With the big departure of Lille and Paris-Roubaix as a monument, how cycling boosts tourism in the North

Next week, a jersey of the Roubaix cycling team could be seen on the roads of… Taiwan. On the sidelines of the Grand Départ du Tour de France in Lille, given on Saturday July 5, Chen, a fan of cycling from the Asian island, wanted to keep a memory of his visit to the region and to the legendary Roubaix Vélodrome. Like him, they are thousands of foreign tourists every year to visit the North for Paris-Roubaix or on pilgrimage to its famous paved sectors. And the passage of the large loop in the region only comes to amplify the phenomenon.

At the crossroads between Belgium, the Netherlands and England, Hauts-de-France enjoy a privileged position to accommodate numerous cycling fans in these neighboring countries. It is no coincidence that, among the 51% of international participants in Paris-Roubaix Challenge, the amateure race on northern cobblestones, these three nations are the most represented. But others come from even further, like Navarone, Alaska cyclist (United States), who won a full day of plane travel, to come and taste the north hell in April, without regret.

“We stayed four days in Lille, with the family. I think I would never have thought of coming to the north of France without this race. I had never even heard of Lille, I discovered the city by looking for accommodation for Paris-Roubaixhe says. We visited the streets of Old Lille, the Barbieux Park in Roubaix, and finally it's very pretty “.

For his part, Sportive Breaks, a travel agency dedicated to cycling based in Manchester (England), brings some 150 people each year in the region, for a trip that mixes Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix. And if 80% are British, “We also have a lot of Australians and Americans”explains Alex de Waard, director of the company, in Franceinfo: Sport.

“They come for cycling, but they are also curious to visit the region, because there are many military cemeteries of the Second World War, and they often have a grandparent or an ancestor who is buried in the area”he adds. For this Tour de France, the agency has also set up a dedicated trip to the big departure, with a workforce this time reduced to eight people, from Australia and the United States, which will walk the route of the first three stages before the runners and thus discover the whole region.

To accommodate everyone, the hotels of the Lille metropolis are in excitement. 1,800 journalists from around the world are expected in particular. According to figures from the Metropolitan Tourism Observatory Arrested on July 1, the reservation rate in these establishments amounted to 90% on Wednesday, a day of presentation of the runners, and climbed 95% on Friday, official departure day. Figures equivalent to the weekend of the Lille clearance sale, while the average occupancy rate of Lille hotels in the year is 61.9%. “It creates a lot of flows, Rejoices Romuald Catoire, president of the Lille Federation of Commerce, Crafts and Services. We also hear Mediterranean accents that we are not necessarily used to hearing “.

But if the passage of the big loop obviously drains a lot of tourists, they were also numerous during the world cyclo-cross championships, won by Mathieu Van der Poel, in Liévin (Pas-de-Calais) from January 31 to February 2. So these are “More than 60,000 people from Great Britain, Belgium or the Netherlands who made the trip to attend this competition”according to the city of Liévin. And throughout the year, even outside the events of events, the cycling heritage of the region attracts.

“The impact of Paris-Roubaix is ​​naturally important on the race weekend, but it is also delayed, Supports Aymeric Robin, president of the Agglomeration Community of the Hainaut Porte, Territoire de la Trouée d'Arenberg, one of the legendary paved sectors of the French monument. We feel that it is the launch of the tourist season of the agglomeration. There is curiosity tourism: we come first because we are a fan of bicycle, we see the images on TV where we come to attend the race, then we realize that around the gap there is a forest, a fairly imposing and impressive mining site, and we end up with Belgians, Germans, Italians, who come back to enjoy the environment and the gastronomic and cultural heritage “.

In Roubaix, Daniel Verbrackel manages the bar which adjoins the northern hell's arrival velodrome and has the happiness of opening its barriers every morning, in addition to its role as manager of the Van Rysel Roubaix Lille Métropole team. And he too sees tourists every day, who come to do some laps on the site open to the public. “We have people all year round, not necessarily a lot, but every day, and especially foreigners. And when there are concerts at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, like Ed Sheeran or Bruce Springsteen lately, we always have tourists who pass here before because it is a monument. It is a gold mine for us, but it took years to the public authorities to realize it”.

It is true that few guided tours are organized for individuals, who often leave disappointed not to see the famous showers of the champions. But group visits can be organized, often requested by Belgians, according to Nicolas Descamps, guide at the Metropolitan Tourist Office. “For some, here, it's like the Lourdes cave. It's unique. Among the visitors, a large New Zealand fellow of two meters shed a tear when entering here”he says in the showers' building, in his juice, during a rare guided tour organized on the occasion of the Tour de France but which attracted only six people, from the region, the fault of a low communication.

“I think that the region does not take advantage of its history with Paris-Roubaix. On the contrary, in Audenarde (commune of arrival of the Tour des Flandres), There is a museum and a company that are very active in promoting cycling tourism. I have never heard of an equivalent in the north of France “Pointe Alex de Waard, from the Sports Breaks agency. To remedy this, the public authorities announced, in March, a reconfiguration of the Roubaix sports park, with the creation of a museum dedicated to the race, and the construction of hotels.

“We are fortunate to have a world -renowned sports event, we must better seize it”recognized Damien Castelain, president of the European metropolis of Lille, while Guillaume Delbar, mayor of Roubaix, praised in a message on social networks “A major project that aims to capitalize on this historic place (…) In order to make it a flagship destination for tourism and memory of cycling heritage “.

And if the Tour de France will not go to Roubaix or on the cobblestones, it could help the region change its image. “The north is no longer the north of the mine, the sawmill, the spinningEnsures with Franceinfo: Sport Christian Poiret, president of the department. We must be able to realize that the North is in the heart of Europe, that there is a pleasant life, that the North is beautiful, from Malo-les-Bains via Flanders, the metropolis, the Valencienne, the Douaisis. That an economy is possible and that it also makes investors want to come “.

Jointly, the department, the region and the metropolis shared the entrance ticket requested by ASO to accommodate the big departure, or 4.2 million euros. Hoping for benefits. “In Florence and Bilbao, they were 1 for 10 (i.e. 10 euros in economic benefits for 1 euro of invested). But this is only a party. The tour is broadcast in 190 countries and the whole world will see the north. If one day tourists must choose between Belgium, the Netherlands or the North, they will have seen what our territory offers “, exhibits Christian Poiret. From now on, local authorities hope for mild weather to capitalize on these beautiful images, but the rain could well be used on the first stages.