Vétathlon de l'Yonne

“When we set off early in the morning, when we head out along the roads, by bicycle…”, as Yves Montand, take your mountain bike, your MTB 🚴 (and your sneakers 👟), we invite you to discover a friendly, welcoming, active event in the East of France, on the Vetathlon of Yonne 🇫🇷.

Because yes, it’s in the Yonne not in Yvonne, your old aunt, Y O N N E 🤓. An hour south of Paris, this department in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region is a region of contrasts, split between the beauty of its plateaus, its vines 🍇, its rivers 💦, its forests and its rich heritage medieval 🏰. But far from castles and fortresses, it’s at the heart of the town of Champlost (yes, that’s the demonym for Yonne), Champlost that we invite you to run 🏃‍♀️ and ride 🚴 at the end of June. It’s under the first rays of summer sunshine ☀️ that the sole Vetathlon of Yonne takes place. Organized by the Champlost Volunteer Firefighters Association 🧑‍🚒, this family-friendly and convivial event welcomes young and old, runners and cyclists from all corners of the Hexagon.

3 events that blend road and trail are on the program 🏁. The first, and not the least, is the 35 km, which can be done solo or as a relay for 2 or 3 (another great way to challenge friends 😉). The course includes three itineraries in sequence: a 10 km trail to warm up, then your MTB ride for 20 km in the shade, in the heart of the forêt domaniale de Malgouvernes Prunelles, and the last 5 kilometers by running to reach the finish line in the village 🏘️. For the less hungry, there is the 16 km starting with 5 km of trail, then 10 km of MTB, and ending with a final kilometer of trail. Since the organizers are generous, they’ve also thought of the younger crowd with their own Vetathlon 🐣. So if you’re between 12 and 18 years, get ready to chain together 1 km of running, 5 km of MTB and again 1 km of running. In short, Yonne has something for everyone! 😍

On the landscape side, the Vetathlon of Yonne will delight athletes 🏋️ seeking wide open spaces and nature 🍃. Between agricultural paths, hills and wooded areas, Champlost and its surroundings, it’s a bit like the backdrop to La Petite Maison dans la Prairie 🌿. But the peaceful pastoral scene will be lightly disrupted by the encouragements of the crowd coming specifically to give participants a boost 💪. And the atmosphere in Yonne, you can count on it! 🎉

After your event, you can give your legs a rest and treat your taste buds to tasty grilled meats 🍗, fresh melon 🍈, fries 🍟, cheese 🧀, or even ice cream 🍦. All with a bit of music to pace your bites 🎶. In short, a convivial moment with summer aromas to satisfy! That should motivate more than one 😎. You’ll leave with memories to spare—head, feet, and belly! 😂 No doubt, lovers of history and architecture will also find their Yonner in a detour through the Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay (a UNESCO World Heritage site) 😮), or wandering through the medieval towns of Auxerre, Joigny and Sens 🏰.

And because when Yonne’a plus Yonne’a encore, if you want to discover other kinds of races in the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region it’s here 👈.