Several races on Bayou Teche set this summer

Arnaudville – The 2017 Tour du Teche series of paddle races starts here Saturday, April 1, with a fun 8-mile sprint down a beautiful stretch of Bayou Teche. Competition is for trophies and certificates. Entry is $20 per paddler.
Proceeds from the race benefit the Arnaudville Chamber of Commerce and the Leonville Volunteer Fire Department.
Top of the Teche is run in two waves, with the Voyageur Race division (recreational paddlers) starting at 9 a.m., Pro Race division starting at 11 a.m. A detailed schedule can be found at www.tourduteche.com. Top of the Teche starts from the public boat ramp just below the La. 31 bridge in Leonville. The finish is at Myran’s just past the La. 31 bridge in Arnaudville.
Shuttle rides will be available before the race.
The Tour du Teche series includes two new races this year: a sprint around buoys on the Lower Atchafalaya River – the historic name for that section of the Teche – and a 24-mile marathon from Bossier City to the first of five dams on the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway stretch of the Red River.
The whole TDT schedule looks like this:
—Top of the Teche – Leonville to Arnaudville, 7.7 miles, April 1;
—Chitimacha – New Iberia to Charenton, 20 miles, May 20;
—Petit Tour du Teche – Parc des Ponts de Pont Breaux, 250 yards to 1 mile
(For kids 5 to 17), Aug. 5;
—Lower Atchafalaya River Sprint – Patterson, 8 miles (twice around the buoys), Sept. 9;
—Race to the Dam – Bossier City to Lock & Dam No. 5, 24 miles, Sept. 30;
—Tour de la Riviere Rouge – Shreveport to Port Barre, 275 miles, Sept. 30 et seq;
—410 de Louisiane – Shreveport to Berwick, 410 miles, Sept. 30 et seq;
—Tour du Teche 135 – Port Barre to Berwick, 135 miles, Oct. 6-8;
—Crawfish – Port Barre to Breaux Bridge, 30 miles, Oct. 6;
—Acadian – Port Barre to St. Martinville, 49 miles, Oct. 6;
—Hot Sauce – St. Martinville to New Iberia, 24 miles, Oct. 7;
—Sugar – St. Martinville to Franklin, 59 miles, Oct. 7;
—Black Bear – New Iberia to Franklin, 35 miles, Oct. 7;
—Oil & Gas – Franklin to Berwick, 27 miles, Oct. 8.
For more information or to register online, go to www.tourduteche.com.