Strava is a great tool but its not always easy to find Routes that you would like to do.  Here at Gites At Civray we have tried to help out a bit by listing our favourite rides and runs below

Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page

If you are trying to work out your transition from your training plan or your trisuit from your wetsuit then we are able to help

Based in central France we have the perfect facilities on our doorstep to be able to support you through the steep learning curve but all the time ensuring that everyone has fun.

What can be so hard about triathlon?  I saw a t-shirt recently that said 'Triathlon, why be bad at one sport when you can be bad at three'. Each discipline has its own skills, for swimming efficiency is key, cycling you need to understand gears and good positioning on the bike.  Running comes back to technique and measured effort.  Most people train for the actual physical side of triathlon and forget about transitions, its so easy to gain a few minutes without actually getting fitter just by practicing the skill of this key element of triathlon.

Key areas to consider during your training sessions help you get faster (remember faster means you get to sit down sooner!) would be:

Swimming - see if someone will film you in the pool from above, underwater front and side so you can see what to work on with your stroke, dont just try and force your way through a swim, make it easier by becoming more streamlined, water is nearly 800 times more dense than air and we all know how hard it is to ride with a headwind

Cycling - position is key on a bike, get the right position and you will be able to ride all day.  You don't have to spend hundreds of pounds on a bike fit to get the correct position just talk to someone with a few years experience of cycling to get a solid start point.  Another way is to have your bike on a turbo trainer with a mirror to the side so you actually see what is happening when you pedal, make sure your legs are not squashed up at the bottom of the stroke and equally you dont want your knees locked out. Don't forget the forward and rearward position of the seat to find comfortable distance to the handlebars for your upper body. This link may be useful to get started, don't worry about getting it 100% straight away, go on a few rides and take a couple of tools so you can adjust things as you feel necessary

Running - Always get at least your first pair of running shoes from a proper running shop, it will cost more than getting them on line but you need to be fitted in them and ensure they have the correct level of support.  As you get more experienced and your legs and feet get stronger your requirements may change so its definitely worth getting fitted every 2 or 3 pairs.  When running consider your posture and how your feet make contact with the ground, if your heel strikes the ground first then you should consider learning how to land mid foot as this can help with injury prevention and also give extra free speed as you dont have the braking effect everytime your foot hits the ground

When you class yourself as a beginner in triathlon it can feel like there is a mass of information out there, much of it contradictory. We would like to help you through the jungle in a relaxed way, using simple terms and just passing on our version of what works for us.  Jenny has completed quite a few sprint and olympic distance triathlons and continued on to finish 2 half iron distance races.  Steve has completed 9 full iron distance races finishing the top 1/3 of the field and also represented Great Britain at both full and half distance.  He is a qualified Ocean Walker Technique swim coach, a technique that focusses on efficiency injury prevention resulting in free speed and longevity

Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page

Looking for a break in September?  Book any one of our 4 Gites and get 20% off the list price at Holidays France Direct, or, combine your stay with 5 hours or more of Ocean Walker Technique swim coaching with L1 certified coach Steve to get a whopping 50% off accommodation for stays of 3 nights or more.

Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page

Take a look at our gite we call Ciel.  Ciel is French for 'sky', we named it because of the huge expanse of sky you can sit back and take in from the private balcony.  Even better than the day time blue sky is the massive view it gives you at night with a thousand stars visible above you due to zero light pollution.

We refurbished Ciel in late 2017 and remains firm favourite with our guests.  With its oak beamed bedroom, large walk in shower and clean open kitchen area Ciel remains a favourite.

We couldn't have asked for a better weekend for the first Ocean Walker masterclass with Adam himself in attendance.  With attendees from France, Switzerland and the UK it was a great collection of accents all with one aim, to become a more efficient swimmer and reduce the risk of injury

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We bought Gites At Civray back in June of 2017 and have spent a lot of the time since then working to make it into what we think visitors would want, so what did we do?

We didn't want to be pigeon holed into renting out Gites for holidaymakers or only having hard core triathletes on training holidays, or only hosting yoga camps so we built something that we feel allows us to provide people with the holiday that they want without having to compromise.

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Things are hotting up nicely here are Gites At Civray we are having a peep at summer with temperatures hitting 25 degrees.  We have the gites ready and the on site 25m heated pool calling your name

Book during the Easter week and stay between the 8th June and end off October to receive a special discount of 15% to help towards the chocolate fest of Easter.  

The offer also includes the 20% discount if travelling by ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth with Brittany Ferries, making for a hassle free crossing to France, see the gites listed on their site here

Feel free to get in touch through the Contact Us page today to receive the offer or discuss renting the whole site for an amazing discount

This is your chance to improve your swim stroke, be more efficient in the water and reduce the chance of injury.  Introducing our first Ocean Walker 1 day masterclass to be held on Sunday 2nd June in our own 25m pool here at Gites At Civray.  

As a special opening celebration we are proud to announce that the man himself, Adam Walker, will be in the pool with us and available to exude enthusiasm and motivation throughout the day

On site accommodation for the week is available on a first come, first served basis, giving follow up access to Steve to gain further instruction and advice, or just to the pool that will be open all week for moulding that muscle memory.  Partners and families are welcome to share the accommodation with masterclass attendees, meaning you get brownie points for a family holiday in a beautiful location - win, win!  For more info or to book, drop us a line on the Contact Us page

For anyone travelling by car to attend we can offer a discount code for use on the Brittany Ferries website, just let us know via the Contact Us page.

If you ever have the need for a swimming pool be sure to check out the guys at Pool Warehouse.  We needed a 25m in ground pool for Gites At Civray and the guys over the pond came up with the goods.  Helpful, on time and on budget 

Take a look at the video below to see how we built the perfect pool

Steve is really proud to qualify as the first Ocean Walker coach, he has had a great journey working with the man himself, Adam Walker.  

A huge thanks goes out to all of the volunteers who gave their time to allow him to coach them, hopefully you all got something out of it too.

Keep your eyes out for our first joint swim camp to be held in the 25m onsite swimming pool here at Gites At Civray, we have a target date of early June for the camp giving the summer warmth time to kick in.  Outside of that we are looking at hosting holiday workshops where, as well as having a relaxing break with the family and/or friends, we take a few hours in the pool throughout the week and you leave us with a lovely tan and a brand new, efficient and injury preventing swim stroke.

Want to know more?  Drop us a line through the Contact Us page

Here is a video we put together of Steve swimming in the outdoor pool at the Forme d’O in Châtel where we are spending the winter.

We have had a good level of interest in the Ladies Only bike week, so to keep things fair we are going to be hosting the same content but this time including either sex.

Confused by chainrings? Derailed by derailleurs? Flattened by punctures?  The bike sessions hosted at Gites at Civray could be just the thing you need to help you get to grips with those terms and skills that currently elude you.  During either the 3 day intense sessions or more relaxed 6 day (7 nights) courses we will endeavour to put you in the driving seat and save you money by passing on the skills and confidence to tackle those potentially easy repairs and adjustments.

More info >

Confused by chainrings? Derailed by derailleurs? Flattened by punctures?  The ladies only bike sessions hosted at Gites at Civray could be just the thing you need to help you get to grips with those terms and skills that currently elude you.  During either the 3 day intense sessions or more relaxed 6 day (7 nights) courses we will endeavour to put you in the driving seat and save you money by passing on the skills and confidence to tackle those potentially easy repairs and adjustments.

More info >