The cyclotourist tour of Lozere

In june 2004, a group of friends, all of them members of the Cyclo Club Mendois, began the adventure. The aim, which was quite ambitious for these cyclists who had never really travelled by bicycle until then, was to tour around the Lozere, with full independence for one week, spending the nights in hotels or «gîtes d’étapes».

From this adventure, our journey, referenced by the french cyclotourist federation (FFCT) under the number 196/05, was born.

The principle is simple : after your registration, you will get a complete file including maps for the journey on an IGN background at a 1:100 000 scale with the profile of the tour, tourist information about the sites and monuments that you will see along the road and a log book ( » carnet de route  » ).

Then you will just have to take your bike and ride on the quiet little roads of Lozere, along the 600 km of the trip and its 9600 m difference in height , enjoying the wild landscapes. Your ride will also lead you to the discovery of the national parc of the Cevennes. The cyclotourist tour of Lozere goes along more than 250 km of the small roads therein (amongst which 75 in its central zone).

Created in 1970, this park consists of a worldwide UNESCO biosphere since 1985 : it comprises more than 2 400 animal species (in which almost half of the vertebrate species of France are numbered) and more than 2 650 plant species (from which 21 are endemic).

All this effort will definitely make you hungry. No worries : even if the Lozere is not a region of the most sophisticated culinary tradition, the simple but very fresh and genuine Lozerian food products are sources of great pleasures. Depending on the season, you can let yourself taste the emblematic aligot, the tripoux and manouls, the pouteille, the dried salamis (charcuterie) or fresh sausages (cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, chestnut, …), the beef meat of Aubrac, the lamb, the Fariot trout, the wild mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, morels, St George’s mushrooms) with, as dessert, fruits of the forest,  » coupétade « ,  » flaune  » and  » fougasse « .

In order to fully enjoy the landscapes of Lozere and the diversity of the fauna and flora, the end of spring is the best time of the year to make this journey. You will thereby avoid the tourist rush of summer, especially in the gorges of the Tarn and Jonte.

You will then find a highly diversified flora : daffodils, narcissus, or broom with intoxicating scents and, if you look closely, some even rarer species.

The wildlife will also surprise you : you may have the chance to see bisons, wolves, vultures, and also beavers, otters and the typical atlantic salmon, much more difficult to observe.

In the Lozere, the stone gives its identity to each region : granite of Margeride, basalte of Aubrac, limestone or the Great Causses and schist of the Cevennes are marking the landscapes and the traditional architecture. Along the way, you will see this across the villages, castles, churches or temples but also through the small heritage (traditional wash houses, fountains, baker’s ovens, «ferradou», storm towers, crosses, «clèdes» and «cazelles»…).

This tour will lead you through traces of prehistoric man (dolmens and menhirs are numerous in the Lozere), of the Romans, the religious wars, the Camisards and the maquis of Margeride.

In order to validate your journey and get your certificate, do not forget to have your log book stamped at the control points or to take a photograph of each of the touristic sites which are indicated there.

Due to the high average altitude, the morning temperatures are very cool (even in summer) and might surprise you : do not forget to take some warm clothes with you.

Besides, the triple will be welcome in order to face the many hills with sometimes very steep slopes along the way.

(click on the links for a direct access) :

• different options (bike rider or cyclotourists) which are proposed to you in order to realise the journey according to your preference,
• regulation of the journey
• official recognition of the journey,
• fees
• the presentation leaflet and the registration form
• extracts of the maps of the journey, profiles and touristic documentation which will be sent to you after your registration,
• practicle information (coordonnées, lien Internet)

 This option offers you more freedom. No time frame : you decide freely on how you wish to progress of your journey, completing the journey it in a dozen or so consecutive staging points or spreading it out over a holiday in the Lozere, within a few weeks or even over several stays.

The aim is simple : take the time to discover the many facets of the Lozere according to your own schedule and tastes !

This option is meant for those who are not that much experienced as cycle travellers or those who just mostly enjoy the  » tourism  » side of it.

The starting place and the direction of the journey are up to you, but we recommend however to start from Mende and to do it clockwise.