Les Course Disparues #6 : Tour de Corse “THIS GUY HERE IS THE ONLY BIKE RIDER WHO EVER MADE ME SHIT MY PANTS" It took over 100 hundred years for the Tour de France to finally pass through Corsica. On paper, it’s a cyclist’s paradise; endless coastal roads; snow-capped spring peaks; and sunshine to accompany you for much of the year. On newspaper, it was deemed too edgy; too much of a risk for the organisers of the world’s biggest bike race. However, no parchment can quite convey how mesmeric these roads really are. Ask any rider who was at the start line five years ago; there’s nowhere quite like it.The hundred years which preceded this historic départ were, of course, not “sans vélos”. Whilst the Tour de Corse will perhaps resonate more with fans of four wheels than those of two, the course cycliste was a popular amateur event before the Second World War, first running in 1920. Then some 32 years after the amateur race had ended the pros finally descended upon l’Île de Beauté. The plan to entice the professionals away from their mainland comforts was concocted by Henri Angelotti and Francis Ducreux. Somewhat of a maverick, Ducreux would devote much of his post-racing career to organising races in Africa, while Angelotti was a native Corsican with a passion for the sport. They began by organising a one day crit around Bastia, paying a small fortune to attract the likes of Merckx and an aging Anquetil. Following another successful edition in 1969, they finally launched the Tour de Corse two years later; with none other than Monsieur Jacques as race director.It was set up as an early season stage race, a bit like the Critérium du Dauphiné, which allowed it to cover almost the entire island, visiting Ajaccio, Porto Vecchio and ending in the north at Bastia. It took them nearly a decade to attract the big teams like Peugeot but once they did, some of cycling's patrons and the next generation of Neo-pros came and wrote their stories on the sinuous roads.Amongst the Peugeot riders was the young Irish neo-pro, Stephen Roche. He was so fresh to the scene that before the first stage he was being mistaken by stewards as Robert Millar’s driver. But having just finished third at G.P. de Cannes and second at G.P de Monaco, Roche was in the process of making sure everyone would know his face soon enough. In Monaco he’d been ordered to let his team leader Jean René Bernadeau to take the win, so the Irishman was confident he could challenge in Corsica, even in a loaded field. The entry list included Bernard Hinault, the young Greg Lemond, and a similarly debutant Laurent Fignon. Although perhaps his biggest challenge would come from within his own team; Jacques Bossis, Michel Laurent and, the Aussie, Phil Anderson were all viable candidates for the win.Following two tight stages on the opening day, the key stage for Roche would come on day two, from Ajaccio to Porto Vecchio. Bossis attacked early, quickly gaining a minute. Seeing an opportunity, Roche decided to jump across to his teammate. With 120 kilometres still to go they worked together until it was clear they would maintain the gap to the finish. Knowing that he would take the leader’s jersey Bossis allowed Roche to take the win over the line, small change for what had happened in Monaco a few days earlier.A routine stage into Bastia was followed by the decisive ten-kilometre time trial up Col de Teghime, that sits on the spine of the ridge separating Bastia and Saint-Florent. With Hinault in third, but still within striking distance, Bossis quite naturally feared the Badger more. Roche, however, had more to prove and climbed more than 40 seconds faster than Bossis to take his first pro win. If the racing world missed his island victory, the Irishman sealed the deal with a win at the Paris-Nice two weeks later thus ensuring that when he returned to Corsica the following year, he was one of the stars of the peloton. This new status allowed him to gently remind the organisers that he had still not been paid for an autograph session from the previous year and advise that if the money was not received, he would withdraw from the race. Ducreux had to admit, “This guy here is the only bike rider who ever made me shit my pants”. Money was promptly paid.The winner of the time trial up Col de Téghime was Michel Laurent, thereby jumping ahead of Hinault on the podium. Laurent was the most successful rider in the history of the Tour de Corse, finishing on the podium a record five times, whilst winning it twice. In fact, he’d finished ahead of Hinault before at the Route de France and clearly the potential was there to make the top level. But maybe he was only a one-week racer, or maybe he didn’t have the killer instinct of Hinault and Roche. Either way, despite victories at Paris-Nice and the Dauphiné, Laurnet never made it to grand tour success.Back in Corsica that killer instinct in Hinault was ignited and once more, during the final running of the event in 1982, the time trial up Col de Teghime was critical. The story goes that Henri Angelotti in his role as commisaire, knowing Hinault was behind on Roche’s time, drove up alongside him shouting “Vas-y!” as if he was approaching the end of the course. Hinault got a whiff of victory, stood up on the pedals and began his final effort with over a kilometre to run. Other riders might have popped once they realised the greater distance to the line, but the fire had been ignited in Hinault. He held on to win the stage by seven seconds and the event by five.Financial strife eventually brought an end to the the Tour de Corse. Since then the centenary edition of the Tour de France and the Critérium International have brought global attention to the island. But with the latter no longer in existence, Corsica can once more rest easy. We have to thank it for the stories made whilst careers were being forged on the sinuous roads that traverse this mountain in the sea. But there is a tranquillity often hard to find in more popular cycling spots, which leads us to think perhaps it’s for the best that the circus no longer descends upon this beautiful island. Leaving it untouched for others to discover. Read more about the races that gone but not forgotten in our Courses Disparues series.

Zinzins de Turiniブルベ クライムを愛するサイクリストなら誰でも挑戦できるイベントです。参加者は規則を遵守する必要があります。 規則 Col du Turiniを最低3つのルート（Sospel、La Bollène-Vésubie、Luceram経由でL’Escarène、Baisse de la Cabanette「レース」）で完走すること。1日（24時間以内）に完走する必要がありますが、ライダーに最適な順番や日程を設定することが可能です。安全性＆管理 参加者はサポート無しで完走することが求められます。参加者は現地の市町村および国の交通規則や規制を遵守し、各自適切な保険に加入していることを確認して下さい。 ルートカードは、カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのオダックス商品に付属しています。ニース店でもカードを取り扱っています。ルートカードは6月から9月までの期間にSospel、La Bollène-Vésubie、L’Escarèneを拠点とする事業主、または地方公務員の方の捺印による認証を受ける必要があります。サミットでも手続き可能です。期間外または認証を受けることが難しい場合は、Stravaを使用した画像証明による認証を行ってください。認証 完走後にオリジナルルートカードをカフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのオーガナイザーに提示して下さい。検証完了時には、各参加者にCol du Turiniバッジが贈られます。 認証を受けた日時と走行日をルートカードに記載して下さい。条件が欠けていると検証が完了しない場合があります。メンズオダックスコレクション ウィメンズオダックスコレクション

