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25th
May 2008
will be the 31st anniversary of the Boulogne Bicycle Rally & it still
remains a great day out for any vintage bicyclist. We follow a leisurely
route of approximately 25 miles, which traditionally followed the course
of the old Boulogne Grand Prix circuit. Since the inaugural ride, time
and the French road system have progressed, so the route has been
adjusted to be more scenic and safe, avoiding the new dual carriageways,
and taking in more refreshment stops along the way.
The spirit of
the ride remains with the emphasis on FUN for everyone taking part,
whether on an old bicycle or in a vintage car. Part of the joy of this
event is that it is not organised,
never has been and never should be; it is what you make it.
Many Boulognists
now make a weekend of it, staying on to enjoy some of what the region has
to offer. There is always a good atmosphere about the old town and most
hotels, bars & restaurants are taken over by cyclists on the Saturday
& Sunday evenings. Please do try to bring an interesting machine as
it adds to the eccentricity of the occasion, although if you can’t get
your hands on an old bicycle, The old bicycle Co showroom may be able to
help. But any pedal powered contraption will do, the more the merrier and
all are welcome.
Getting there:
www.speedferries.com offers a
service by Seacat from Dover
– Boulogne
direct. Check out their website
for the latest prices.
Unfortunately it
is only on a car only service, so its bicycles on racks on the back of
the car I’m afraid.
Boulogne
is only a 20 mile drive (or ride for the really keen) from Calais. Various
ferry companies will take you there.
The advantage of
taking your car is that you can stay on & travel the region, then
fill your car up with French beverages afterwards.
Accommodation:
We cannot
organise any special rates for accommodation so please book direct. Try this
WEBSITE for booking a
Hotel. Or the Boulogne-Sur-Mer tourist
information website is in English and is very useful. This
link will take you to the website. It lists Hotels/ camp sites/ youth
hostels, good places to eat etc. It also has a map of the town, use the
menu bar on the left. Click “The Town” & then the map. Various areas
can be enlarged to be printed off.
The Start:
In the last few
years, we have had a very successful starting point at the Chateau-Musee,
this once again will be the starting point. This is the only part we try
to organise, but it remains informal. It is quite a spectacle to see all
the bicycles & riders collected together, and provides a great social
opportunity before the off.
The
Chateau-Musee is in the old walled part of the town with Boulogne on the north east side. We
recommend meeting there at or before 10am for a 10.30am
start.
Lunch:
This is taken on
the green at Alincthun village which is about half way round. There is a
small bar that can supply beverages, but we strongly advise that you
bring you own Picnic.
The Route:
Traditionally,
we used to ride nearly all the old Boulogne
circuit, but we now take a scenic route avoiding the modern traffic
system as much as possible. This also means that we have plenty of
refreshment stops for those in need!
There are a few
rather entertaining hills throughout the route, both up & down, so
please do be careful.
We leave Boulogne for St Martin, then via La Capelle, Conteville, Belle,
Bellebrune to Alincthun and the welcome lunch stop. After Lunch we’re off
to Cremerest (ideal spot for swimming in the river for those so
inclined!) then on to Wirwignes.
The route back
to La Capelle takes us through the Foret de Boulogne and along the
interesting selection of made up tracks and roads back and eventually
back into Boulogne.
As the ride is
stretched out over the day and we wish to encourage people of all
abilities, on all sorts of weird and wonderful machines, there is no
official finishing point. You will however, find most of the riders in
the last bar before the final descent back into the town! This bar is at
the famous hairpin bend on the old circuit and has some old photos on the
wall as a reminder of the circuit.
As we have
mentioned, we prefer vintage bicycles & cars, the more bizarre the
better but everyone and all their friends are welcome. Hope you can make it. If you need to
contact us, please email
us or phone 01279 876193
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