NEW IBERIA, La. --- Tour du Teche XI, a series of marathon races on Bayou Teche for kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and pirogues, begins with the Chitimacha Race on May 15, 2021. The Tour du Teche event will be held on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, starting in Port Barre, La. Participants will compete in the racing division and the voyageur (recreational) division.
Chitimacha Race, May:
The first race of the year is a 10 mile training event that will be held Sat., May 15. The Chitimacha Race will start at 10 a.m. at the Jeanerette City Park paddle dock and end at the Chitimacha Boat ramp. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m. at the start. The fee for this race is $20 per person. Lunch will be provided. Awards will be ribbons and medals. Details can be found at
TourDuTeche.com.
Tour du Teche, October:
- Fri., Oct. 1 - the Crawfish race runs 34 miles from Port Barre to Breaux Bridge, and the Acadian race is 49 miles from Port Barre to St. Martinville.
- Sat., Oct. 2 - the Hot Sauce race goes from St. Martinville to New Iberia (24 miles) and the Sugar race is from St. Martinville to Franklin (59 miles).
- Sun., Oct. 3 - Finally, the Oil & Gas race runs from Franklin to Berwick (135 miles in stages over three days).
All October morning events start at 8 a.m. each day.
This year, Tour du Teche is introducing a new way to race the 135 mile three day course: a relay. A team shares the paddling of the three day race, with four different boat classes for teams of two to three paddlers in the solo classes, and four to six people in the two person (tandem) classes.
"No solo or crew paddles more than 25 miles at a time," explained Gustave Lamperez, race director. "It is a great way to do the race for new and young teams, or experienced teams."
Entry fees per paddler are $125 for racers, $80 for voyageurs and $40 for one-day races. For the first time this year, it is possible to register after the cut-off date but it will cost more.
Race class winners will get their name placed on the Paddle Monument at the finish line in Breaux Bridge. Relay team winners will not have their name put on the race monument.
About Tour du Teche:
Tour du Teche 135 began in 2010 with the dual purpose of introducing the beautiful Teche Country to paddlers and other eco-tourists from beyond and to illustrate for its residents the recreational, aesthetic, cultural and economic value of Bayou Teche. Since the race’s inception, these two groups, visitors and local folk, have met and mingled in happy exposition of music and cuisine, which gives Tour du Teche 135 its reputation as moveable party as well as a tough series of paddle marathons. C’est pas juste une course!
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