The « Check tablecloth » association is launching the « RDViB » or « Ride on Burgundy vineyards » from 8th to 16th September 2007 !!!!

INTRODUCTION

A FEW LINES ON BURGUNDY :

6 days of rollerblading to discover Burgundy’s four departments: Saône et Loire, Côte d’Or, Nièvre, and Yonne. Wandering with our feet on wheels through the hilly countryside and along the nivernese canal, the region’s five vineyards, charming little villages with traditional houses, roman churches, castles, and stopping in a few unavoidable hotspots…

Our wheels on the tourist wine routes !

Birgundy’s five vineyards : almost 2000 years of history, names ad flavours that will get your head spinning and that we will introduce you to with :

 The “Grand Cru” Route including:

 The vineyard route from Santenay to Saint Gengoux-le-National going through Mercurey, Givry...
 The Maconnais vineyard route from St-Gengoux-Le-National to Romanèche-Thorins: do « Pouilly » ring a bell ?

 The Yonne vineyards: Chablis, Auxerre, Tonnerre and Vézelay.. .

Our wheels in the cities of :

 Dijon : capital of the Dukes of Burgundy from the 9th century, with its historic city centre with varnished coloured roofs, typical of Burgundy. Famous for its mustard and crème de cassis, and because the drink “kir” was born there !
 Beaune : capital of Burgundy wines, with its Hôtel-Dieu, a hospital for the poor built in the Middle Ages, which will receive donations from vineyards. Famous today for the beauty of its architecture and its auctions of « premiers crus » and of “grands crus d’exception”.
 Cluny : Cluny: its Benedictine abbey founded in 909 was one of the largest religious buildings in the world, its ruins give us an idea of the extent of its past wealth, size and influence! Not forgetting Auxerre, Vézelay, Avallon, Morvan Regional Park ...which mark the charm of Burgundy.

PROGRAMME:

The principle : is the same as in the past :

 Every day : departure early in the morning to ride Burgundy’s countryside. A course punctuated with a picnic (luncheon provided) and breaks to relax a little !
 On arrival : once the tent is up in the campsite, we take advantage of the end of the day to wander around, visit tourist sites or taste some wine.
 The evening : relaxation and conviviality around a meal taken together, prepared with local produce, reflecting Burgundy’s cuisine.

A van and cars have been requisitioned to follow this ride and carry the luggage, the camping gear, the meal and ensure the good organisation of this week.

Rollerblading : depending on the number of participants, groups will be made up by level : the aim is to have a designated leader and an end-rider to ensure a regular rhythm. Stages averaging 60 kms are planned, with a more strenuous stage (100km) to allow the fastest to express their skills (the others can take the bus to shorten this stage).

On Cuisine and tasting...:

Our chef, who lives in this region, will as usual excel to prepare us dishes for which he detains the secret, especially the typical Burgundy specialties : we have already requested : gougère (cheese puff pastry), snails, boeuf bourguignon ....however the menu will only be revealed at the last moment ....

However if you have particular food requirements (vegetarians…), adaptations are possible. And we won’t forget to taste the local wines...

The main stages of this ride :

Saturday 8th September : Rendez vous for those who can

Sunday 9 September : Early, Start of the ride !

 3 days in the southern Burgundy vineyards between Dijon, Beaune and Macon.
 2 days in the northern vineyards, Vezelay , Auxerre, Chablis.
 2 days between the two areas.

Saturday 15th September : arrival near Auxerre and closing party !

Sunday 16th September : Departure from Auxerre !

 How do we go there Burgundy is a major road and rail crossroad. The precise departure point will be commuicated later.

• By train (Ex Dijon : TGV: 1hr35 from Paris)

Ticket reservation on http://www.voyages-sncf.com.

• By road

Burgundy has many motorways passing through it. Motorways A6, A31, 38 and 39 arrive in Dijon

Itineraries on www.mappy.com or www.via-michelin.fr.

Registration (Max 40 people)

• A registration teleprocedure is on the website

• The registration will be effective on reception of the contribution to the RDViB (« paypal » bank transfer): current estimated amount : 360 euros

The following is also required :

• To supply a medical certificate of non counter-indication to rollerblading in your name,
• To sign a discharge before departure,

 To receive the RDViB newsletter go on
 To discuss about RDViB RDViB, go on the Forum of "La Nappe A Carreaux
 To register Registration Form