66 Degrés Sud

Date
Thursday 27.04.2023 - 29.04.2023
Distances
139 - 164 - 12.5 km TT km
City
Perpignan
Country
France

The 66 Degrés sud event in Perpignan was first held in 2021 and will have an uphill time trial on Thursday 27 April and a granfondo and mediofondo on a hilly course on Saturday 29 April in the Perpignan region.

General

Welcome to the heart of Perpignan Méditerranée! At the crossroads of the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, in the Catalan region, let yourself be surprised by a naturally and culturally rich destination. Nestled in the heart of a triangle formed by the metropolises of Toulouse, Barcelona and Montpellier, our territory, a mosaic of identities and varied geographies, has no less than 36 municipalities spread over 656 km2 of area including 22 km of coastline, with an altitude ranging from 0 to 707m. Land side, sea side or city side, shine according to your desires, taste a thousand activities, let your imagination run free, you are at the Center of the Worlds … as Dali affirmed so well!

Succumb to the charm of Perpignan, “City of Art and History”, capital of the kings of Mallorca, as you turn its narrow Mediterranean streets and squares.

Discover the landscapes shaped by 20,000 hectares of heritage vines and the natural spaces of the Roussillon plain and the wild foothills of the Corbières. Share unique moments along the long sandy beaches that invite to board sports, lazing around, or balmy summer evenings …

Everything is told here: history, prehistory, art, people, nature … You can savor everything here: the sun, the wind, day, night, music, the city, villages, rivers, rugby, partying … You can discover everything here: taste, exchange, share, walk, swim, think, breathe, dream, connect, recharge your batteries …

Vary the pleasures, dare all the adventures, do not give up anything! Here, everything is to be experienced!

66 Degrés Sud is the new brand for the region which expresses Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole’s desire to become even more attractive with major outdoor events.

A tourist and economic attractiveness strategy that begins with this event, “the cyclotourist” which announces a larger event in 2022, “the cyclosportive”. Cycling will indeed be a strong theme this summer with the Tour de France which will stop on July 11 in Céret.

Our territory is a varied open-air playground … 66 Degrès Sud “the Cyclo” opens the way, other outdoor events will follow in emblematic areas

For more information, visit the following website: perpignanmediterraneetourisme.fr

Road race

The course of the 66 Degrés Sud event will have a new course compared to last year when the start and finish of the road races was in the city center. The course will now move to Sainte-Marie-la-Mer along the beach where the new start and finish are located.

Granfondo distance

After the start in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, the race heads southeast around the city of Perpignan for a first flat and fast 30km, after which the road slightly starts to climb.

The first real climb of the day is the Col de Llauro, a steady climb of 7.3km with an average gradient of 3.4% and a peak of 6%. On top, it slightly keeps on going up and down towards the highest point of the day, the col de Fourtou (647m).

A 10km downhill brings the riders to the third climb of the day, the col Sainte-Marguerite (605m), a 4.2km climb with a lot of switchbacks and an average of 6.5% and a peak of 12%.

The next climbs are lower with Col de Belesta (407m) and Pas de l’Echelle (285m), the last one with 35km to go. The last 25km are again totally flat and surrounding the northern part of Perpignan.

The total distance is 164km for an elevation of 1788m.

Mediofondo distance

The shorter 139km course has the same start as the Granfondo but makes a shortcut after 80km, thus taking the Col de Llauro, Col de Fourtou and Col Sainte-Marguerite from the granfondo course. The final difficulty is at 35km before the finish for again a flat and fast final towards Sainte-Marie-la-Mer.

Total elevation over the 139km is 1338m.

Time Trial

The time trial will start from the town of Collioure at the seaside for an uphill course towards the Col des Gascons at an elevation of 382m.

The total distance is 12.5km for a total elevation of 568m and an average slope of 4.5% with a climb which can be split up in two parts, a first steady climb towards an altitude 332m which is reached after 6.5km followed by a 1.5km descent with a second 2.5km climb to the highest point of the race (459m) followed by a second descent and flat part towards the finish. The first departure is at 2 p.m.