April 16, 2023 - Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022, La Vélodyssée is the longest-marked cycling route in France at 1,300km. With nearly 80% on car-free roads, the route is the French part of the 11,000km Atlantic Coast Route (EV-1), one of the most stunning coastal adventures within EuroVelo’s cycling network.

As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, a new Passeport La Vélodyssée has been launched to encourage and engage riders to find and collect 38 wooden stamps that can be found at 60 partner Tourist and Information Offices, located every 20km along the route. In addition, a special collector’s stamp celebrating the 10th anniversary is also available.

In 2018, La Vélodyssée recorded more than 3.6 million cycling outings for a direct economic impact of around €103.6 million per year for the territories crossed.

The project’s tourism partners aim to promote ecological travel, while enhancing the territories from a unique perspective. From the flowery locks of the Nantes to Brest canal, to the cliffs of the Basque coast, passing through the Breton-Vendéen marshes, the Landes forest and the Atlantic islands, La Vélodyssée unfolds its route as close as possible to the ocean for points of remarkable views between land and sea.

Safety and sustainability are key to its success, and the route is 100% marked in both directions. Almost 80% is on greenways or cycle paths, and a network of service areas are distributed regularly along the route for an extraordinary cycling adventure.

La Vélodyssée welcomes electric-assist bicycles (as defined by France’s Highway Code) that comply with European directives, i.e., maximum 250W motor, assistance only when the rider is pedalling, and a maximum speed of 25kph. There are many e-bike rental options available, but note that not all trains are equipped for transporting bicycles.

Initiated in 2008, La Vélodyssée was opened in 2012 as a collective project by over 20 partner communities united around a common ambition, to experience the wild beauty and landscapes for extraordinary cycling adventures from Roscoff in the north, to Hendaye in the south at the border with Spain.

In 2013, just one year after its launch, La Vélodyssée was also voted “best European cycle route of the year.”

The award-winning route is keen to improve the quality and homogeneity of its range of services to achieve 75% customer satisfaction.

By 2024, La Vélodyssée aims to become the first Atlantic Coast Route country to obtain EuroVelo certification for 100% of its route. In 2022, a total of 91% of the route was eligible for ECS certification.