Registration open for paddling races from Shreveport to Berwick

Early registration opened May 1 for all Tour du Teche paddle races, including the new ubermarathons being launched from Shreveport-Bossier City, the Tour de la Rivière Rouge and 410 de Louisiane.
And for the first time, online registration is available through Webscorer.
The two new races are Rivière Rouge, 275 miles from Shreveport-Bossier down the Red and Atchafalaya rivers and into Bayou Courtableau to Port Barre, and the 410 (miles), which is a combination of Rivière Rouge and the Tour du Teche 135, down the entire length of Bayou Teche to Berwick on the Atchafalaya.
Early registration includes varying discounts on fees. Check on Webscorer for a specific race. Early registration ends May 31.
General registration is from June 1 to Sept. 12.
To register online, go to www.tourduteche.com and click on the green stopwatch icon, which brings you to the Webscorer site and a comprehensive chart of events catalogued by Webscorer worldwide. At the upper right, click on “Any Sport,” which produces a dropbox of different categories. Click “Clear all,” then scroll down, check “Paddling,” and search by date: Sept. 27 for Rivière Rouge and 410, and Oct. 2 for Tour du Teche 135 and its many side races.
Racing canoes and kayaks from north to south Louisiana presents a whole set of new challenges. Unlike Bayou Teche, which historically served as Main Street for its many communities, the Red River and the Atchafalaya are rural and far less accessible. Consequently, Rivière Rouge teams are required to have a coureur de bois, or bank runner, and to continually broadcast their position via a SPOT Gen3 unit, available at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, West Marine and other specialty retailers, or from a variety of sources online.
Those requirements are lifted once the Tour du Teche racing community departs Port Barre for the Teche.
Races conducted in the Teche Country include:
Tour du Teche 135 – Port Barre, Oct. 2-4, to Berwick, 135 miles over three days;
Crawfish – Port Barre to Breaux Bridge, Oct. 2, 34 miles;
Acadian – Port Barre to St. Martinville, Oct. 2, 49 miles;
Hot Sauce – St. Martinville to New Iberia, Oct. 3, 24 miles;
Sugar – St. Martinville to Franklin, Oct. 3, 59 miles Saturday;
Black Bear – New Iberia to Franklin, Oct. 3, 35 miles Saturday;
Oil & Gas – Franklin to Berwick, Oct. 4, 27 miles.
For more information, visit www.tourduteche.com, e-mail info@tourduteche.com or call 337-394-6232 and ask for Ken Grissom.