France/Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche. To celebrate the twinning between their two towns, they cycled 800 km from Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche to La Wantzenau.
As part of the 50th anniversary of the twinning between the communes of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche and La Wantzenau (Alsace), at 9 a.m. on Saturday July 1, a group of eight cyclists and their companions - a total of a dozen people - set off from the square in front of the town hall in the direction of La Wantzenau.
An official departure ceremony, including the presentation of the specially created "La Cigogne et le Cul noir" jerseys, took place on Friday afternoon, June 30, on the same square. Three local cyclists, Alain, Alain and Eugène, and five from Alsace, Benoît, Daniel, Hubert, Jean-Louis and Paul, set off on this seven-day journey, with the finish scheduled for Friday, July 7.
800 kilometers in seven stages
In all, some 800 km await them. Seven stages are planned: Saint-Yrieix/Bourganeuf (23); Bourganeuf/Néris-les-Bains (03); Néris-les-Bains/Paray-le-Monial (71); Paray-le-Monial/Santenay (21); Santenay/Marnay-sur-Marne (52); Marnay-sur-Marne/Thann (68); Thann/La Wantzenau (67). They will make maximum use of the greenways to reach La Wantzenau.
Once there, the group will join the three coaches chartered by the Saint-Yrieix/La Wantzenau twinning committee, which will leave Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche at 5.30 a.m. on Friday July 7 and arrive in the Alsatian town in the evening.
For the next three days, the Arédiens will take part in various activities, both official to mark the 50th anniversary of the twinning, and unofficial organized by their host families, before heading back to the Arédian city.
Every morning, after the 9 o'clock news, you can follow the cycling journey on Kaolin FM radio, with Jean-Philippe. A retrospective of the previous day's stage will be offered, live if possible, by the cyclists.
Source: www.lepopulaire.fr
