This challenge called JVC (Judo, Bike, Castle) has only one ambition for this judo teacher and cycling enthusiast, to promote the practice of judo and cycling according to his encounters.
Meetings, he had some, like the stage between Bourges and Gien, or in the town of Aubigny-sur-Nère. There he met a Scotsman who told him about the origin of this city of the Stuarts which, every year, around July 14, celebrates its age-old friendship by organizing Franco-Scottish festivals. In the XVe century, in the midst of the Hundred Years War, Charles VII, King of France, offered Jean Stuart and his descendants the seigneury of Aubigny
Among the most difficult stages, Hervé Branger recalled “the one between Cognac and Lussac-les-Châteaux, after 133 km of climbs and very small descents with a headwind and a temperature which exceeded 40°. Hell, a stage to forget. I know, it’s rare that I say that, but it was horrible! »
Back to Ambares
From Parthenay, the discovery of the Vélo Francette on very touristy rural paths with marked relief led it to Niort following the Sèvre Niortaise. “So, yes it’s nice, but with a lot of climbs, and it takes a lot longer. So, for those who are not cycling enthusiasts, it is better to abstain, because it is not so simple. This stage took him to Marigny, a small village south of Niort, stronghold of the Granger family, where he returned to see his grandfather’s old farm.
