châtellerault and therefore knows the surrounding white roads and forest singletracks by heart. And if you are neither a long-distance enthusiast nor a racer, Gravel Fever has thought of you and also offers you the opportunity to participate in more classic gravel rides. No rankings, no timing, just the pleasure of cycling and discovering this corner of the Vienne. The toughest will be the Gravel Fever Adventure 120, on Saturday, October 21, with 120 km to cover including 1100 m of elevation gain. On Saturday, you can also start the Découverte 50, a good distance to test yourself in Gravel, and on Sunday, the Gravel Fever Duo will take place, an 80-kilometer route to be completed, as its name suggests, in pairs. On site, throughout the weekend, there will also be food trucks, as well as free BMX and skate animations, or, since we’re talking about fever, a DJ to raise the temperature until the thermometer explodes.

In short, this is how Gravel Fever convinced us to register and participate in its event, joining the Gravel frenzy. This practice takes us off the beaten path, us lovers of the great outdoors, curious about new adventures, and passionate about cycling. See you on the weekend of October 21, 2023, halfway between Paris and Bordeaux, in the heart of the green lung of the Vienne, amidst its natural parks and white roads…

The program

6 routes for all desires!

All information can be found on gravelfever.fr

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2023
4 PM: start of the GRAVEL FEVER ULTRA 400 at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (78)
4 PM to 7 PM: bib collection for other events at La Manu de Châtellerault

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2023
9 AM: start of the GRAVEL FEVER ADVENTURE 120
10 AM (from): start of the GRAVEL FEVER DECOUVERTE 50
10:30 AM to 3 PM: starts of the GRAVEL FEVER FREE 25
All day and evening: entertainment, food trucks
End of day evening: DJ set, food trucks, France’s semi-final in the World Cup (fingers crossed).

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023
7 AM: start of the GRAVEL FEVER RACE 160
10 AM: start of the GRAVEL FEVER DUO 80
10:30 AM to 3 PM: starts of the GRAVEL FEVER FREE 25
All day: entertainment, food trucks

Home » Gravel Fever: a gravel festival in Grand Châtellerault, from October 20 to 22!

Website: www.gravelfever.fr

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