About the Tour des Trois Vallées

2024 will be the 52nd anniversary of the first “Dieppe Raid” Cycling Weekend which is now known as the Tour des Trois Vallées, the three valleys being those of La Scie, La Varenne, and La Béthune rivers.

The event is a set of cycle routes organised by Cyclo-Club Dieppois on the roads and lanes of the countryside in and around Dieppe, offering various distances (from 30 to 140 km) to suit both families as well as keen club cyclists. A walk is generally offered for non-cyclists. With the exception of 2020 and 2021, when the event was unavoidably cancelled due to Covid, the event has been held every year.

The event was started in 1972 by Neville Chanin, a well-known British cyclist who travelled widely throughout the world by bicycle. It was established in commemoration of the infamous Dieppe Raid of 1942 where our Canadian allies suffered such terrible losses. To learn more about the history of the Tour de Trois Vallées and Neville Chanin visit our history page.

It is a great way to introduce less experienced cyclists to cycling in France with its quiet and well-tended roads and gently rolling hillsides along the three river valleys. At the other end of the spectrum, many keen club cyclists also come back every year The routes may be ridden on any type of cycle (road, mountain, or hybrid) and children are welcome. Each year there is normally at least a few cyclists from Evesham Wheelers, London Clarion Cycle Club, BedWell Wheelers, Sussex Nomads, South West London CTC, and Team BB.

Dieppe

Dieppe is a beautiful town with its picturesque port, long esplanade, chateau, and an excellent selection of bars and restaurants. It is known throughout France for the quality of its seafood dishes combining fresh fish and shellfish with Normandy cream and butter. It has an excellent swimming complex on the seafront with a 50 m outdoor pool, various indoor pools and a spa. The ferry is less than a mile from the town centre so it’s possible to leave your car at the ferry port in Newhaven and travel by bike on the ferry. If you have panniers then that's great but many of our group travel with a bag on their back for the short distance to the hotels.

Club des Cyclotouristes Dieppois (CDC)

This club was founded in 1982 by Lucien van den Brook with the aim of promoting more relaxed cyclotourismas opposed to the focus on racing of other local clubs. For many years they have taken part in visits to England for Sunday rides with local clubs in Sussex. They have been organising the Tour des Trois Vallees since their inception and, despite now fewer numbers, they remain active, organising many rides along with“grimpettes” (hill climbs) in and around Dieppe.

First Things

Register for your ride and for Sunday dinner (optional)
Book your travel and accommodation.

The Entry form and details of how to book for the 2024 event will be published soon. There will be four routes: 30 km, 60 km, 100 km and 140 km. We plan to organise an informal dinner this year on Sunday evening (details to be announced shortly).

Travel and accommodation need to be booked individually by entrants. It is recommended that participants arrive no later than mid-day on the Saturday in order to attend the Welcome and Event Briefing (see below). Most people arrive on the DFDS Newhaven-Dieppe ferry who have given our cycle-only passengers a 20% discount on the fare. However, Eurotunnel is also a popular choice; Calais to Dieppe is a 2-hour drive.

There are a number of hotels in Dieppe itself and Airbnb properties abound.

Event Schedule

Saturday - Welcome and event briefing (5:00-6:00 p.m.)

This takes place at the Salle Municipale Paul Eluard (5 rue Thiers) [link here to Google Maps?]. Riders sign in and receive a welcome pack containing a route sheet and map. CDC run a cash bar serving drinks. Following words of welcome by representatives of the town government the event organisers present how the following day’s events will unfold and answer questions. The session typically lasts about one hour. In the past, tombola tickets have been given out; that’s likely to be the case this year too!

Sunday - Setting off (from Salle Paul Eluard)

Riders set off between 7h and 9h according to the route they have chosen and their abilities. Cycling out of the town, riders follow the supplied route sheets and maps. In addition, at points where two routes separate and at key junctions CCD will have put markings on the road to indicate the route direction. Nowadays, many riders follow the route on GPX files which can be downloaded to navigation devices here [GPX Files will be added soon]

Walking routes

There are traditionally two walks organised starting from Salle Paul Eluard at 9 am. The shorter one is around the centre of Dieppe and the other walk takes in the surrounding countryside and is just under 10 miles. The routes and distances of this year’s walks will be published as soon as they have been agreed.

Mid-way refreshment stop (St. Aubin-le-Cauf)

A refreshment stop with energy snacks, sandwiches and drinks will be set up along the Avenue Verte (former railway and now a lovely bike path) where it enters the village of St. Aubin-le-Cauf. This is funded by your entry fee. The stop opens at 11h30 and closes at 13h30.

Awards presentations (Salle Paul Eluard)

Starting around 5:00 p.m. there is a prize presentation where awards for various categories and exploits are given. In years past this is when the tombola prizes are also given out, so look out for this! This session typically lasts 60-90 minutes.

Monday

Dieppe tends to be very quiet on Mondays. There are no events planned. Most participants return home on on the 11h ferry for Newhaven.

History of the Tour des Trois Vallees

In 1971 Neville Chanin met the President of Cyclo Club Dieppois (Lucien Van Ceunebroek) at a cycle rally on the Isle Of Wight. Lucien talked of holding a randonnee in Dieppe the following year and urged Neville to visit with some friends. So, in 1972 the first Tour de Trois Vallees was organised. The birth of what has come to be a long friendship. Neville requested riders bring a packet of tea with them during the early years as Lucien loved English tea. Lucien would meet us at the port with a big bag for the tea. When Lucien died in 1985, Jean-Claude Martin became president and has been involved in the organisation of this event ever since.

There was only 1 event for the first few years – 200k. Neville entered the 200km with his 4 friends from England. As the number of participants increased, by the late 70’s, it was necessary to introduce a 140k ride as some riders found 200k too far. Since then, more rides have been established to cater for families, young children, MTB and a walk is now available for non-cyclists.

The number of participants increased from 5 the first year to 211 in 1989. After 22 years of Neville organising the Tour for the British participants, Paul Coan took up the reins for 10 years, Caroline Street ran the event after Paul until 2023.

Accommodation has changed over the years. In the early days, all participants stayed at the Youth Hostel at the top of the hill. As numbers increased, the Youth Hostel became less popular and now many people stay at the Windsor or find Hotel accommodation of their choice.

Neville Chanin - "The Legend"

In 1972 Neville Chanin organised the first Tour des Trois Vallees in Dieppe as a commemoration to the allies' losses during the Dieppe Raid in 1942.

Chanin was born in Croydon in 1935. He moved to Butterrow, Stroud, in 1976 and lived there until his death in April 2010. He rode more than a million kilometres (643,434 miles) on cycle tours in Britain, Europe and around the world. His name is well known in cycling circles nationally and internationally. The display in the Museum's Collectors' Room displayed a selection of the documents, photographs, trophies and other objects donated to the museum following his death.

Chanin was a talented and successful cross country and distance runner, but in 1948 he saw Reg Harris, British Cycling Sprint Champion, competing in the London Olympic Games. It sparked an enthusiasm for cycling, which became a lifelong passion. He went to Paris to see the finish of the Tour de France in 1957. Each summer for the next fifty years he arranged a cycling holiday to watch the Tour and cycle part of route, including some of the toughest mountain stages. He was known throughout Europe, especially in his beloved France, where he was on first name terms with the Tour de France organisers as well as those responsible for Audax rides. He visited the Tour on over 50 occasions as well as the Giro and the Vuelta and many of the one day classics.

In 1960 he organised more than forty annual tours to more remote destinations, including the Middle East, Cuba, North, Central and South America, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.