Espiet tunnel – Roger Lapébie trail loop from Podensac
Espiet tunnel – Roger Lapébie trail loop from Podensac
4.5
(19)
150
riders
Espiet tunnel – Roger Lapébie trail loop from Podensac
08:45
148km
850m
Cycling
Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: June 21, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
Please check local regulations for:
Bordeaux, Port de la Lune
Waypoints
Start point
Train Station
Get Directions
49.1 km
Roger Lapébie track - Sauveterre to Cessac
Highlight (Segment) • Other
Translated by Google •
Tip by
71.2 km
Old railway track - Piste Roger Lapébie
Highlight • Other
Translated by Google •
Tip by
74.6 km
Espiet tunnel
Highlight (Segment) • Other
Translated by Google •
Tip by
80.9 km
Railway cycle path EV3 near Créon
Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway
Translated by Google •
Tip by
92.9 km
The Springs Pond
Highlight • Lake
Translated by Google •
Tip by
93.2 km
Roger Lapébie trail
Highlight • Other
Translated by Google •
Tip by
104 km
View of Pont de Pierre
Highlight • Bridge
This stone bridge spans 487 meters and was opened to traffic in 1822. Since 2018, it has been reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Caution ! Public transport still has the right to pass.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
105 km
Pont de Pierre (Stone Bridge)
Highlight • Bridge
The first bridge over the Garonne in Bordeaux, the Pont de pierre was planned and designed during the First French Empire, under the orders of Napoleon I. While campaigning in Spain, he needed his troops to cross the river quickly, and the initial plan envisioned a wooden bridge, which was easier to construct. Until then, we had to cross the river by boat. Due to lack of means, construction took place subsequently, during the Bourbon Restoration, from 1819 to 1822. During these three years, the builders were faced with numerous challenges due to the strong current and the high amplitude tides, 6 m, at this point in the river. They used a diving bell borrowed from the British to stabilize the bridge piers.
The bridge has 17 arches (according to legend the number of letters in the name 'Napoléon Bonaparte'). On the sides, each pile of bricks is topped with a white medallion which must have received the number of Louis XVIII of France, a double L.
It was the only bridge in Bordeaux until the completion of the Passerelle Eiffel railway bridge in 1860 and the only road bridge until the construction of the Pont Saint-Jean (Bordeaux) in 1965. The bridge and its tide is a point important part of the Grand Gabarit Route, the logistics program transporting parts for the production of the Airbus A380.
The curiosity of the Stone Bridge lies in its interior: it is hollow, full of galleries and staircases which allow its structure and stability to be controlled. Because despite its length (nearly ½ kilometer), this structure demonstrates a certain flexibility to adapt to the movements of the Garonne, and to the loose alluvial bottoms on which it rests. Its 16 piles each rest on approximately 220 metal and wood piles (fir and Landes pine) driven into the sandy mud, themselves reinforced by a system of riprap. Its foundations are fragile and it is now threatened by various pathologies; its 500,000 bricks sag by 2 to 3 mm each year. This is why it is kept under surveillance using movement sensors and an inclinometer placed in the interior galleries. spotsfrance.com/2022/05/le-pont-de-pierre-premier-pont-de-bordeaux
Since 2016, the condition of the bridge now makes it permanently closed to traffic except for pedestrians, cyclists, trams, buses, taxis and emergency vehicles.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
148 km
End point
Train Station
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
87.7 km
51.0 km
5.92 km
2.86 km
975 m
164 m
Surfaces
135 km
12.5 km
803 m
548 m
185 m
Sign up to see more specific route details
Sign up for free
Elevation
Highest point (100 m)
Lowest point (0 m)
Sign up to see more specific route details
Sign up for free
Weather
Powered by Foreca
Monday 22 June
42°C
22°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 15.0 km/h
to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route
Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
Comments
Up to Sauveterre de Guyenne it's flat and it's a pleasure to ride on these shady paths.
After Sauveterre and up to La Réole, the relief becomes more serious and you take almost all the elevation gain of the day.
Campsite on the banks of the Garonne at La Réole
Showing Translation
Shaded, sheltered cycle path, each old station converted into a rest stop, bar, restaurant. Enjoy multiple stops, from coffee with a sweet treat to lunch in the shade, from the obsessively maintained castle to the path that passes through the endless vineyards.
Truly …
Showing Translation
Showing Translation
Want to know more?
Sign up for a free komoot account to join the conversation.
Sign up for free