Under Construction - come back often to see updates
Open for 2025 races, more improvements on the way
2025 schedule
1) TDT- Loreauville to New Iberia (Sister city) race Online Registration March 22, 2025, 10 miles @ Loreauville, LA paddle dock, 119 Bridge Street, Loreauville, LA 70552
This is a 10 mile mainly downstream race on the Bayou Teche, from the Loreauville, LA Teche Project Boat Launch, ending at the 214 Edgewater Drive dock in New Iberia, LA. There is a buoy turn .5 miles from the 214 Edgewater dock to make the 10 mile distance.
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Times:
7:30AM: Registration/check-in opens (in Loreauville).
8:00AM,: Meet at start, to participate in shuttling. 119 Bridge Street. Loreauville, LA 70552 (8AM-8:45 AM shuttle leave boats and gear at start)
9:30AM: Registration closes, and safety meeting is held.
10:00AM, sharp: Start of Race.
Type of start:
Mass start of all vessels, unless race director decides otherwise for the sake of safety.
Required safety equipment for each paddler:
A US or Canadian Coast Guard approved lifejacket (PFD) , drinking fluid.
Required safety equipment for each vessel:
A fully-charged phone (programmed with both of the following phone numbers 630-621-8662 & 630-605-0671 -- the race directors), and a pealess whistle
RULES FOR THE RACE
1. Any participant or passenger in any registered racing vessel who is age 17 or younger will wear a lifejacket from the time they are on dock near the start, to the time they are on land near the finish.
2. Any participant who decides not to finish the race must notify the race directors by phone or in person.
3. The standard of behavior is good sportsmanship. In all events, the race directors decide what "good sportsmanship" applies to any actions of the participants.
2) TDT- Top of the Teche- 7.7 Miles Online Registration Apr 5, 2025 @ LEONVILLE, LA
A 7.7 mile race for kayaks, canoes, pirogues, and SUP’s from Leonville to Arnaudville in St. Landry Parish. Meet fellow paddlers and we have classes for every kind of craft and your registration includes Lunch.
we gather at the Leonville boat dock near the only Bridge in town for the start. There may be a shuttle at the start about 8:00 am
you need to have your boat paddle gear and paddles at the starting area where it will be watched and then you leave your car/truck/trailer at the finish just 18 minutes away and get a ride back to the start for the race safety meeting and start.
@Leonville Boat Launch
7:30 AM – 9AM Boat check - Registration
Possible shuttle between 8-9 AM (meet at start) leave boats and gear at start.
9:30 AM Opening Ceremony
10:00 AM Start Race (All Classes)
Race ends at Myrans Maison de Manger
1023 Neblett St.
Arnaudville, La
3) latrail.org Bayou Vermilion Paddle Battle 35 miles and shorter options Online Registration April 6, 2025 Lafayette LA = 35-mile race is part of LA triple Crown 2025 race #1*.
4) 2025 Bayous and Bluffs Paddle Race 28 miles Online Registration April 12, 2024 @ Logtown LA - LA triple crown race for 2025 race #2*
28 miles on the beautiful Ouachita River! Proceeds will go to Louisiana Delta Adventures (LDA), a non-profit that promotes access and enjoyment of the many waterways of northeast Louisiana. Rules and other race info can be found at Louisiana Delta Adventures.
5) TDT CHITIMACHA on the Bayou Teche- 10 MILES- Online Registration May 10, 2025 @Jeanerette, LA
6) TDT Petit Tour du Teche Chitimatcha Boat Dock - races by youth age groups 5 - 17 Sprints 500 yards to 1 mile, @Charenton LA, August 16, 2025 (registration is not open yet)
*) Non TDT Event July 30- August 2, 2025 - White River Canoe and Kayak Race solo, tandem, and relay team formats
7) TDT TOUR DU TECHE 135 3 day RACE Online Registration Oct 3 - Oct 5, 2025 Port Barre, LA to Berwick LA 135 miles three days - Triple crown race #3* for 2025
and this option for a team of 2-3 (solo) or 4-6 (tandem)
TDT TOUR DU TECHE 135 Relay Race Online Registration Oct 3-5, 2025 - Oct 5, 2025
--------------------------------------------------
*2025 Triple Crown Races, to qualify racers must race the same "class" in all three of the 2025 triple crown races, but different partners are allowed for classes with multiple paddlers.
What about 2026 events?