Fly fishing at La Serpentine & Val d’Allos A fisherman retires from the water’s edge, collects his equipment and begins walking back to his car. On the way, he crosses a farmer who, seeing the rod, net, sling, rucksack and various other accessories smiles at the man facing him. “You know there are no fish in that river?” The fisherman responds; “Why did you have to tell me that!? You’ve just ruined a great day’s fishing”A fisherman retires from the water’s edge, collects his equipment and begins walking back to his car. On the way, he crosses a farmer who, seeing the rod, net, sling, rucksack and various other accessories smiles at the man facing him. “You know there are no fish in that river?” The fisherman responds; “Why did you have to tell me that!? You’ve just ruined a great day’s fishing”To fish is to play nature’s algorithm. Algorithm is the modern-day internet buzz word. Google, Facebook, every trading company on the stock market has their own world-beating secret super computer trick. If you don’t have an algorithm, you can’t demand the big bucks. Nature's algorithm came first, and it's still the one fly fishermen (and us cyclists) love to play the most. No river, no lake, no fish, no fly behaves the same way on any given day. Things change with every cubic metre that flows every second down the river bed, every single day. And that is the point.To fish is to be in nature, to stay in nature and to try to understand nature. Whether we can fully comprehend all the variables is a rhetorical question and one that keeps outdoor lovers coming back for more. To fish is to rise early and be there before the sun lights up the river. Up in the mountains, across the departmental line from the Alpes-Maritimes and into the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence there is a river that flows from a glacier lake into an amphitheater that is a slice of nature's finest offering. A waterway that twists almost as much as the Col de Turini, hiding in the mountains somewhere around 2,000m and surrounded by peaks that extend much, much higher. It is known as La Serpentine, and it rests just below Lac d'Allos, one of France’s most spectacular natural lakes.To fish is to read the river and the environment around you. Where is the sun, is there a blanket of valley floor fog, what is the water temperature, what is the stream flow rate? Where are you on the river; the small pocket flow in the beginning or the traditional runs, riffles, rapids and holes where the river plunges down the mountain side? Are there boulders providing shelter and feeding opportunities for fish in the fast flowing water? Riding the environment is also reading the environment and it is a familiar experience. From the Allos valley up the side road, through the forest and past the tree line to the car park at the trail head that leads us to the river. The climb reminds us that dead-end side roads are usually steeper than the cols that connect the valleys. The rewards are worth the pre-dawn effort. It is pure pleasure to read the environment at La Serpentine. Look up to the towering peaks of Mont Pelat, look down at the dying flowers that have turned from bright purple to ochre brown to indicate the end of both the fishing and competitive cycling season. But look mostly at the magical gradient of colours and textures from the autumn valley floor to the brilliant yellow and blue sunrise lit sky and thank yourself for that 5am rise.To fish is to think like the fish. It is the art of imitation. For a fly fisherman that starts with the fly. You might think the type of fly is the only variation but you would be wrong. For a start we must consider at what stage in the fly's life the desired fish are interested. The nymph, the emerger, the adult. Or the streamer, the bait, the grasshopper. We're told some fishermen can get caught in a fly-tying obsession so badly that they forget to actually go fishing.... At La Serpentine the experienced fisherman (maybe not the cyclist) would recognise the overhanging edge and the undercut of the river's flow which provides the perfect hiding place for the trout. It's relatively shallow, relatively slow moving water. Would you take a nymph instead of an adult fly to tempt an aggressive fish out from beneath the banks?To fish is to perfect your cast. Like fly tying, this is in itself an art form. Search the internet or the never-ending fly fishing guide books and you'll find full dissertations on the methods and the masters of this element of piscary. How will you cast to get a fly pattern that might resemble the real thing? Where will you land the fly? How will you get a good drift towards the hungry prey? Even amateurs can have fun, with the backlight of the sunrise, making shapes with their lines. The leader and the tippet snake their way through the air like the water cuts through the ground. At La Serpentine the swoosh is the only noise that compliments the sound of the river. Like planning a ride, you cast far or short, fast or flowing and see what it brings.To fish is to select your equipment. Rod, reel (or no reel), backing line, leader, tippet, hook, fly, fly box, waders, polaroid sunglasses, net, knife...the list is endless. Preparation is key for success at the water’s edge. For cyclists, Tenkara fly fishing makes a lot of sense. A rod with no reel, a line tied to the end and all foldable into a tube that fits easily on a rear rack or across a handlebar pack. Lightweight and flexible for any opportunity that arises on a gravel ride.To fish is to explore your region and beyond. River basins of the main waterway, fed by the more minor rivers, each river has its different sections. From the source to the sea, rock pools to rapids through boulders. Rivers are a whole book in themselves. Which is why gravel riding and fishing go hand in hand. Away from the road and its temptation of speed, the lure of going far, the ever watchful Strava eyes, gravel slows things down. There is an argument to say the slower you go, the more you appreciate your surroundings. And it forces you to look at different parts of the map. From the Lac d’Allos road, further south there is a dotted line leading to the Cascade de la Lance. Once all the fish are aware of our presence at La Serpentine it is time to change it up – a faster river, more pools, a completely different feeling.To fish is to forget. From one river to the next, from sunrise to sunset, from hiding in the reeds to standing in the pool. Immersing yourself in the activity and its setting. Concentration on the moment to the exclusion of all other things. Like the focus required to climb an hors catégorie climb at the end of a hard ride or to pick a line between the roots and the rocks on a steep chemin. To keep turning the pedals and understand how to conquer the road ahead.To fish is an excuse. An excuse to buy equipment. An excuse to spend hours on maps looking for new locations. An excuse to go to the mountains. An excuse to be by yourself. Does that sound familiar?If nothing else, to fish is another reason to ride.

ローカルクライム走行 いくつかの名高い、または名高くなくとも素晴らしいクライム走行を紹介します。ユテーリ標高：1174m全長：15.30km傾斜：894m平均勾配：5.8%最大傾斜：8%スタート地点：サン・ジャン・ラ・リビエールVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAタンド峠標高：1863m全長：7.40m傾斜：587m平均勾配：8.0%最大傾斜：18%スタート地点：タンドトンネルVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAマドン峠標高：925m全長：13.30km傾斜：920m平均勾配：7.0%最大傾斜：12%スタート地点：マントンVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAチュリニ峠標高：1604m全長：24.00km傾斜：1244m平均勾配：5.2%最大傾斜：9.3%スタート地点：ソスペルVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAヴァンス峠標高：963m全長：9.70km傾斜：643m平均勾配：6.63%最大傾斜：9.0%スタート地点：ヴァンスVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAブルーイス峠標高：879m全長：11.90km傾斜：531m平均勾配：4.46%最大傾斜：7.3%スタート地点：ソスペルVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAボネット峠標高：2802m全長：25.80km傾斜：1652m平均勾配：6.4%最大傾斜：15%スタート地点：サン＝テティエン＝ド＝ティネVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAエズ峠標高：507m全長：10.00km傾斜：490m平均勾配：4.9%最大傾斜：10%スタート地点：ニースVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAバントゥー山標高：1912m全長：22.70km傾斜：1622m平均勾配：7.2%最大傾斜：10.8%スタート地点：ベドワンVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAブラウス峠標高：1002m全長：10.30km傾斜：662m平均勾配：6.43%最大傾斜：15%スタート地点：レスカレーヌVIEW MOREVIA STRAVAヴィアル山標高：1549m全長：17.60km傾斜：1195m平均勾配：6.79%最大傾斜：12.5%スタート地点：ヴィスカスVIEW MOREVIA STRAVA

乗る場所 - 乗り物 私たちが走る場所は、私たちの存在と行動そのものです。私たちの衣類はすべて、私たちのすぐ近くと少し離れた場所にある道路やルートからインスピレーションを得ています。 ヴァンス＆コル 西へ向かうサイクリングコースを進み、ヴァール渓谷の側面を登って、美しい芸術家の街ヴァンスへ向かいます。 STRAVA経由 アンティーブ 海岸沿いの西側の自転車道を進むだけです。ローラーブレードをする人や幹線道路に出入りする車に注意してください。 アスプレモント＆レヴァンス ここでは短い乗車時間で多くのアップダウンがあり、ヴァール渓谷、アルプ・マリティーム県、そして海の素晴らしい景色を楽しむことができます。 ブラウス＆トゥリーニ アルプス・マリティームの2つの大きな峠、美しいブロー峠と堂々としたテュリニ峠。なだらかなニース峠でウォーミングアップした後は、ブロー峠で整備されたジグザグ道を1,002mまで登ります。 デュラヌスとセント・ブレイズ ニースからサイクリング コースを進み、サン ローラン デュ ヴァールでヴァール渓谷サイクリング コースに進みます。ヴァール川、ティネ川、ヴェジュビ川の渓谷が合流する地点まで、ゆっくりと登っていきます。 エステレル＆タネロン このルートは、カンヌの西にあるエステレル国立公園へと続きます。カンヌまで電車で行き、砂浜に沿って走ります。長距離（160km）を走りたい場合は、ニースからサイクリング コースに沿って走りましょう。 エズ＆マドンヌ これは、この地域の伝統的なサイクリングコースの 1 つで、2 つの伝説的な登り坂があり、町の中心部にありながら、スタート直後から 10% の傾斜に遭遇します。 ジレット＆ボンソン ヴァール川の西側にあるサイクリング コースは、ニースの背後にある人里離れた内陸部、アリーエール ペイへと続く簡単で平坦なルートです。 モルトラ ニースからモナコへ向かいます。左側に崖、右側に輝く海を眺めながら、モンテカルロの有名な F1 グランプリ コースの一部を走ります。

