La Gravel Bleue

La Gravel Bleue is a spring gravel weekend in southern Finistère, run by Le Vélo Bleu, a cycling association in Concarneau. It began in 2023 as a pair of unmarked loops around Cornouaille and has since added a two-day bikepacking route, while keeping its homegrown, sociable feel.

The tracks are pure Cornouaille: coastal paths with long views over the sea, woodland and farm tracks, cycle paths and quiet lanes linking small towns and villages. The bikepacking route reaches out to Cap Sizun, the rugged western tip of Brittany, before the weekend gathers again in Concarneau, whose walled Ville Close has served as a starting point.

Nothing is waymarked. Riders navigate from a GPX track, and bikepackers carry a tracker and sort out their own night on the road, so autonomy and a taste for exploring are part of the deal. The social side is planned just as carefully: one-day riders meet at the finish for a drink to swap stories and welcome the bikepackers home, and the first edition brought everyone together over a shared evening meal of homemade, organic food.