The “Plan Tourisme à Vélo 06” aims to develop tourism in the mid and high areas of the Alpes-Maritimes through the implementation of a new offer and dedicated events. This plan results from a collaborative effort between several departments of the General Council and external partners: CRT Riviera Côte d’Azur and the Intercommunal Tourist Office Provence Val d’Azur.
It includes a three-year action program (2011-2013), divided into 3 major axes:
- Develop and qualify the “Vélo 06” tourist product in the mid and high areas.
- Propose specific “Vélo 06” events.
Promote and market the “Vélo 06” offer.
The entire plan is estimated at €1,240,000 excluding tax over 3 years (€870,000 for investment and €370,000 for operation).
The General Council’s commitment to cycling infrastructure in the department
The Departmental Assembly voted in May 2005 for the Cyclable Departmental Scheme to encourage the use of bicycles by the inhabitants of the department, promote changes in daily travel habits, and reduce travel difficulties.
The plan projects €50 million in investments (all communities combined) to develop 278 km of a structured network of biking paths and lanes across the territory, in a continuous, comfortable, homogeneous, and safe manner, to ensure connections between valleys and the coast, allowing cyclists to join community and municipal networks.
A new tourist offer for the mid and high areas of the department
37 operations are planned in this three-year plan (2011-2013), ranging from the development of cycling loops to the design, promotion, and marketing of specific bicycle tourist products, as well as the implementation of monthly activities and annual events.
Development of family, tourist, and sports cycling loops:
• The plan anticipates the development of a complete range of circuits, unique in Europe.
• These developments are designed for all audiences: families, tourists, and athletes.
The goal of these loops is to offer complete, attractive, and marketable tourist products, presenting offers in accommodation and catering, places and sites of tourist interest, activities on and around the routes.
For instance, planned this summer for families:
- The Family Loop of the Plateau de Caussols – 15 km (summer 2011)
- The Family Loop of the Plaine de Caille – 8 km (summer 2011)
- The Family Loop of the Lac du Broc – 5 km and more (summer 2011-extension in 2012)
Planned for tourists and athletes:
-The Azure Cycling Loops – 300 km (summer 2011 to summer 2012): A network of 25 sections, totaling about 300 km of developed and marked circuits, starting from Puget-Théniers and Saint-Auban,
-The Great Passes of the Mercantour – (summer 2012): A 5-day itinerary including all major passes of the department.
The Gorges Circuit (Cians/Daluis) – 82 km (summer 2012)
connecting the municipalities of Valberg-Péone and Puget-Théniers,
Another major axis: The Development and Enhancement of the Mountain Biking Offer in the Department
The Alpes-Maritimes department is an excellent area for mountain biking.
In the “Plan Tourisme à Vélo 06”, some actions are fully dedicated to the mountain biking offer in the department to develop and enhance it for families and young people.
Some examples of actions planned by the plan:
- The promotion and marketing of the mountain biking route “Les Chemins du Soleil” 2011-2013 with the release of a new topo-guide and the implementation of commercializable stays.
The strengthening, enhancement, and diversification of the mountain biking offer in the department’s resorts
The development of “packaged” mountain biking products, aiming to assemble packaged tourist products based on a qualified offer (accommodation, service providers, catering…).
The events planned in the Plan Tourisme à Vélo 06
-The operation of the Great Passes of 06, every Sunday in July 2011
The principle is to privatize the roads leading to the department’s mythical passes.
Sunday, July 3, 2011 – Col Saint-Martin, Madone de Fenestre, Boréon
Sunday, July 10, 2011 – Col des Champs
Sunday, July 17, 2011 – Col de la Lombarde
Sunday, July 24, 2011 – Col de la Bonette – Restefond
Sunday, July 31, 2011 – Col de la Cayolle
Participation in the “Tous à Vélo” festival in Puget-Théniers, Saturday, May 28, 2011
Participation in the “Tous à Vélo” festival in Nice, Sunday, May 29, 2011
The 50th anniversary of the Col de la Bonette, Sunday, July 24, 2011
International Mountain Biking Fair Roc d’Azur in Fréjus, from October 6 to 9, 2011
Other initiatives by the department in favor of the development of green tourism in the mid and high areas of the Alpes-Maritimes
•Development of the departmental road network
Particularly in the Var valley, the decisive axis on the sea-mountain route and return:
-On the left bank, ongoing requalification of the RD 6202: more than €43 million
-On the right bank, since 2006 €116 million of work for the RD 6202 bis. The work on the section between the 15th and 18th marks was launched on March 3, 2011, for an amount of €4 million.
•Development of public transport
With the €1 bus, 5 regular lines serving the Vésubie Valley, the Tinée, and the Upper Var.
With the commissioning in 2010 of the Rando-Bus, between Nice and Saint-Martin-Vésubie.
New this year: opening of two new rando-bus lines:
- Tinéé Valley: Nice – Isola – St-Etienne – St Dalmas le Selvage
Cians Valley: Nice – St Sauveur – Roubion – Col de la Couillole – Beuil – Valberg
Departures every day in July-August and on weekends in September – €5 round trip
Thematic routes: These routes are implemented by the Department and aim to enhance heritage, especially religious (route of the Sacred, Baroque, Bréa, Garden routes, etc.).
Tourist accommodations – departmental financial aids (Investment):
Since 2008, €2.6 million for more than 70 establishments (hotels, lodgings, camping…)
• The “Bistrots de Pays©” operation
5 labeled establishments with a short-term prospect of about ten bistros.
• The Franco-Italian partnership initiatives – TOURVAL CAFE PROJECT
The Tourval Café project aims to develop tourist establishments.
Over 40 rural zone establishments were supported in 2010, 18 of which received advisory audits.
• Support for the development of the equestrian tourism sector:
The General Council published a Randoéquitation guide in July 2010; a process of listing and qualifying accommodations is underway.
Where are we?
Cycling paths and lanes completed in the department: 207.3 km
Under study and works: 25.7 km
The Coastal Track:
This unique continuous path connecting Théoule-sur-Mer to Menton is a departmental priority with a target completion in 2015.
Where are we?
The section open to cycling circulation now represents a continuous section from the port of Nice to Cagnes West of 13.1 kilometers, complemented by a provisional route (2 bike lanes) to the Fort Carré d’Antibes.
The Var Valley:
Since then, the General Council has invested a total of €7.5 million which has enabled the development of more than 38 km of cycling paths in the Var plain:
- On the left bank: 11.9 km of cycling paths, from the airport to the Manda.
On the right bank, from La Gaude/la Baronne, to the Charles Albert Bridge, totaling 16 km (with a cycling bridge).