Zinzins de Turiniブルベの賛辞 選ばれたZinzins de Turiniブルベ完走者への賛辞。自分の身体と強い意志、決断力のみで成し遂げたサイクリストたち。 テュリニ峠を3ルートで完走する滞在能力と意力を兼ね備えているサイクリストたち。山の各面を制覇するのは人間業ではありません。サイクリングの挑戦となると我を忘れて没頭するサイクリスト総勢、キーラン、 バレンティン、サイフ、ピエール、 サニー、ティエリー、 マシュー、ニコ・エ・デニス。執念、好奇心、大胆さ、そしてフランス語で「zinzin」と呼ばれる少しの狂気を持ち合わせた面々。 カフェから走行1時間の場所にあるL'Escarèneの Pan d'Aqui、橋の近くのブーランジェリーに最初の認証スタンプ管理場があります。パンは焼きあがり、皆の心配はこの日の終わりに脚がどんな状態になっているかだけ。「もちろん大丈夫さ」と余裕のメンバー。 古くからあるゲームが最良のゲーム。カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステでも1番人気のLucéramルート。Lucéram経由のL'Escarèneから続くファーストクライムが27キロのルートは、急がずに山のリズムに合わせて進むのがコツ。Pas de l'EscousとBaisse de la Cabanetteの間で急カーブが始まります。「pas」（ステップ）、次に「baisse」（ドロップ）を経て峠に到着。山のピーク、ポイント、パッセージの3つの用語を区別するために細部にわたったリサーチと討論が行われています。複雑に入り組んだ地殻と迷路のようなロード、点在する谷の村がテュリニ峠の魅力です このブルベで再度レースを行うには、ちょっとした狂気が必要です。このグループは強い決意を持ってペースを保ちながら望みます。 ピエール、マシュー、ニコが先頭を走り、ティエリーとデニスは過去の走行について思いを馳せ、ミシュラン兄弟のバレンティンとサニーはお互いのジャージを褒め合い、初めてこの場所を訪れるサイフとイヴァンは環境の美しさを堪能しています。テュリニ峠走行の良いスタートです。Peïra-Cavaを通過し、気温が低い山の北側に位置するアルプスの森に突入。先に続く走行の厳しさを思うと、印象の薄い到着地。Hotel Les Chamoisに併設されたピンボールマシーンコレクションが並ぶバー内で押されたカードのイエローとブラックのスタンプが、この地点での達成度を表しています。 ヒルクライムに焦点を当てて走行をすると、それ以外の要素について忘れがちです。Sospelまでは約45分かかり、長く複雑な南側のルートを走る必要があります。集中力と努力が要するブルベにおいて大切な部分。Notre dame de Menaourの下に続くヘアピンカーブに向けてグループは進みます。 マウンテンバイクの町として知られるSospel。今日のメインイベントとなるのはzinzinです。デニスが少し熱っぽいようです。気圧が高いのも関係していますが、新しい家族が加わったばかりで疲れが出てきたのでしょう。水に浸かることが唯一の解決策。 飲料水と食料の補給、カードのスタンプを終え、グループは次の勾配へと急ぎます。4分の1より、３分の2を終えたほうが良いのは明らかですから。 Sospelから始まる24キロのヒルクライムが最も厳しいルートであることは、大抵最後に分かります。Moulinet の後に続くラフなロードであるGorge du Piaonのヒート、山頂の8%を占める森林の容赦ない道のりが大きなチャレンジとなります。森林の木々が視界を遮り、勾配が緩まることがないため、スイッチバック回数を確認することは困難です。疲労感が判断力を鈍らせ、峠は視界に入ってきません。 なぜ人間は自らの限界を試そうとするのでしょうか？自分自身もしくは環境をコントロールするため？ある種の自己破壊行為？それとも刺激を求めて？ 限界を試さない限り、限界を知ることはない、という論理（そして恐怖の欠如）があります。参加者によっては、2ルートの完走がこの日の限界でした。日時と天候、身体的準備さえ整えば、いつでも走行可能であることがオープンブルベの長所です。番号や参加費もありません。昔ながらの方法でカードにスタンプを押し、シンプルで正当に行われるマウンテン走行です。 信じがたいほどフレッシュで活力が漲っているピエール、マシュー、ニコが次の走行を楽しみにしている間に、第3の最終走行セレクションが行われました。 「世界最高」とサイクリング雑誌が評する第3ルート。一定したサーフェイスに予想可能な半径上のカーブ、ロードの大半は視界が開けており、思い切りスピードを上げることができます。テュリニの3つの主要町の中で最も静かな町、La Bollène-Vesubie。Vesubie谷から2キロ上に位置するこの町に滞在して川沿いを走り、海辺に赴くと素敵だろうと思わざるを得ない場所です。 しかし、ブルベカードの６分の５は終えている状態。今中断することは許されません。気を取り直してペダルを踏み、残り1時間から1時間15分あまり残された道のりを急ぎます。 ライダー達はスムーズな走行をみせます。この段階ではリズムをつかみ、身体も精神もマウンテン走行を受け入れ、ヒルクライムに全力を注ぎます。 山頂付近では、ニコとマシューは競争を楽しむようなエネルギーさえ感じられます。ピエールが数秒遅れをとりますが、コンタドールスタイルのピストルを撃つ真似を笑顔で見せ、フィニッシュラインを通る喜びを表します。  ライダー記録Zinzins de Turiniブルベに関する詳細は こちらを ご覧くださいKomootファイルは こちらを ご覧ください 脚注：写真：Matt Wragg

DUE NORTH It must be a common thought amongst many cyclists faced with a point to point journey. "Why not do that by bike some day?" Turning two hours in a pressurised cabin full of recycled air with 100 plus strangers into a seven day, fresh air adventure across an entire country between three close friends. An adventure that distills cycling down to its core. From the minutiae of pre-ride planning to the moral fibre of our chosen sport or, dare we say it, our lifestyle. Turning two hours in a pressurised cabin full of recycled air with 100 plus strangers into a seven day, fresh air adventure across an entire country between three close friends. An adventure that distills cycling down to its core. From the minutiae of pre-ride planning to the moral fibre of our chosen sport or, dare we say it, our lifestyle. So what about joining the Café du Cycliste dots and connecting HQ on the Old Port to the flagship store in the City? Nice to London. Sun to the City.     It was a task deserving of our resident long distance expert, Matthieu, aka Manivelle.cc. A flâneur on a bike, Matthieu was instantly and slightly over-enthusiastically committed to the concept. Even it if means riding from sun, into headwind, into rain. It is London, England after all.But first thing is France. Or to be more or less precise, her many regions and the bounty that their diverse landscapes provide. And for bounty, of course, read wine. Enter Elisabeth. Très française, très gentil, très bien éduquée dans au vin. Elisabeth likes to dance, she likes to cycle, but most of all, she likes wine. Gregory makes up the triumvirate. Born in Lyon, living in Berlin, Europe is his playground. He says his accomplices are drinkers with a cycling problem, a statement which will be tested out on the road.Details. Pre-departure is all about the details. The equipment: luggage and luggage packing, tyres and tyre pressures, clothing and clothing accessories, spares and second spares. And a knife. Always take a knife. The route. Planning progress against preferred minor road choices. Planning around the weather. Planning the mid-morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon stops. Planning the over-night halts. And planning the drinks menu. The finest of each region. Bandol, Côteaux Aix-en-Provence, Chateauneuf du Pape, right up to Calvados before the channel hop. All has to be thought about.On the road. The cold snowy winter pushed the pencil line on the map west of any possible mountain traverses. A precautionary trajectory was made along the coast towards Fréjus before cutting north west on a few higher roads leading to the Rhone valley. Riding out any unexpected faults in preparation, and settling into the task ahead. A little over 230kms as a prologue. And a refreshing rosé to end the first day. Once in the valley for Day Two, it was a game of dare and double dare with the wind. As happens, the triumvirate lost. In other words, 228kms into a headwind. Had it been day five, it could have broken morale quite quickly. But as it is, an Audax a day keeps the doctor away, and London in sight. The following days promised small roads, winding between rapeseed fields and small villages with cafés with eccentric patrons.Behaviour changes on a multi-day brevet. From civilized humans, a certain devolution takes place, and primal behaviours begin to dominate. The days and the kilometres pass by with a disconcerting sweetness, but preservation of the body is the primary concern. Listen to its hunger, its thirst. Locate the good bakeries and shops where quick refuelling can take place - fruit, sweets, peanuts, the best grab and go snacks you can find. That way the length of the stops are minimized.Sweeping, curving roads wind out in front and behind, caressing the undulations of the landscape and slowly becoming hypnotic. The details are now buried in a pile of kilometres and a million pedal revolutions. It becomes difficult to know which day it is and where exactly you are riding. The beep of the Garmin indicates the next route marker. Follow with familiarity and trust. Due North is becoming embedded in the internal global positioning systems of the three riders and eventually long distance becomes a constant motion blur.They skirt the big cities, barely touching them. Outsiders, traversing a country without a steel cage and a motor. Our nation's capital is avoided and suddenly, in the blink of a long-distance eye, after saying goodbye to the Mediterranean a few days ago, there is Dieppe and the return of the sea. Euphoria seizes everyone.The port also realigns the senses. It must mean it is Friday, as planned. France has been conquered in the allotted six days and the only thing hidden from customs before boarding the ferry is the 1200kms in the legs. The bottles of cider and calvados, on the other hand, are fully declared.A new day in Newheaven. On the road it feels like relearning everything again. It's the first time all three cyclists have ridden in England. Everything is upside down and details try to sneak back into a consciousness that had become accustomed to the flow of France. The English version of cycle friendly, quiet paths resemble mountain bike pistes rather than pistes cyclables. Progress feels worryingly slow. Thankfully, with 150kms to go to London, three friends are riding to meet the trio. At East Grinstead, they come together for an escort into the City.And here it is. A surreal sixty minutes traversing London, trying to make it in time for the shop closing. With twenty minutes to spare there is champagne in the city, on the footpath outside Café du Cycliste London. Three French friends who don't really know yet what they've just done. There is nothing else for it but to go to the pub, wash it all down with a few beers and celebrate the fact that they pierced France like an arrow and hit bullseye, right on time, in central London. RIDERS' NOTES Strava File - https://www.strava.com/activities/1526572500 Footnotes: Photography : Manivelle.cc

