On Saturday evening, bergerac will shift its pace. Between 7: 00 PM ET and 10: 30 PM ET on April 25, 2026, the city center will host the Intersport road races organized by the Bergerac Athlétique Club, with temporary traffic and parking measures in place to protect runners and spectators.
What may look like a routine sports event is, in fact, a sign of how much the race has grown. The city’s official notice sets out the practical limits, while the club’s own words point to a broader ambition: to make Bergerac a place where road running can be both accessible and competitive. In that sense, bergerac is not just hosting a race. It is making room for one.
What will change in Bergerac on April 25?
The races will take place in the city center on April 25, 2026, with departure and finish on Rue du Docteur Gaston Simounet. The event includes 5 km and 10 km formats, and the route will be fully closed to traffic during the races.
The city says temporary circulation and parking restrictions will be introduced to secure the course for participants and the public. One specific traffic change is the exceptional reversal of traffic direction on Rue Ragueneau, between Rue Le Bret and Rue du 14 Juillet. Parking bans will also be put in place in the affected area.
Residents and road users are being asked to plan ahead and take their arrangements in advance, as the city acknowledges the disruption created by the event.
Why is this second edition drawing so much attention?
This is the second edition of the race, and interest is rising. Entry numbers are described as nearly full, with a few places reopened on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. That level of demand matters because the race is no longer just a local novelty. It is becoming part of the sporting calendar in the city.
Christophe Le Nocher, coach of the Bergerac Athlétique Club, says the event has reached a new stage after being measured by the Fédération française d’athlétisme, with an audit completed and a label granted this year. He explains that this means the course is qualifying for the French championships over 5 km and 10 km.
The club has also chosen formats it sees as practical and open to different levels of runners. Le Nocher says the 5 km and 10 km distances were selected because there are no official races of this kind in Dordogne and because they remain accessible to many participants. In that way, bergerac is becoming a place where competition and participation can coexist.
How is the city preparing for the crowd and the course?
The course has been designed to meet the needs of official timing and racing standards. It runs on city streets, on asphalt, and is meant to be flat and fast. The route will be entirely closed to traffic, without parked cars, and secured by around one hundred volunteers.
Riverbank and neighborhood access will not disappear entirely. Residents will be able to cross the course with their vehicles under the supervision of volunteers. The event center will be set up at Parc Jean-Jaurès, also known as the Jardin Perdoux, which will host the children’s races, the start and finish, registration, changing rooms and showers at Collège Henri-IV, and the podiums under the kiosk.
Organizers expect 1, 400 participants. The loop will pass through several central streets, including Boulevard du 8-Mai-1945, Cours Alsace-Lorraine, Rue Bargironette, Rue Sévigné, Boulevard Beausoleil, Boulevard Jean-Moulin, Rue Sainte-Catherine, Rue de la Résistance, Rue des Carmes, and then return to Rue Gaston-Simounet.
What does this race mean for Bergerac now?
The first edition had a difficult path, with a 2019 race canceled at the last minute because of an error by municipal technical services, followed by a 2025 edition described as a zero edition that still drew 750 participants. The return in 2026 shows a different scale and a stronger sense of continuity.
For the club, the race also carries memory and recognition. Le Nocher says Grégory Benouahab, director of Intersport, has long supported the Bergerac Athlétique Club and played a major role in organizing the 2019 race. Naming the event after him, he says, was a matter of respect and gratitude.
Back on the streets of the city center, the practical question remains simple: can Bergerac host a fast, official race while keeping daily life moving? On Saturday night, the answer will be written in cones, volunteers, and footsteps.
