Event recap · CycleSummit 2021

Toulouse

23–26 October 2021 · Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée (FR)

Finally, together again.

After more than a year of Zoom, Teams and video calls, CycleSummit 2021 was the long-awaited reunion of the cycling travel family – prepared in less than three months together with the Occitanie Sud de France destination, the first French region to host the summit.

Toulouse, the “Ville Rose” on the Garonne and the Canal du Midi, welcomed the participants for a ride through the vineyards of Gaillac, a regional evening at the Hotel Mercure, a business day at the Médiathèque and a farewell dinner on the rooftop of the Galeries Lafayette.

When

Sat 23 – Tue 26 October 2021

Marketplace

Médiathèque and Hotel Mercure Compans, Toulouse

Participants

61 companies

Host

CRTL Occitanie · Occitanie Sud de France

Day by day

The Pink City and its vineyards.

Saturday · Oct

Arrival and Le Grand Zinc

Participants checked in at the Hotel Mercure Toulouse Centre Compans and met for an informal dinner at Le Grand Zinc, almost next door – late arrivals included.

Sunday · Oct

Cycling in the Gaillac vineyards

After the official welcome in the amphitheatre of the Mercure and the introduction of all participants and the host region, the group left for the Château de Tauziès in the heart of the Gaillac vineyards: wine tasting and lunch, then a ride through the vineyards to the Château Mauriac and back.

Sunday evening

Regional evening

Back in Toulouse, the regional tourist board and its partners from the bike and tourism industry presented Occitanie – followed by networking with all partners and a buffet of local specialities in the atrium of the Mercure.

Monday · Oct

Business day 1 at the Médiathèque

The first business day took place at the Médiathèque near the main station – no presentations, no workshops, only 1:1 meetings. Many walked back to the hotel along the Canal du Midi.

Monday evening

Ma Biche sur le Toit

A guided 45-minute walk crossed the Pont Neuf and the city centre to dinner at Ma Biche sur le Toit, on the rooftop of the Galeries Lafayette.

Tuesday · Oct

Business day 2 and farewell

The second, more informal day filled the huge atrium of the Mercure with meetings and small group discussions, complemented by product presentations and expert talks next door – and ended with lunch and farewells across the Compans Caffarelli park.

The host region

Occitanie, heaven for cycling tourists.

Eight UNESCO World Heritage sites – the Canal du Midi, Albi, the Pont du Gard, Carcassonne – just a bike ride away, the Route des Cols in the Pyrenees, the Grande Traversée du Massif Central, the Canal des Deux Mers, the Méditerranée à Vélo (EuroVelo 8) and the ViaRhôna (EuroVelo 17).

Region

CRTL Occitanie

The Occitanie Tourist and Leisure Board, committed to developing cycling tourism sustainably – for holidaymakers and locals alike – and promoting the region as a cycling tourism benchmark.

City

Toulouse

More than 600 km of cycling facilities and 300 km of cycle paths, the banks of the Garonne and the Canal du Midi, the adventure of aviation and space – and a city of colours: pink, green, blue and violet.

Départements

The 13 départements

From the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean and the Massif Central – among them the Lot valley, the Most Beautiful Villages of Aveyron and the 80 km Passa Païs green path.