Guadeloupe

Photo: Günter Standl

Almost too good to be true: cycling along a lava beach near Vieux Fort.

Eight hours by plane from metropolitan France, people are crazy about cycling: not a week goes by in Guadeloupe without a cycling race. But it's even nicer to do a few laps yourself than to watch.

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Guadeloupe really can be just as beautiful as the glossy catalogues promise. Breathtaking views of the sea, the blue of which one tries in vain to put into words. A rest in the shade of coconut palms, a swim in the dark after a sweat-inducing tour. Why not? Even in the evening, the air and water temperature is often still above 25 degrees.

Every year in August, when the Tour de Guadeloupe takes place here - a UCI category 2.2 race - Pantoufle, the island's national hero, is allowed to ride the route in front of the peloton. Last year, 40,000 fans lined the roadside on the six-kilometre climb of the queen stage from Basse-Terre to St. Claude. First they cheered Pantoufle, then the peloton, which set off to circle the island for the 60th time in 2010.

Everything about Guadeloupe, the race and "Pantoufle" as well as the GPS data for these four tours can be downloaded below:
- Tour 1: Climbing tour
- Tour 2: Queen's stage
- Tour 3: For rouleurs
- Tour 4: Loose round

GPS DATA: TOUR offers the tour data for free download. You can download the tracks in GPX format directly onto a GPS device or view them on your computer in Google Earth or Google Maps.

Photo: Günter Standl und Sven Bremer

Book tip - the tour presented here can be found in this book: The most beautiful road bike tours in Europe

To the reading sample | Buy book at Delius Klasing

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Photo: Günter Standl

Downloads:
PDF: Guadeloupe
GPS data: France: Guadeloupe

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Guadeloupe

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