French cycling week (Semaine Federale)

[john riley]

I had never heard of this before. (It has only been going on for 65
years!) Looks like a week of bicycle touring that is based in a
different town every year. I seems to be huge; close to 12,000 riders
in 2003 and I think I saw something about 18,000 in 2004.

Looks like they ride a different route everyday, but stay in the same
town all week. Looks like some days there is a choice of routes, but
from what I can make out of the 2004 routes, the first day is 100
miles, no other choices. And these being French cyclists, there will
be mountains involved.

I got onto it in a French magazine (Cyclo Passion). There was an
article about the 2003 ride. 12,000 peolpe and there were _no_ N
Americans on this ride, least wise none that signed up with a N Am
address.

http://sf2004.free.fr/

or translated if this long link works:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.cernay.net/otcernay/numero_aide/article/liens/arti10385866354F47E2BA382FE5DF27.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsemaine%2Bfederale%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D% 26ie%3DUTF-8

[Mikael Seierup]

"john riley" skrev...
> I had never heard of this before. (It has only been going on for 65
> years!) Looks like a week of bicycle touring that is based in a
> different town every year. I seems to be huge; close to 12,000 riders
> in 2003 and I think I saw something about 18,000 in 2004.

Theres also the AIT-rally that takes place in a new european country
each year. This year it was in Denmark but I didn't have time alas.
Next year will be in Belgium.

http://users.pandora.be/ftcolympia/aitrally2004.htm

M.

[Tom Sherman]

Mikael Seierup wrote:
> ...
> Next year will be in B*lg**m.

There is no need for swearing like that, Mr. Seierup!

Tom Sherman - Planet Earth