Haute couture cap Madame Marnier-Lapostolle was simply seeking to downsize. Thirty-five acres of gardens, an Olympic-size swimming pool and room for 30 horses had become a bit of burden. She should have known the house sale might have caused a few ripples in the global property pond. It is after all Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.And since M. Marnier-Lapostolle put up a price tag of 1.1 billion dollars for her too-big-to-maintain Villa les Cèdres, the small peninsula beside Villefranche is known as the most expensive real estate in the world. It didn’t used to be that way. Cap Ferrat and, in fact, much of the French Riviera, was just normal coast line where normal people had their normal holidays. One-piece bathing suits and big hair capped in bonnets to enjoy the sun and the sea.It took nearly 30 years after the original construction of Grand Hotel Cap Ferrat for the tide to turn from aristocrats wintering on the coast to artists and beatniks coming for summer sun in the early 1930s. The tide changed partly due to the filming of Don Quioxte by a German filmmaker. The film’s crew stayed in the hotel during the production and were so influenced by the beauty of the location that they returned with their families the next year. After the Second World War that came as close as destroying the lighthouse beside the hotel, the bohemians arrived in the summer in deliberate contrast to the wintering elite. At the start of the peninsula, where Villefranche simultaneously merges into Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, is Villa Nellcôte. It's here that exile by the tax man led to Exile on Main Street.Avoiding 93% income tax, the Stones turned the baroque building, also a former Gestapo HQ, into an open house party venue with a recording studio in the vast but damp and dingy basement. The Provençal air and sea views allowed the sparks to ignite and create one of the band’s most famous albums. Nowadays bankers and industrialists reportedly own most of the villas that hide amongst the cedar trees behind faux hedges and high walls. It’s ironic that the other original crown jewel of the Cap is the Villa de Rothschild, built by Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild from the original and famous banking family. Rumour has it that the Villa is currently being sold. If that is the case then Madame Marnier-Lapostolle’s sale might be surpassed.In between the villas and the super-yachts is the sentier littoral, the walking path which outlines the entire cap and links the bays and beaches. You can isolate yourself from the headlines and the temptation to peak through the holes in the high hedges and over the automatic gates and soak in the light that Matisse and others so adored. And with that light you can forget the attention grabbing headlines and speculative price-tags and enjoy the place for what has been described as 'an earthly slice of paradise'.

Due north: Sun to the city Since our London Store opened, it's been on the 'to do' list. The task? Join the Café du Cycliste dots and ride from HQ in Nice to the big smoke. It's a self-made Audax of sorts and a ride of contrasts. Traverse the mother land and soak in the wine and the paysage, hop the channel and ride the relatively short distance to the City and all it's English-ness.Who better to complete the task than three long-distance amigos. They were Born To Ride together - completing Chilkoot's longest event in 2016 from Vézelay to Barcelona. Since then, the trio have been everywhere and anywhere but not so much together. On Sunday they are reunited to head Due North. Meet the team: Matthieu aka Manivelle : long-distance lover, ambassador, graphic designer and general flâneur on a bike. He nearly bit our hand off when we first suggested the adventure. Since then he's be planning, drawing, rounding up the troops and generally whipping up a storm. Elisabeth : teacher, but more importantly a meticulous long-distance randonneur. Everything must be correct, organised, and prepped. Rumour has it she will be the beer and wine expert to ensure recovery is taken seriously each evening. Gregory : TCR NO.3 Finisher, Lyonnais living in Berlin. His instagram profile states 'why have abs when you can have kebabs'. We think Gregory won't be disappointed with the food options when he gets to London.The route card details a parcours measuring 1,400kms, consisting of seven days and one ferry. Their schedule, including drinks, is as follows: Day No. / Kms / Hydration J1 : 235 — Midi : Bandol • Soir : Coteaux d'Aix-en-ProvenceJ2 : 240 — Midi : Chateauneuf du Pape • Soir : Côte RôtieJ3 : 235 — Midi : Beaujolais • Soir : GivryJ4 : 220 — Midi : Bière de Vezelay • Soir : ChablisJ5 : 220 — Midi : Bière Crazy Hops • Soir : JasnièresJ6 : 125 + FERRY — Midi : cidre • Soir : CalvadosJ7 : 160 — Midi & Soir : Bière » Arrivée Café du Cycliste LondonLook out for stories on our Instagram account to follow the journey.

Les Courses Disparues #5 : Mont Faron “COURTE MAIS DIFFICILE!” "Viens poupoule, viens poupoule, viens..." So sang Félix Mayol, the actor and singer who was Toulon’s brightest star for the first few decades of the 1900s. He returned to fire the starter’s pistol, releasing the riders to chase the summit of the town’s geographical crown and high-wire finish of our latest Course Disparue – Mont FaronMayol may not have been on the same level as the A-list Hollywood stars that graced Cannes but that somehow suits the naval port of Toulon with its shipyards, rugby team and strong working-class identity. In its heyday 50,000 supporters would turn out to catch not only a glimpse of the City’s prodigal son, but also Europe’s finest riders. The founding newspapers l’Echo des Sports and Le Journal had done their job in converting their readership to the spectacle of bicycle racing on the Côte d’Azur.Originally a course en ligne in 1920, the first iteration of the race was run in the same format as a classic road race but with a twist. At only five kilometres in length but climbing 500 metres in the process makes the maths easy – one in ten and therefore one for the climbers. Mont Faron was their amphitheatre, standing dominant over Toulon. The parcours would take riders from the Maritime Hospital, up the narrow and winding road and past the “Trou du Diable”, a ravine over 100m deep and where the gradient would kick up to over 14%, before reaching the summit.A special ingredient of the Lost Races was the ability of amateurs to put themselves up again the big names. Louis Minardi was a local niçois climbing specialist, who raced for l’A.V.A.N Cycling Club. In 1930 he won both the race to La Turbie and the G.P de Nice. But few predicted he would be able to take on the pro riders from around Europe, including none other than the domineering Pélissier brothers.The other special ingredient of these races is that, being one day, and sometimes short format events, miracles can happen. From start to finish Minardi rode “complètement déchainé” – completely unchained. By the time he reached the Trou du Diable he’d already built a lead of over 100 metres and from there he didn’t look back and crossed the line a full 500m ahead of the chasers.Mont Faron proved to be a springboard for Minardi. He won at Mont Agel a few weeks later and took third place at the prestigious GP de Cannes. He would eventually make a name for himself on the “demi-fond” (middle-distance) circuit, becoming French champion in 1939. After the war, in 1952, a contre-la-montre event was added to the race schedule. The time trial parcours differed from the “course en ligne”; starting near Hyères further west along the coast, running flat through La Valette and into Toulon, then finishing with the famous 5km climb up Mont Faron. In all totalling around 26km, the flat départ and summit arrivée required a mix of flat out speed and controlled climbing that would make the race a unique challengeIt’s well documented that l’Éternel Second, Raymond Poulidor, could climb with the best of them but his passage to the top step of the podium was blocked by Monsieur Chrono himself, Jacques Anquetil. In 1961 the Mont Faron race was a watershed moment for Poupou, during the season when he revealed himself as a true contender. He won Milan-San Remo in stunning style, surprising all the favourites; leaving Rik Van Looy perplexed as to who this young Frenchman was.At the Mont Faron chrono, Anquetil, Bahamontes, Bobet and Dotto were all on the starting list. Poulidor was going up against the masters of each trade. It was on the second part of the course, the climb, that Poulidor made his mark, posting a finishing time sixteen seconds ahead of the Spaniard. The results confirmed his potential and the headlines read: “Poulidor meilleur escaladeur que Bahamontes!” – “Poulidor, a better climber than Bahamontes”. The rest is history, although with hindsight perhaps the headlines should have read “Poulidor bat Anquetil contre la montre”.However, Bahamontes was the real King of Faron. He had an affinity with the races of the Côte d’Azur, taking his first professional victory in 1954 on the similar Nice - Mont Agel course en ligne, and following it up one year later with his premier win on Faron. Whilst some of the top riders elected to only ride the TT, Bahamontes enjoyed the prospect of a pure climber’s race, and would regularly compete in both, presumably to sharpen his early season form. It worked. He won the course en ligne three times and took four time-trial titles, and in the process put Poulidor back in his natural position. The Eagle spread his wings over Mont Faron.The final running of the Le Mont Faron in 1970 was a beginning for a young Bernard Thévenet, who took his first professional win. The race may have been lost but the climb remained iconic, featuring in the 1957 tour, the Paris-Nice many times (including a revolutionary descending prize just like recent and controversial Giro d'Italia project) and as a part of the furniture on the Tour Méditerranéen. But alas the road is too narrow and the races and their caravans are too large. Whilst it may have been deemed too “small” by the powers that be, it’s here, in our region, to be ridden and many can attest to the fact that it’s more “difficile” than “courte”. RIDERS’ NOTES A one-way system is now in place on the road up, over and down Mont Faron. If you want to ride your own approximation of the course en ligne, simply follow the Mont Faron STRAVA SEGMENT To enjoy the area we suggest you ride west towards Bormes-les-Mimosa and follow the route of Jean Bobet's beautifully described La Volupté. Read more about the races that gone but not forgotten in our Courses Disparues series. Photography : Antton Miettinen

