With hair blowing in the wind, we interview Station Bee’s
In the centre of Gaillac, an ideal departure point for discovering the Tarn by bike, Christophe welcomed us to his company Station Bee’s. A sports and thrill-seeking enthusiast, he shares the best circuits in the Tarn to experience by bike in the fresh air!
More than just speed
Since the spring of 2021 in Gaillac, the Stations Bee’s franchise has been offering electric bike hire to explore the roads of the Tarn. With the wind in your hair and with complete peace of mind, the pleasure of cycling in the heart of nature triumphs over the effort.
“As a teen, I did a lot of running, I got to regional level, but then I stopped and continued with skiing and hiking, before getting started on mountain biking. With electric bikes, it's nicer, less tiring and more fun, and you can go further.”
When history, heritage and gastronomy combine…
With his plans thought out, Christophe set up in Gaillac.
I like this village atmosphere, there are shops, it's easy to quickly make connections and links, it has all the advantages of living in a small town but the countryside is close and contact is less impersonal.
With Station Bee’s, he rents out mountain bikes, all-terrain bikes and road bikes, while offering tours that combine history, heritage and reveal the hidden secrets of the bastides.
With the "Pass vigneron VTC" (Winemakers' all-terrain pass), you can go and visit a winemaker on their estate and some of them offer a lunchtime dish, such as a plate of tapas as well as a tour of the winery, at the Domaine Gayrard in Cordes.
Just one road away...
A single objective: to enjoy an unforgettable moment “as much for mental well-being as physical”. That could be over several days, half a day or a full day, depending on each person's wishes.
“We offer cycle tourism over 2 or 3 days, which allows you to leave your car and tour the bastides. By bike, the advantage is that you can let yourself be carried along, enjoy it without having to make too much effort all the time. I offer maps, on paper, but there are also routes on an app, 4 circuits where you can admire pretty viewpoints, visit a vineyard, discover a good restaurant. Each route has a degree of difficulty: green, red or black.” Christophe always has good places to share with you, so make the most of his knowledge!
“And the future?”
The entrepreneur has no shortage of ideas for new projects. Especially with La Balaguère in the Pyrénées, which offers mountain biking and all-terrain biking routes from Albi to Cordes sur Ciel or Puisaye. Very committed, he is part of an organisation called “À vélo sans âge” (bikes at any age), where he looks after the bikes' maintenance. His new project is the sale of tandems that can accommodate disabled people, allowing them to lie down on an adaptive electric bike.
Wine lovers, come and stretch your legs with a beautiful day in one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, Castelnau-de-Montmiral. With a morning departure, you'll go to meet an independent winegrower at Domaine Vayssette. He will show you his estate and you can enjoy the view over the Gaillac foothills and the Vallée du Tarn. Take the road back through the hamlets, up hill and down dale; and finally you'll see Castelnau de Montmiral standing in its splendour at a bend in the road.
Interview with Christophe, bike enthusiast
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