We recommend that you download them onto a smartphone before you set off, so that they can be accessed offline, giving you peace of mind as you prepare for your outings.
A 50 km greenway!
Since spring 2021, you have been able to cycle along the banks of the Canal de Berry, discovering landscapes that invite you to relax and escape over a total distance of 50 km.
This stretch links the towns of Montluçon to Saint-Amand-Montrond, passing through Épineuil-Le-Fleuriel and Vallon-en-Sully, where you can also enjoy the beauty of the incomparably rich engineering structures.
La Vagabonde is a cycling adventure covering more than 500 kilometres. Departing from Montluçon in the Allier, this route will take you through the Creuse, Corrèze and Lot to Montech in the Tarn-et-Garonne. Discover a variety of landscapes from Lac de Vassivière to the plains of the Tarn, via the Millevaches plateau, the Dordogne valley and the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park. Along the way, you’ll come across a rich heritage: the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie in Aubusson, Rocamadour, Cahors, Montauban… etc. There’s plenty to keep you busy with cultural visits along the way. On a circuit of ten stages, marvel at the sometimes little-known landscapes that are just waiting to welcome you. With greenways and low-traffic shared roads, this itinerary is aimed at a discerning public.
To encourage cycling in the urban area, Montluçon Communauté recently published a map highlighting 2 specific aspects: – traffic within the city centre and in the suburban and rural towns, to ensure a network of facilities and a suitable range of services. – a selection of routes in and around Montluçon, designed to encourage the discovery of the region as a whole, and aimed at both keen sportsmen and women, locals and tourists alike.
Users will find :
cycle paths and cycle lanes
cycle routes in the conurbation, with details of distances for each discipline: mountain biking
cycle touring
cycle routes and greenways
routes
electrically-assisted bicycle (EAB) hire points in the Maelis network
bike repairers
establishments bearing the “Accueil vélo” label
major European and national cycle routes crossing the Allier département.
Check out the map of national cycle routes and greenways at the Montluçon crossroads, to find out more about the network and plan your journeys around our region: Cycle routes and greenways at the Montluçon crossroads.
Montluçon Bike Park
The more adventurous can try their hand at the bike park.
Inaugurated in September 2014, this new track on rue Ernest Montusès offers a space designed for this activity that combines a sense of balance and spectacle.
A facility entirely dedicated to cycling (mountain biking, BMX, Dirt) from beginner to expert level on a 3-hectare complex. Baby park (from age 2), ludik park (from age 6), pump track, dirt, slope style and cross country track. On site: bike maintenance station, bike wash (tokens to be purchased at the Nerdre complex, (€0.50 each), inflation and repair station. A living area with kiosk, picnic tables and toilet blocks. Car park with 50 spaces. Free access. Rue Ernest Montusès – Nerdre – 03100 Montluçon Tel: 04 70 03 85 70 (Nerdre COSEC) 06 32 49 69 43 E-mail: guillaume.lamy03@laposte.net (Cycling instructor) Facebook page: https: //www.facebook.com/Pro2Roo/
The Tourist Office has been committed for many years to promoting its walking and mountain biking routes, and is now taking a further step by obtaining the Accueil Vélo label in 2020 and renewing it in 2024.
This nationwide label guarantees a welcome, services and specific facilities tailored to the needs of cycling tourists along France’s cycle routes.
Accueil helps to reassure cycling tourists, particularly those from abroad, about the quality of the services available to them, with the aim of making their cycling journeys easier. The small green logo in the shape of a cyclist makes it easy to identify the approved facilities, and encourages cycling customers to turn to these establishments, located less than 5 km from cycle routes (included in a departmental, regional or national scheme), including mountain bike routes and signposted local loops.
WHY BECOME A ACCUEIL VÉLO?
By becoming a Accueil Vélo, we are demonstrating our intention to meet the expectations of an increasingly wide range of people who are keen to spend their holidays using soft and active forms of transport.
By making this choice, we are committing our tourist information offices in Montluçon, Cérilly and Hérisson to : – Provide you with repair kits in the event of a breakdown. – Provide you with communication materials to help you use the network. – Provide you with a list of bike hire and repair outlets located within a radius of our business park. – Provide you with dedicated cycle parking facilities in the immediate vicinity of our Tourist Offices.
C Vélo à Montluçon – Hire an electrically-assisted bike now from Espace Maelis. 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 3 months? Choose the length of your hire period to suit your needs and enjoy the benefits of cycling, while doing your bit for the environment. On site at Espace Maelis or by telephone on 04 70 05 02 67. For more information, download the CVélo brochure or visit the CVélo Montluçon website.
