GETTING OUR KICKS ON FRENCH ROAD 66 .

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France has a love/hate relationship with Americana, but the concept of the French Road 66 ultradistance bikepacking event was just too enticing, as Café du Cycliste ambassador Clément Fouquet-lapar explains…

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THE MOTHER ROAD
“The idea behind the race is inspired by the legendary American Route 66. We don’t have one in France – but we do have “departmental” roads called D66, as well as a GR66 hiking trail," Clément says. "So the concept was born! The race started on a D66 in Compiègne, with three mandatory sections – again, all D66 roads – and two checkpoints before finishing at the seaside in Carnon, near Montpellier. The route was self-navigated and covered around a thousand kilometres. I found the idea amusing – along with nearly 300 others – so I found myself on the start line at 6 AM on Friday, 6 June, in the Compiègne forest."

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HIT THE ROAD, JACK
As Clément explains, the ultradistance racing rhythm can be punishing: “For me, a typical day started between 3 and 4 AM. I’d crawl out of my sleeping bag, pack up my gear while grabbing something to eat, and once everything was strapped back on the bike, I’d switch on my lights and set off. That meant riding in the dark, though this time of year, the sun comes up really early, and the kilometres soon passed. I like grabbing a coffee when the bakeries or PMUs open. For this race, I really tried to stop as little and as briefly as possible – minimising breaks is by far the best way to save time. By eating a lot on the bike, I didn’t need to stop for lunch and could just keep soaking in the scenery from the saddle. I’d push on until about midnight, when sleep finally caught up with me. Some days were nearly 450 km long.”

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LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
French Road 66 is a free-routed event, meaning that, aside from the mandatory sections and checkpoints, everyone is free to navigate how they wish – to avoid the big hills, or to seek them out. “You end up crossing paths with lots of people and then parting ways again,” says Clément. “I got to ride with all kinds of riders, and I think especially of Thibaut, who I met on the morning of day two and ended up finishing the race with.” The biggest challenges, Clément says, were just keeping on going. “Physically, good training and pacing meant I didn’t struggle too much. Mentally, it was harder—really trying to avoid stopping takes constant effort. You’ve got to resist the temptation of pulling over for a Coke on a sunny café terrace, for example!”

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KING OF THE ROAD
Aside from the scenery, the route let participants experience the best of rural France. “There was an unexpected mix of worlds on the second day, around 10:30 PM,” Clément says. “We’d been riding for hours and were fully absorbed in our solitude, soaking up the quiet countryside as it settled into night. Then we rolled into the village of Marcillac and right into a massive funfair! The route went right through it, so we were suddenly surrounded by music, lights, rides, and people partying. It was a total break from the race atmosphere we’d been in up to that point.

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BICYCLE RACE
But it was a race, after all, and the final kilometres offered Clément and his ally a target to chase: “There was a 60-kilometre section between the last checkpoint and the finish. I was riding with Thibaut and saw on the trackers that another rider was just ahead. It turned into a full-on race to try and catch them before the finish line. We somehow found the last bit of energy in our legs and went full gas, and managed to catch up just a few kilometres before the end – so the three of us ended up finishing tied for 13th place!" 

The Mediterranean Sea is not quite the Pacific lapping at the California shores, but, as they say, it’s all about the journey, not the destination…

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French Road 66 is a Café du Cycliste partner event.