The 14th CilfaCyclette took place from 18 to 21 July 2019! For this edition, 11 students cycled for four days alongside seven French people, some of whom were very experienced in cycle touring.
Taiwan was well represented among the students, with six participants. There were also four Japanese students and one Brazilian student.
FIRST DAY OF THE CILFACYCLETTE:
Once the Thursday morning French lessons were over, the group headed to the shores of Lake Annecy for a big picnic. The CILFA students who weren’t coming with us wished us a safe journey, and then the CilfaCyclette group took the time to get to know each other during a break. To our surprise, a little dog was coming along for the ride with us!
During a stop for a swim in Doussard, the students met some French people by the water’s edge, but it was already time to hit the road again. It was certainly a good opportunity to practise French as a foreign language! Of course, the group communicated a great deal during those four days on their bikes, both verbally and in writing, as the students had done their homework well by writing in their travel diaries every day. As happens every year, the teacher had forgotten his red pen during the CilfaCyclette, so the students were able to express themselves freely.
On the first evening, we explored Conflans and had dinner in the medieval town, right next to the Olympic town of Albertville.
SECOND DAY:
On Friday, we made a quick visit to the Olympic facilities, which hosted the Tour de France stage village this year—an event bringing together 15,000 amateur cyclists to ride a stage just like the Tour de France professionals, a week before the pros themselves. Afterward, we headed to Montmélian via bike paths and quiet country roads. Just like last summer, we visited a winery and asked plenty of questions of the winemaker, Frédéric Salomon, who once again gave us a very warm welcome. https://vins-salomon.jimdo.com/
The visit naturally concluded with an excellent tasting of local wines. In the late afternoon, some of the students went for a swim in the campsite’s swimming pool, and in the evening, everyone enjoyed a barbecue.
THIRD DAY:
The group travelled to Chambéry via the magnificent Lake St André, situated in the heart of the vineyards. Several students took the opportunity to go for a swim. Bruna had a go at slacklining with some French people who had set one up between two trees. After a picnic and a nap in Chambéry, the teacher gave us a guided tour of his home town. Twenty kilometres further on, we arrived at the campsite in Aix-les-Bains, having cycled alongside Lake Bourget on a magnificent cycle path running right alongside the water.
LAST DAY OF THE CILFACYCLETTE:
In the morning, we had breakfast in a lovely garden. To get there, we cycled through a bakery with all our bikes fully loaded! We then visited Aix-les-Bains (with its Eiffel Tower and Japanese garden!). For lunch, we enjoyed a tasting of Savoie cheeses at the spectacular Pont de l’Abîme. This year, the group was quick off the mark and we had just one technical problem: a broken chain 11 km from the finish, but fortunately this happened shortly before the long descent to Annecy and the post-ride drinks at the stud farm.
Take a look at the 2019 event in 126 photos!
Please feel free to leave a comment, and see you next summer for the 15th CilfaCyclette 😉