ニースからの行先 – エズ峠＆マドン峠 地域ではクラシックなライドの１つですが、街中から既に10%の勾配から始まり、2つの伝説的なクライムへと続きます。ニースから東へ向かう最も高地にあるロードのグランデ・コーニッシュは、パリ・ニースのタイムトライアル最終ステージであるエズ峠に繋がっています。ブラッドリー・ウィギンスが2012年に記録を塗り替えるまで、ショーン・ケリーが何年もの間記録を保持したルートです。 山頂のLa Turbieでコーヒーを飲んだりボトルに水を補給したりし、マドン峠のクライム開始地点であるマントンまで降下します。トニー・ロミンゲル、ランス・アームストロングを含む多くの選手がトレーニングを行なった場所であり、タフでありながら美しく、静かで急すぎない勾配とイタリアへ続く景色が魅力です。マドン山頂からはPeille付近のT字路へと技術を要する降下をし、ラ・トゥルビーへ緩やかに降りてコーヒーブレイクをとり、Moyenne Cornicheから街へと戻ります。 キーニットドロテ ジレ。 ラ・テュルビーへ向かってマドン峠を降下する道のりは、常に寒さが伴います。ニースへの走行には、邪魔にならない超軽量ジレがおすすめです。 もっと読む ライド インサイトグランデ・コーニッシュを西へ向かって走り、エズ峠からマントン、北へ向かって東のマドン峠へと向かうクラシックなニースのライド後に味わう、世界で最も美味しいソッカは意見が分かれがちです。 もっと読む 1 - ルート ダウンロード GPX Please login or create an account to download file. 2 - レンタル＆ライドバイクをレンタルして身軽に。R5 Cerveloロードバイク、Aspero Cerveloグラベルバイク、フランスのLeonによるチタン製ロードバイクなど、多種のレンタルバイクを取り揃えています。ペダルとツールバッグに加え、Specializedのシューズとヘルメットが付属しています。レンタルバイクを見る 3 - カフェオールド・ポートに位置する弊社カフェはライドの前後の待合場所として最適です。いくつかのルートの始点でもあり、美味しいコーヒーとメンズ、ウィメンズ のアパレルコレクションがお楽しみ頂けます。コート・ダジュールで新しい仲間とライドを楽しみたい方には、毎週ライドを計画しています。住所 : 16 Quai des Docks 06300 Nice 他のライド 2020年ツール・ド・フランス開始の宣伝の一環として、ニースが#nicecyclingparadiseハッシュタグを使用するのには理由があります。失楽園に1万行以上の詩が含まれるとしたら、サイクリングパラダイスにはおそらく同量のルート、ロード、景色、クライム、峠、スイッチバック、終点、開始地点があると言えるでしょう。こだわりのあるサイクリストも満足できるルートを見つけることができるに違いありません。 ニースのオールロードライド ポートから山腹へ、そしてポートへと戻るグラベル稜線を介したクラシックなアルプ＝マリティームの山々を繋ぐライド。 ライドを見る モン・ショーヴ ニースのハゲ山は街を一望できる最も素晴らしい場所だと言えるでしょう。人にあまり知られていない、秘密の宝石です。 ライドを見る ボネット峠 村からクライムを始め、フラットなロードが全くない登りと下降を山の両サイドで行う、計24キロの道のりです。 ライドを見る ブロー峠＆テュリニ峠 山脈マップシリーズに含まれる2つの代表的な山でのライドは、ニースからのルートに夢中になる理由が分かるでしょう。 ライドを見る デュラニュ＆サン・ブレーズ もっと上を目指したい方には、山脈マップにも含まれているMadone d’Utelleへ向かうのがおすすめです。 ライドを見る キャップアンティーブ 海に囲まれたコート・ダジュールから西へ向かい、地域で最もよく知られた街に到着します。比較的涼しく、街が少し静かになった頃が理想的な季節です。 ライドを見る ジレット＆ボンソン 南フランスの魅力は海だけではありません。ニースのバックカントリーが海岸の裏に広がり、このライドは程よいクライムも含む心地よいレベルの走行です。 ライドを見る エステレルとレ・ザデレ エステレル国立公園はSaint RaphaëlとThéoule-sur-Mer間の32,000ヘクタールに広がります。年初めにはカンヌへの道には海岸沿いにミモザが咲き誇ります。 ライドを見る モルトラ 海岸に沿って走り、新鮮な海の空気を吸い込んで。比較的フラットで短いルートですが、２カ国にまたがったダイナミックな走行です。 ライドを見る ヴァンス 人混みを避けて絶景を楽しむことができる、山脈マップシリーズの峠を含むライド。ヴァンスを愛したアーティストの気持ちがわかるようなルートです。 ライドを見る Our Badges 我々がライドするクライムとロードを称え、山々を祝したバッジを作成しました。素晴らしいクライムは山脈マップシリーズをご覧ください。バッジ獲得に欠かせないのは、実際のクライムです。バッジを獲得する

