Key points
Ø 5.000 students in primary schools on the route of the Tour de France took part in the first edition of the Dictée du Tour dictation contest, held in 2017. A few hundred even earned an invitation to the race thanks to their results.
Ø This year round, the Dictée du Tour will take place on 30 March, while the concept will be extended to Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Paris–Tours.
« Christian Prudhomme likes to say that “The champions of childhood are the champions of life» when asked about events for children. This resonates even more with the Dictée du Tour, which helps children to discover cycling, their regions and the French language. The second edition of this fun yet important test will take place in all towns and local communities hosting the 2018 Tour de France. A text picked from the regional press about the corresponding stage or the prospects of riders who grew up in the same department as them will give students the opportunity to imagine themselves in the month of July. Those who get the best results will get to experience a day behind the scenes of the Tour de France when the race visits their regions.
This year round, the big challenge for spelling whizzes will take place on 30 March. The same concept has been extended to three other leading cycling events to bring them closer to children: Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Paris–Tours.
« La Dictée de l’enfer ! »
The first round comes in Compiègne on 23 February, with children in the last two years of primary school from three schools in the town, as well as from the aptly named Bernard Hinault school in Tilloy-lès-Valenciennes. Meanwhile, seven schools in Roubaix and the entire Lille metropolitan area will send students in their last year of primary school. All these pupils will get the opportunity to watch the entrance of the champions into the Roubaix Velodrome on 8 April regardless of their results.
« La Dictée de la Doyenne »
The Dean of Classics will take the dictation contest all the way to the home of cycling: Belgium. Schools in the Province of Liège will run a contest for students ages 11 and 13 in the run-up to Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The event is scheduled for 16 March.
« La Dictée des feuilles mortes »
On 7 October, the champions will take part in Paris–Tours, one of the last great classics of the cycling season. Shortly after the start of the 2018–2019 academic year, children from several schools in the Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire departments will sink their teeth into a text about a race that is often the final objective of the season for the world’s top sprinters.
