With 70 km of ViaRhôna and 18 km of greenway, the Balcons du Dauphiné region is involved in the development of the Accueil Vélo brand in Isère, for quality services and equipment dedicated to cycle tourists.
Let's follow Claire Trillat, Accueil Vélo representative at the Balcons du Dauphiné Tourist Office, on a day of auditing at a Balcons du Dauphiné accommodation provider: the Double C, a bed and breakfast in Saint-Victor-de-Morestel.
Accueil Vélo, a benchmark brand for the development of cycle tourism in the Balcons du Dauphiné and in Isère.
In just a few years, the Balcons du Dauphiné region has become an essential destination for cycle tourism enthusiasts.
With its 70 km of ViaRhôna and 18 km of greenway, ideal for roaming, family outings and discovery stays, North Isère is committed to providing a quality welcome to cyclists, particularly through the Accueil Vélo brand, a reference for cycling tourists.
In Balcons du Dauphiné, 42 structures (accommodations, restaurants, tourist sites, bike rental and repair shops, Tourist Information Offices) are labeled Accueil Vélo , which represents almost a quarter of the offer in Isère.
The label makes it possible to offer cycle tourists a complete set of equipment and services for a stay adapted to their practice.
The labeling is free for partners of the Tourist Office (having signed a commitment charter).
We fully cover the administration and travel costs for pre-audits and audits.
Communication actions aimed at promoting cycling stays at the Balcons du Dauphiné integrating Accueil Vélo structures are also carried out by our team.
Each year, a day is dedicated to those labeled Accueil Vélo, an opportunity to take stock of the brand's developments and to discuss with socio-professionals the expectations of cycle tourists and to travel part of the territory by bike.
For its part, Isère Attractivité approves the application, provides the signs and window decals, and covers the cost of renewing the label from 2025 onwards (€50). The attractiveness agency promotes and supports the label throughout the department.
France Vélo Tourisme, owner of the brand, is deploying tools to promote Accueil Vélo and in particular the website www.francevelotourisme.com.
In parallel, the community of municipalities of Balcons du Dauphiné has equipped 20 tourist sites and municipalities with bicycle racks, inflation stations, luggage lockers and secure boxes for bicycles.
Example of Accueil Vélo labeling: Double C, guest houses near ViaRhôna, in Saint-Victor-de-Morestel
At Balcons du Dauphiné, Claire Trillat, outdoor tourism project manager and partnerships coordinator, is in charge of the certification.
This morning, Claire and I are heading to the Le Double C bed and breakfast , 1km from ViaRhôna.
Located at the end of a cul-de-sac, the accommodation, already labeled Chambre d'hôtes référence® , benefits from a quiet environment in the heart of the countryside.
We are warmly welcomed by Mrs. Crouzet, who opened the Double C on August 1, 2023.
She explains to us why she wants to obtain the Accueil Vélo label:
I wanted to obtain this label in order to increase the visibility of my establishment, to participate in the development of our beautiful tourist region, to be able to offer a greater number of cycle tourists quality services and a reassuring, warm welcome, up to their expectations. This label will allow us to meet more cycle tourists from various countries as well as their different cultures. Our evenings will be even more lively!
By being awarded the Accueil Vélo label, establishments are automatically listed on France Vélo Tourisme and the viarhona.com website.
We start with a tour of the establishment : 2 comfortable and well-decorated rooms, with private bathrooms and all the tourist documentation for the Balcons du Dauphiné, a kitchen equipped with a fridge and a microwave, for breakfasts or tea and coffee breaks.
Outside, a garden, a large swimming pool and a spa complete the facilities for guests.
The living room with fireplace and table football is also accessible to them.
Around 90% of Ms Crouzet's clientele are cyclists, a large proportion of whom are foreign tourists.
Keen to provide them with the best possible welcome and to meet all their needs, she also offers table d'hôtes, with a unique menu made up of local products, a menu that she adapts according to different diets.
This is also the case for breakfast, sweet or salty, depending on the preferences of its customers.
It also has a licence 3 allowing it to serve local beers.