Les Courses Disparues #4 : Grand Prix de Cannes From the Palais des Festivals on the Croisette in Cannes to the Col de l’Ecre it’s only 34kms. Red carpet to 1,118m in a heart beat. Or several beats per minute if you are racing one of Les Courses Disparues on the Côte d’Azur, like Grand Prix de Cannes. This Lost Race has an illustrious list of winners. Le Roi René Vietto, Louison Bobet, Rudi Altig, Frans Verbeeck, Sean Kelly, Sean Yates and Laurent Fignon have all stood on the top step of the podium.Cannes has a reputation built entirely on 20th century villas from the Belle Époque, sunny sandy beaches and the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals. Like the film festival, the alure of the race was in no doubt partly because of its location and the entertainment provided to the touring elite. Given the location, you might be forgiven for thinking the race was one for sprinters. Indeed, Sean Kelly and the rouleur Sean Yates both took victories. But Yates only found success after a winter of exile in an apartment which he had decided would be a food-free zone. With its profil acéré – sharp, like sharks’ teeth - and distances of up to 200kms, it was a one-day classic climb-fest.Early years saw the race go west on the coast to the Corniche d’Or before returning through the hills and red rock of the Esterel national park. Racers then flashed back through the Croissette for the fans on their way east to Antibes before climbing to Vence, then above to Gourdon, just below the snow line. Then came the rush back to town, sometimes with the montée de Cabris to provide a final test and give any escapees with a chance to stay away.It was an important race in the calendar that came at the end of the first week of racing on the Côte d’Azur. The professionals had been on the coast for maybe two months or more. The training blocks under the winter sun were done, au bord du la mer or in the collines behind. Now came the time to fine-tune form in race conditions before the Spring Classics or early stage races like Paris-Nice.Whilst the Boucle de Sospel and Col de Braus are more recognized as the building blocks of René Vietto’s professional career, the GP de Cannes was literally his hometown race. The Cannois unsurprisingly holds the record number of victories, having taken back-to-back victories in 1932 and 1933 as he announced himself on the professional circuit. Post-war, towards the end of his career and after opening his own bike shop in the town, Vietto lined up for one final fling. Having been involved in choosing the parcours for the 1948 edition, the organisers, the locals even the commissaire expected nothing less than glory.But Italian grimpeur Paul Néri, winner of the race two years previously, had other ideas and attacked on the Col de Gourdon. It forced Vietto and compatriat Edouard Fachleitner to chase and when the catch was made, a hectic descent from Grasse to Cannes ensued. As they kicked for the line Néri, the better sprinter, tried to catch Vietto unaware by going up the narrow left side, shouting at him to get out of the way. Vietto was not going to give up his last Grand Prix de Cannes and squeezed Néri out to take the win, but he was outraged at Néri’s tactics. A brawl ensued before René’s entourage restrained him. This was René's race.Sometimes the race started before the ‘b’ of the bang. With the weeks of February and March filled with races, there was a lot of talk amongst the professionals about who was racing where. Combined with the threat to forme and health by riding in unpredictable weather, the gamesmanship began days before a wheel was turned. In 1964 it was a mise-en-scène of the battle between two giants of French cycling. Both Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor decided not to race the Prix de Saint-Raphäel the day before GP de Cannes due to icy rain and low temperatures. Poulidor was motivated “Je suis solide et dur au mal” – I am strong and tough. (Needless to say he had finished second in the race the previous year.)Anquetil stated if the bad weather continued he would not risk his season just for one race, whilst also relaying his soigneur’s reports that he was strong and recovering from training efforts faster than ever. Another second place for Pou-Pou?Come the day of the race, Anquetil remained quiet, tucked deep in the peloton to shelter from any possible bad weather. Poulidor was active. At the front, he attacked with 35kms to go on the Côte de Cabris, a tactic local racers didn’t recommend – as Raoul Rémy had shouted at Louison Bobet in 1954, “no one has ever won the GP de Cannes by attacking so early in the race”.Anquetil did not chase. With Jeannine Anquetil waiting with the car in case her husband wanted to abandon, obviously the pre-race talk was not a bluff. Poulidor soloed to victory, proving his form that season and to himself and the world that in a climbing tête-a-tête, he could beat Maître Jacques. The response? “It's long season, very long. And we'll have time to fight, Raymond and me.” And so it was, for more than one season.The combination of the early season date and one-day race format made the Grand Prix de Cannes attractive to the big names and the neo-pros alike. Maybe that is why it enjoyed a longer life into the 1980s and 90s. It grew in strength and attracted the big teams, like Renault-Elf and their latest signing, Laurent Fignon. In his words, “I was a good new professional, but nothing out of the ordinary. Except that a few days later (sic – after being passed then re-passing Joop Zoetemelk on the Mont Faron time trial) I won the Grand Prix de Cannes”. It got him noticed. The following Monday during another one day race, La Flèche Azurènne, his team mates rode for him and not local favourite, Charly Bérard. Another french cycling legend had been born.Beneath the town's glitter and bling, away from the steps of the Palais des Festivals, the GP de Cannes proves that the Côte d’Azur was (and still is) where spring classic wins, grand tour glories, professional careers and legends began life. Vietto, Bobet, Anquetil, Pouildor, Fignon. Pillars of French cycling with foundations laid on the Riviera. Read more about the races that gone but not forgotten in our Courses Disparues series. _____________________ RIDERS' NOTES We would recommend splitting it into two rides, with one westerly adventure to the beautiful l'Esterel and one east and north to Vence and eventually over the Col de l'Ecre.

Les Courses Disparues #3 : GP de Monaco The night before the race, Eddy Merckx arrived in Monaco with no less than six Molteni team-mates. The brief was simple. Start fast, thin out the group, make it hard for everyone. As they left the Principality the next day and rode west on the Basse Corniche, that’s exactly what they did. Arriving at Villefranche, the last town before Nice, the peloton was positively atkins-esque, dropping from 140 to 21. Game on.The race Merckx was strangling in his Cannibal grip was the Grand Prix de Monaco, the next in our series of Les Courses Disparues - the Lost Races of the Côte d’Azur The words Grand Prix and Monaco usually prompt images of the Principality in petrol-head mode. The cycling version, like it’s motorised counterpart, for sure attracted the big names – the Bobets, Geminiani, Merckx, de Vlaeminck, Roche and Kelly to name a few.Run mostly in February, like so many of the other Lost Races of the Cote d’Azur, it was an early season test of form. And with the attention-grabbing name and location, the history books show a series of teams trying to control what turned out to be an uncontrollable race. Molteni, Renault-Gitane, Peugeot… all of them tried to rule with a train of riders. The parcours was no coastal coast to a sprint finish, as the grande cyclistes would find out. Riders covered four laps of Les Trois Corniches, the three coast roads carved into the mountain side running between Nice and Menton – out on the Basse Corniche beside the sea, back three times on the Moyenne Corniche cut into the rocks around 200-400m above, before the final lap up to the Grande Corniche running near the top of the ridge. More than 160kms of that James Bond-esque loop helped whittle down the field before the crucial point of the race.The climb of the Château de Madrid, coming after approximately 150kms, made the link between the Moyenne and Grande Corniches and it was here the selection was normally made. It’s only a climb of 2kms but the gradient doesn’t relent until the point de vue Saint-Michel, over looking some of the most expensive real estate in the world situated on Cap Ferrat. And once on the Grand Corniche, it is up, ever up on the road to Col d’Eze. Tactic : attack before Saint-Michel and then hold it over the top before the eyeballs-out descent back to Monaco.The famous black and white checkers of the Peugeout Team came in 1981 as part of their season build up. Within that team was the Irish neo-pro, Stephen Roche. It was the year of his rise to fame. He won the Tour de Course, beating a certain Bernard Hinault, and also took the Paris-Nice. (In hindsight, maybe an early indication of his fondness for the south of France.) Roche was in the lead group as it hit the Château du Madrid hill and he used it as a launch pad to try and escape to victory. But he couldn’t shake the French riders Bernard Bourreau and Jean-René Bernadudeu. The three of them descended the Grande Corniche into Monaco and it was Bernadudau, now directeur sportif of Direct Énergie pro-continental team, who took the sprint. Roche only second as a reward for his attacking efforts.Two years later, in the last edition of the race, the other dominant Irish rider of the 80’s, Sean Kelly, found himself in a peloton chasing a breakaway led by in-form Kim Anderson that had escaped on the third pass through Monaco. Having lost a further 2'40' on the Château du Madrid climb, the peloton led, it can only be imagined, by Kelly and his infamous descending skills, chased the breakaway down the Grande Corniche towards Roquebrune. But once again the complex nature of the parcours proved impossible to predict. Anderson, riding for Coop – Mercier – Mavic, managed to stay away for the win by a slender 14 seconds. Kelly took the sprint, but in the process merely added his name to the list of illustrious second place finishers.If a climber and a sprinter and classics rider couldn’t crack the GP de Monaco code surely The Cannibal could? As if following a script, the fireworks were again on that small road with the Spanish-style villa. Frenchman Désiré Letort attacked first. Merckx responded. Then fellow Belgian, Frans Verbeeck, kicked last, and hardest. They could not shake Merckx and two of his Molteni men. The group of 21 became nine and the odds were in Merckx’s favour for the sprint on Monaco’s portside. Clearly confident, he launched himself early but Verbeeck came round him with nearly 200m to go and took one of the biggest wins of his career.Verbeeck, known as one of the hardest of the hard Flandrians went on, some would say, to becoming obsessed with beating Merckx in one of the Monuments . Maybe that obsession started after this victory in the GP de Monaco. Although he won a number of classics, like Amstel Gold (on the same year he won the GP de Monaco) he didn’t manage to take down the Cannibal where it mattered to him. But he’ll always have that Lost Race on the Côte d’Azur. Read more about the races that gone but not forgotten in our Courses Disparues series.