Escapade à La Voreille – Electric mountain bike hire for adults and children by the day or half-day. Hire of equipment and accessories (child seats, etc.). La Voreille – 03420 MAZIRAT. Tel: 06 24 74 44 60 – escapadealavoreille.fr
Aux Baboteurs – Near the Berry canal. Bike hire, electric bikes, cargo bikes, tandems. Open from 15 June to 15 September – off-season by appointment. 3 rue Jean Jaurès – 03190 VALLON-EN-SULLY. Tel: 06 01 82 31 80 or 04 70 05 55 56 – www.auxbaboteurs.org
Tronçais VTT – Near the Saint-Bonnet-Tronçais lake. Hire of mountain bikes, traditional or electrically-assisted bicycles, pedal-powered or electric rosalies and cycle-calèches (rickshaws). Open all year round. 2 rue du Petit Paris – 03360 SAINT-BONNET-TRONÇAIS Tel: 04 70 06 12 93
AC Cycles 45 avenue Albert Thomas – 03100 MONTLUÇON Phone : 04 70 29 62 70 Facebook page: AC Cycles
Alaphilippe Bike Store 10 rue de Pasquis – 03100 MONTLUÇON Phone : 09 87 38 19 30 Facebook page: Alaphilippe Bike Store
Brulhet Cycles Rue Nicolas Rambourg – 03100 MONTLUÇON Phone : 04 70 05 74 22 Facebook page: Brulhet Cycles
Cycles Gallégo 46 bis avenue Albert Thomas – 03100 MONTLUÇON Phone : 04 70 05 04 70 Facebook page: Cycles Gallégo
Cycles Alexis Dulin Mobile bicycle maintenance and repair business Tel: 06 22 06 17 30 Facebook page: Cycles Alexis Dulin
Décathlon Montluçon Rue Nicolas Rambourg – 03100 MONTLUÇON Phone : 04 70 08 11 60 Facebook page: Décathlon Montluçon
Pro 2 Roo in Montluçon Sales-repair and 2-wheel sports instructor Tel: 06 32 49 69 43 Facebook page: Pro2Roo
L’Univers du 2 Roues 7, Les Brandes Sud – 03600 MALICORNE Tel: 04 70 64 47 50
Spotlight on
Our cycling champions
They are the pride of cycling fans and enthusiasts, thanks to their international reputation, and they help to convey a positive image of our region, thanks to their humility, courage and exemplarity.
It’s only fitting that we pay tribute to our beloved champions Julian Alaphilippe and Florian Vachon!
Born on 11 June 1992 in Saint-Amand-Montrond, Julian Alaphilippe has risen through the ranks at breakneck speed. After a promising start in cyclo-cross, he went on to make a name for himself on the road, making his debut at the age of 7-8 with Entente cycliste Montmarault-Montluçon.
A professional with the Belgian Deceuninck-Quick Step team and a classics specialist, he won Milan-San Remo in 2019, the San Sebastian Classic in 2018, the Flèche Wallonne in 2018 and 2019, and the Strade Bianche in 2019. He also finished second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2015, the Tour of Lombardy 2017 and third in Milan-San Remo 2017 and 2nd in the 2020 edition.
His stage race victories include the Tour of California 2016 and the Tour of Britain 2018. He also won a stage in the Tour of Spain and four stages in the Tour de France, as well as the best climber classification in 2018. He finished the 2019 Tour de France in fifth place, having been in yellow for 14 days, and receiving the Supercombative award. He is ranked number one in the world from 24 March 2019 to 15 September 2019. He wears the yellow jersey again in the 2020 edition of the Grande Boucle for 2 days and takes a stage win. That same year, he won the title of world champion on the Imola circuit in Italy, 23 years after the last Frenchman to be crowned, Laurent Brochard. 2021 saw him consolidate his position in the peloton’s hierarchy with a 3rd victory in the Flèche Wallonne, and another stage win in the Grande Boucle, punctuated by a new yellow jersey. He repeated the feat on 26 September 2021, winning a second successive road world champion title and becoming the first French rider to win the world title twice, and back-to-back.
Born on 2 January 1985 in Montluçon, Florian Vachon is a racing cyclist in the Arkéa-Samsic team. A professional since 2008, he has competed in the Tour de France on 6 occasions, finishing every time.
A member of Entente Cycliste Montmarault Montluçon as an amateur, Florian Vachon began his professional career in 2008 with the Roubaix Lille Métropole team.
An exemplary runner, he has distinguished himself brilliantly on all the roads of France and Navarre, where his talents as a model and dedicated team-mate have worked wonders.
He has also won a number of prestigious races, including the Tour du Finistère in 2010, the Classic Loire-Atlantique and Paris-Bourges in 2012, as well as a stage in the Critérium International that same year. He also won the Classic Sud Ardèche in 2014, and finished 2nd in the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque in 2012, as well as the Tour de l’Ain in 2015.
He will be taking his final ride in 2020. At 35, the Montluçonnais rider will retire from the peloton on Sunday 20 September, at the Grand Prix d’Isbergues, after thirteen years of loyal service.