Yes, we are a go for 2026 and beyond, the current plan is to use all the same weekends for 2025 events for 2026, please contact Tave Lamperez (see the top of this page) if you see conflicts or problems for 2026.
CLASSES/CATEGORIES
The Tour du Teche has classes based on the type of paddle you use and Length of your boat and sex of paddler(s)
If you use a kayak (double bladed ) paddle then enter the Double Blade Class (D/S), where you can use any paddle during the event.
if you use only a canoe (single bladed) paddle select the single blade (S) class and you can only use a single bladed paddle
SOLO means one person,
TANDEM means two paddlers.
BIG BOATS means three to six paddlers.
Boats are unlimited (meaning any length, width with rudders or not
Recreation means boats less than 18 foot.
if there is no mention of length than that class/category is unlimited (anything goes)
so SOLO D/S means unlimited double blade (single allowed) any kind of boat (racing)
SOLO D recreation means one paddler with a kayak paddle in a boat under 18 foot
SOLO S F means one per paddler using single bladed (canoe) paddle Female in any length boat.
SOLO S M (or no value) means one paddler single blade for Male
Our races are typically small and have 1 to 5 paddlers in a class, if you questions email me above (Tave Lamperez)
we can fix and change your class any time before the race starts.
USCA (canoe single blade only) classes very special canoe classes that have length and width spec, Aluminum canoes are 17 foot and USCA has a max of 18 1/2 foot.
SUP- stand up paddle board
Pirogue - cajun canoe
Mixed teams race with Men for now until we have more paddlers in a class.
If there are more than four (4) similar boats in a class we can make "sub classes"; again this must be done before the race starts.
MAPS
Tour du Teche Race Maps from our old website. Loreauville to New Iberia and Chitimacha races are covered in Map Day 2. Top of the Teche is covered in Map Day 1.
RACE RESULTS (temporary links to all years until the official data is updated)
From paddlestats.net (thanks for support)
Triple Crown results
2024 Triple Crown Champions and times
Joey Sturm, Youngsville, LA 1st Tandem unlimited single blade 26:05:54
Kristin Broadus, Slidell LA 1st Solo Unlimited double blade (and single blade) 39:13:04
2023 Triple Crown Champions and times
2023 Triple Crown all three races and times
2020 – No races in the series for 2020
2019 Triple Crown Winners
2015-2017 Triple Crown Winners
2019 Standings for LA Triple Crown -two races Ouachita 49er and Vermillion River Paddle Battle 2019
RULES (more on Tour du Teche 135 coming soon)
1. Any participant or passenger in any registered racing vessel who is age 17 or younger will wear a lifejacket (PFD) from the time they are on dock near the start, to the time they are on land near the finish.
2. Any participant who decides not to finish the race must notify the race directors by phone or in person.
3. The standard of behavior is good sportsmanship. In all events, the race directors decide what "good sportsmanship" applies to any actions of the participants.
What is Tour du Teche? And why we do this!
The Tour du Teche is more than a race, it is a movement of getting paddlers on the Bayou Teche. Please join us for our races all year long along the Bayou Teche and our grand event of the year doing the 135 miles from Port Barre, LA to Berwick, LA
Tour du Teche has been an economic engine for communities along Bayou Teche, a regional tourist attraction, and an effective program for promoting and protecting the bayou as a natural and cultural resource. Since the race began, Bayou Teche has been designated a National Paddle Trail by the U.S. Park Service and a National Water Trail by the U.S. Interior Department. The Chitimacha Nation has built a new park on the bayou. There are two commercial kayak liveries on the Teche, and government-funded kayak launch pads at various spots. The colorful boats are much more in evidence, in the water and on roof racks, and with them come a high grade of tourists, well-heeled and ecologically sensitive.
Locals, too, are taking more pride in Bayou Teche. The TECHE Project (https://www.techeproject.org), which spawned the Tour du Teche, conducts periodic clean-ups of the bayou. The City of St. Martinville has created a bayou-side park as a venue for festivals as well as a finish/start for the Tour. The Town of Leonville built a launch ramp that has become a focal point of the town. The City of Berwick has at our finish area a monument to past races and lists winners. Almost any community on the Bayou Teche as an access point to paddle with kayaks and canoes.
The tour du Teche is part of the 501(C) - non profit, https://www.louisianadeltaadventures.com
Please join us on the Bayou Teche with any type of activity.
Louisiana Delta Adventures
P.O. Box 368
Newellton, LA 71357