Les Courses Disparues #2 : Boucle de Sospel The René Vietto memorial at the top of Col de Braus sits so discretely in the parking area opposite the col sign, that you could easily miss it. As well as the memorial there is a wooden sign marking this as the Aire René Vietto. You might be more accustomed to seeing an ‘aire’ on the French autoroute – the service stations where you can get a very thick sandwich and bitter coffee whilst the rest of the traffic races by. As it turns out the aire Vietto used to be passed by racing traffic for a solid 26 years between 1922 and 1948. It was the half-way point and the main event of our next Course Disparue – Le Boucle de Sospel.Unlike Nice – Mont Agel, the Boucle de Sospel was not for the big names of the relatively new world of professional cycling. It was for the local amateurs and the ‘débutants’- the up and coming juniors. And as a breeding ground for local talent, the Boucle bore fruit from its rugged Alpes-Maritimes terroir. It was also inter-changeably known as Le Boucle de L’USTNL (Union Sportive des Tramways de Nice et du Littoral) the organising club, whose employer’s objective was to build a network linking Nice to several towns along the coast and the hinterlands with railways, just like the abandoned one that can still be seen on the Col de Castillon.They undoubtedly had sporting objectives but their partner, L’Eclaireur de Nice, followed the established trend amongst the bigger national publications of boosting circulation by making news with bike racing. As a valley town in the Alpes-Maritimes, the only way in and out of Sospel is by col. Three Cols – Nice, Braus and Castillon - provided the loop into the mountains and back to the coast at Menton. And the climbing did not stop there. The final ascent of the Grande Corniche to the town of La Turbie, meant a climb literally from sea level back up to 658m.The finish on Boulevard de Risso within the city limits, ensured the viewing public could enjoy the finale at their convenience. That said, city centre finales created their own problems: during the 1930 edition a young couple crossing the road caused the race leader, Amilcar Cavandoli, to crash and be passed by the winner Charles de Ambrosi as he desperately remounted his bike. But it was rare that the peloton arrived together in Nice. From the beginning, the race was a war of attrition - during the first edition in 1922 the race blew to pieces on the Col de Nice and the bunch reduced itself from 75 to 16. This ‘gentle’ 6.5kms climb may not have been critical in the race’s outcome but it was where the selection was made and usually formed the group from which the vainqueur would emerge.To summit the Col de Nice is to pass through the gateway to the mountains, and for the Boucle de Sospel it was into the amphitheatre for the main act of this play – the Col de Braus. It was on the slopes of the 10km climb that winner of the first edition, Second Ganora, managed to escape from the leading pack and stay away for victory. A long solo victory, that is every racing cyclist’s dream. The Braus was a launchpad to success.And it is undoubtedly René Vietto’s climb. In 1931 he was one of the debutants to line up at Place des XV Corps at the tender age of 16. His youth goes some way to explaining why he didn’t dominate the race. But his natural climbing ability meant he was part of the select group that arrived first on the Col de Braus. The weather was bad, with rain and fog making visibility difficult. There were attacks on the ascent and descent of the Braus. Vietto remained in the chasing pack, and it was only in the last climb to La Turbie that he let his ability loose and reeled in the leaders. Vietto rode into Nice with Paolo Bianchi and took the sprint by a bike length.In 1934 René returned to the Boucle parcours, but not in the local race. It was the year of his Tour debut, during which he announced himself as one of the best grimpeurs in the world. He dominated the traverse of the Alps taking two stage victories by soloing over the Galibier and then repeating the feat over the Col de Vars and Col d’Allos, where the high alps meet the Alpes-Maritimes. The final alpine stage followed an extended version of the Boucle de Sospel route, finishing in René's hometown of Cannes, rather than Nice. It was written....Just like his win in 1931, the weather turned bad immediately after the stage départ. But this time Vietto did not wait in the pack. On the Braus he attacked and established a gap. He rode solo until Guiseppe Martano, who was second in the general classification, surprised yellow jersey holder Antonin Magne and managed to bridge the gap across to Vietto. But René had arrived on the coast to go tête-à-tête before. He kept his head to take the sprint and an extremely emotional third stage victory in his hometown.We can only guess that was his most valued victory, together with the first on his palmares on the same course. The Braus was part of him and René asked for his ashes to be scattered on its slopes when he died.And what of the amateurs? There are many names of which will only be known to their descendants and locals. But one stands out. Prince Igor Troubetzkoy was a french born Russian aristocrat. And a sports fanatic. He was a skier but showed more potential on the bike. And off it he became the fourth husband of socialite and heiress, Barbara Hutton, which gained him fame. But sport was his passion and he swooped to victory in the 1933 Boucle, before he eventually settled on his real love, car racing. He won the Targa Florio and then drove the first Ferrari to be entered into a Grand Prix - none other than the Monaco GP in 1948.It is noteable that the race continued to be held for the majority of the duration of the war. But then it disappeared in 1948. One final edition was held in 1983, and was won by Pascal Simon who then went on to take the Yellow Jersey on stage 10 of the Tour that year, only to break his shoulder blade the following day. He managed, incredibly, to hold the jersey for six days. Proof, if needed, that the Lost Races of the Côte d’Azur provide tough riders. RIDERS' NOTESBoucle de Sospel Full RouteCol de Nice Col de Braus Col de Castillion Read more about the races that gone but not forgotten in our Courses Disparues series.

Monti Muri Officine Mattio Lemmas. Finest Italian carbon. Lightweight wheels. SRAM RED eTap electronic gears. When our new fleet of rental bikes have arrived at the café in Nice, we had to give them a test. Luckily we have a tame racing cyclist: French Masters Champion and pro-beater Kong Fùfù, bien sûr. But where?There are long climbs and beautiful climbs in our back yard. But we wanted a sterner challenge, so we took an Officine Mattio home to Italy.In Italy they build roads differently. No messing about: steep ramps, straight up. Walls. In Italian: muri.Just over the Italian border, only 50km from the Café, we found some. Tiny side roads with signs pointing to villages you never heard of. Gradients of over 10% for 15 minutes. Ramps of 30%. Muri.We took our human rocket, gave him the Officine Mattio and pointed him upwards.Let battle commence: on one side gravity; on the other side, physical ability and the strongest of wills. Stomp down on the pedals, go go go. No chance to appreciate the view. The olive groves or the greenhouses or the Mediterranean far below. Just darkening vision, lactic acid, the taste of blood in the mouth. Out of the saddle, en danseuse, it’s almost like he’s running up the climb, rather than cycling. The bike and him are one. It’s an impressive sight. So we take another lick of our gelato.THE FULL LIST OF THE CLIMBS:Ventimiglia - strava Ciaixe - strava Brundetti - strava Airole - strava Strada Ciappe Climb - strava

Les Courses Disparues #1 : Nice Mont-Agel It started with a 500m mark on the road, a little faded perhaps, a little chipped certainly but still there after who knew how long. Further up the climb of Mont Agel, we saw something else. A line this time, a finishing line and confirmation that this now quiet and almost deserted piece of tarmac had once been home to noise and jostling crowds.Where we ride is a high powered training destination, a visiting cyclists' Mecca and a local riders dream. But once upon a time it was also home to a plethora of pro-races. A selection of events that took advantage of the best conditions in Europe but which, despite many having a gloriously storied past, have disappeared into the mists of time, as thick as those which periodically cover the local peaks. They are the ‘lost races’ - Les Courses Disparues - of the Côte D’Azur. Like so many others, the Nice - Mont Agel race was invented by a sports journal. Sometimes known as Monaco-Mont Agel, the exact point of departure varied considerably during its fifty years of existence. Higher than Col de la Madone and with numbered switchbacks à la Alpe d’Huez which are now frustratingly out of bounds, Mont Agel itself was the immoveable constant across that time. The original idea may have been to generate interest and income from an early season race in a glamorous location, and attract the rising stars of a growing sport, but what was created was effectively an uphill group time trial. In simple terms - a brutal war of attrition, from the relative comfort of the lower slopes start to the rocky heights of Mont Agel via the famous Mont des Mules lacets, lying then, as they do now, in the eastern shadows of the neighbouring Tête de Chien. Wars shouldn't be re-fought but wheel tracks can be followed, with a little help from Michel (who actually competed in the last amateur version of the race back in 1984) and Kong Fùfù who can beguile an audience with tales of training on the slopes of Mont Agel alongside pros such as Alexander Blain.The only way was, and still is, up. Sixteen kilometers to the top and as Henri Pélissier said 'It is a question of breathing out everybody, of not letting anyone rest or recover…”. Here speaks a man who should know. Along was his brothers, Henri was an early pioneer of the race and won the first three editions (plus a Milan San-Remo, two Paris-Roubaix and the 1923 Tour de France). 1923 was a dramatic edition, with thick snow and treacherous ice covering the final lacets on the approach to the fort and forcing all but one of the racers to climb on foot. Not a scene you would associate with a French Riviera race.Retracing the route, it's clear that it's once you reach the upper slopes, after a brief dalliance with La Turbie, the Mont Agel test really gets tough. The average gradient increases to 8% for the section between the Route de Peille and Monte-Carlo Golf Club. It remains a lesser-known road for many local and visiting riders but a fine testing for resident pros who litter the top of the Strava leaderboards. The views from the switchbacks cut into the rock over Cap Martin and Monaco are stunning.Unsurprisingly then it’s the super grimpeurs that dot the history books of the event. It was here that the Eagle of Toledo, Féderico Bahamontes – recognised in 2013 as the best climber in the history of the Tour de France – took his first professional victory in 1954. Kong Fùfù may not live in quite such exalted company but he breathes a similar air. On the preceding Mont des Mules section which measures 4.2kms at 6% he has second fastest time of 10:33, 36 seconds behind professional Lieuwe Westra. Not quite an angel but close.The real angels of Agel are those who prospered most on the same strips of hardcore. They weren’t Frenchmen but an Italian, Luigi Barral, and a Spaniard, José Gil. Each took five victories in the race and should have ridden their names into cycling legend but instead lie forgotten to all but a diminishing few. The race eventually disappeared because of the rapid spread of development and the increasing population density. The complications of threading the event through the ensuing chaos providing too much for those charged with finding a way. And when it did the names of the angels of Agel disappeared with it. The lost racers evaporating with their lost race.All that’s left are fading memories for some, just grainy pictures for others. Both conjuring a sense of purity in that hill climb format, a sense of excitement at the combination of the battle against gravity and the one day do-or-die ethic. And the roads themselves. More lonely now perhaps than they once were but still offering the same challenge they always have. A challenge we’re all free to take on in any way we so choose. Read more about the races that gone but not forgotten in our Courses Disparues series.