Armed with her audit grid, Claire explains her role and the process of an audit: verifying that each mandatory criterion is met, supplementing with optional criteria that allow for additional services to be provided to cyclists, and, as the discussion progresses, identifying the "little extras" to highlight to customers.
Closed and secure room for bicycles, possibility of recharging electrically assisted bicycles, repair kit, water point for cleaning bicycles, possibility of washing and drying clothes, possibility of early departure, etc.
The 15 mandatory criteria are reviewed and checked scrupulously one by one.
Particular attention is also paid to the 6 optional criteria which thus make it possible to perfect the offer proposed by the host.
With the criteria largely met, and once the commitment charter was signed, we are pleased to confirm to Ms. Coudert that the Double C is now certified as a Bike Welcome establishment!
She will soon receive the plaque to display the brand, as well as the logo to insert on her website, completed by a personalized plan created by Fanny, graphic designer and communications manager at the Tourist Office, indicating the secure route between her accommodation and ViaRhôna.
It will also benefit from communication on its labeling, by the Tourist Office.
The importance of Accueil Vélo: questions for Claire Trillat, brand representative at Balcons du Dauphiné.
Can you define your role as Accueil Vélo representative?
“My role is to support professionals in the Accueil Vélo labeling process.
Pre-audits can be organized in order to advise the service provider on the services to be implemented in order to obtain the mark, such as, for example, the layout of the bicycle room, an essential criterion for the label.
The audit allows us to put into perspective all the services offered on site, but also to assess the involvement of the socio-professional organization in the certification process.
It is important to go into depth during the audits so that the structure stands out in the services that will be offered following the certification.
Why Accueil Vélo is important for the region:
“Accueil Vélo is the basis of our work in developing cycle tourism in the Balcons du Dauphiné. It is a label known and recognized for the quality of services offered.
It allows us to understand the expectations and needs of these customers that we were not used to welcoming until now.
The label is therefore important for the region because it allows us to qualify our offers aimed at cycling customers and to position ourselves as a real cycling destination.
The deployment of the label was implemented in 2019.
We have 42 labeled structures. 43 with the Double C.
In 2024, 3 new providers were able to obtain the Accueil Vélo label: 2 tourist sites, the Grottes de la Balme and the Claudel-Stendhal exhibition space in Brangues , the Les Loges de Perelle bed and breakfast in Chozeau.
What will the Accueil Vélo brand evolve into in 2025?
"The year 2025 will be a busy year as 25 structures need to renew their Balcons du Dauphiné label, since the label is valid for 3 years.
We will have to adapt to the new benchmarks which must be delivered at the beginning of 2025, following the reform of the label*.
This reform will focus in particular on securing the links between the labelled structure and the cycle route. The maximum 5 km of a cycle route registered in the departmental plan will no longer be the rule, but in all cases, the route between the structure and the cycle link must be secured.
We will also be able to support hybrid spaces such as village grocery stores/cafés offering food services to mobile customers.”
*The label reform:
As part of the national cycle tourism strategy, Accueil Vélo, recognized as "the" benchmark brand for services to cycle tourists, will have to meet two objectives by 2030:
– Develop the network of service providers across the country and extend it beyond the main routes.
– Strengthen brand awareness among cycling tourists, whether they are traveling or staying.
Objective: to obtain 20,000 certified products by 2030 (8500 currently).
**viarhona.com : 595 visits in 712, an increase of 2024% compared to 26
francevelotourisme.com : 5 visits (+ 171%) – 648 unique visitors (+ 41%)
Practical information :
The double C
311 rue de Bugon, at the end of the impasse, 38510 Saint-Victor-de-Morestel
07 88 16 95 39 - contact@ledoublec.fr
90€ per night with breakfast, swimming pool and spa at no extra charge.
Table d’hôtes: €24 for adults, €12 for children.
Find out more: https://ledoublec.fr/
Are you a player in the Balcons du Dauphiné and would you like to be labelled Accueil Vélo?
Contact Claire at 06 76 57 99 71 or claire.trillat@balconsdudauphine.fr
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