From sand to snow Yvonne, the old proprietor of the bar at Camp d'Argent ski station is puzzled as to why two cyclists should arrive at her establishment just as the sun is setting and the last of the lessons for the kids on school holidays are finishing. "Where have you come from?" she asked. It was the question Kieran had been waiting for: "The beach in Menton of course!" "Vous êtes fous!" replied Yvonne. Craziness is a matter of perspective: in the cycling world, to ride on the sandy sunny beach in the morning and on the snowy forest trails in the afternoon makes a whole lot of sense. This is a ride of concentrated excellence. We wax lyrical about where we ride. We tell you about our choice of merino products that breathe to regulate temperature but warm when the air bites. Marketing hype? Well, here we are to put our money where our mouths are. And to hurt our legs in the process. The idea for this ride was born a year ago, as we went to watch the world rally cars blast their way over the Col de Turini during the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo. Searching for a spectating spot between the trees we found ourselves walking along a cross-country ski piste and thinking, this could be fun to ride on a bike.Cut to drinking espressos in the Café, shooting the breeze with Kieran, a former professional road racer turned mountain biker, about the possibility of riding that ski piste and the concept snow-balled into a bigger idea to ride from sand to snow. Never shoot the breeze with a mountain biker. They are a different sort. Yes, there is is an overlap of interests between road biking and mountain biking, touring and racing, but is there the perfect ride that can please everyone? If we categorise our cycling, is there an hors catégorie ride that pleases all of the riders, that captures the spirit of why we all ride?Two weeks later and here we are sitting on the sea wall in Menton looking up at the peaks that jut out above the clouds, formed where the sea breeze meets the mountain air, reminding ourselves of the route that will take us from the sand in front of the old town to the snow. Sand, tarmac, gravel, tarmac, gravel, tarmac, gravel, snow, gravel, tarmac, snow. In that exact order. The one simple element of this ride will be that it is up. Ever up, from sea to sky. That's exactly what Stage 16 of the Tour de France did back in 1950 in an era when the grande boucle used to visit these mountains much more than it does today. Stage 16 started in Menton over the Col de Castillon and Col de Turini.But that's pure road racing, la tète dans le guidon, with a focus on the finish line rather than absorbing the beauty of the area. Sure, we want to taste that heritage and, like the more famous climbs of the Tour, imagine the riders of old battling on the very same piece of tarmac that we roll on. But we also have to please the mountain bikers we're riding with. So at Monti, one third of the way up the Col de Castillon, we take a right to attack the first gravel secteur. Climbing on gravel is a novel experience to the road rider, the concentration required to pick the smoothest, fastest line distracting from the sting of the gradient. It's meat and drink to cross-country mountainbikers (and maybe boring to downhill adrenaline junkies), but what it provides for everyone is immersion into the quieter parts of the alpine foothills. And that's something every cyclist loves, no?Between Monti and Col de Braus we head into the wild. Gravel, tarmac, gravel. And cols. Col des Banquettes, Col de Ségra, Col du Farguet and finally Col de Braus; all in a mere 35kms. There is something special about arriving at a col by gravel rather than the traditional route. The smugness factor is high. Over a thousand metres high to be exact. It's February 16th and we are in warm sun, eating lunch in the grass just above the René Vietto memorial. René is known for his punishing and extreme training ethic. We wonder if his disciplined regime ever allowed him to venture off the beaten track. Does every ride have to be hard like René's? Does it have to involve suffering? It is maybe like choosing a favourite album - the genre of your ride really depends on your mood at the time. There is the café ride, the endurance ride, the training intervals ride, the social ride. But if we are looking for the perfect do-it-all ride (do we call it the free ride or the soul ride?) then surely it has to be long enough, high enough, and tough enough with adventure and beautiful scenery to satisfy all the discerning cyclist's desires. Are we in the process of finding that sweet spot of riding?We can't make that judgement with a descent to Sospel and the big climb to Turini and the snow still to come. Turini is our big mountain. It matches any other climb you can find in Europe. A hors catégorie climb for this hors catégorie ride. Classic switchback road porn in the Gorge du Pion before another 90-right onto gravel at the tiny hamlet of Le Moulinet. And here comes the snow. In the shade, in between the trees on the dark side of the mountain. In the belly of the mountain you might say. It's steep, it's cold, and there is little traction. The gravel tyres that dragged on the tarmac are paying back their debt now.Emerging from the forest at Piëra-Cava we are greeted by a snow-lined avenue to the col. The light is fading and dapples through the branches from over our left shoulders. Golden hour has begun and it's pushing us to the summit before the sun dips below the western peaks. Up, ever up.And more up, because the objective is to reach the ski pistes at Camp d'Argent, which is to be found two and a half kilometres above the col itself. But in the end that didn't matter because three hairpins after leaving the col the vista, the sunset light, the cold misty air and the perfect tarmac below make us stop. We have found it. Cycling perfection. (But we went for cake and beer and to boast to Yvonne anyway.)RIDERS' NOTES Discover and download the route HERE

Into the Night "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Col d'Eze is 2kms away from our home in Nice's Old Port. Did we tell you that already? To say we are familiar with its slopes, its curves and the views from the Grande Corniche would be an understatement. We never get bored of riding King Kelly's Climb, but it can get a tad repetitive during those stolen lunch rides. Step up the darkness. Not many working souls are afforded the professional riders' ability to sleep until their body is ready to rise and shine and then ride on their own agenda through the crisp winter sun. So it's a choice between an indoor trainer session or strapping on the lights and getting out there. If you want to go fast (or long) in the summer, you have to go dark in winter. And it could be said that night riding is the new old. The first edition of the Tour de France required the race's pioneering competitors to pedal through the night to be able to finish the following afternoon, such was their brutal length. The very first stage of the Tour was no less than 467kms long. Ouch. And the last stage was directed to commence at 9pm so that the riders could complete the 471kms and arrive in the suburbs of Paris in daylight. It is little wonder that competitors sought some assistance behind motorcycles or stole a lift in a truck to make the inhuman humanly possible. It takes another level of mental strength to endure the dark and combined with the huge distances it was too much for many.That ultra-endurance approach of the early Tours has come full circle with events such as The Transcontinental Race. And the ever growing TCR starts in the dark at 10pm, as if to rudely reinforce the need for nocturnal pedalling to complete the task at hand . 'The first night and Belgium passed in a blur of darkness' was how it was described to us here. Endurance riders, being the authority on this topic, speak of the beauty of riding at night. Even the fatigue-induced hallucinations can be welcome, according to our two-time Paris-Brest-Paris and multiple Mille du Sud finisher, Michel Icard. 'It's like riding through a Walt Disney film' he told us.Yes the quiet of the night can be haunting but it is simultaneously refreshing. Col d'Eze is a beauty in the summer. But come winter the Grande Corniche is in winter hibernation. Take away the sensory distractions of noise and sight and, like a pilot at the Le Mans 24hr endurance race, the effort is distilled as you follow the narrow tunnel of light through the darkest sections around the back of the Observatory.And as you pass through the famous Quatre Chemins cross-roads you climb up to feel the cold air, hear the silence and see the lights that decorate the coast and surrounding hills like a set of jewels. Embrace the solitude as the nocturnal world becomes comfortably numb and just pedal and breathe. It's enlightening. For our night missions we use the Jacqueline Audax Gilet, the Arlette long sleeve Audax jersey, and the Lucette gilet, which all include high grade retroreflective sections to ensure maximum visibility. Find the Audax Collection here.

Café racers Day in and day out in the Café, our eyes receive a treatment of the latest, the greatest, the stylish, the vintage, the ugly and the odd from the world of the bicycle. It's a matter of taste, sure, but let's be honest; we all love judging (should we say analysing) another cyclist's machine. And actually, as a way of connecting with other cyclists it's a great conversation starter. Frame weight, componentry, gearing, motor in the bottom bracket? All these are important questions that have to be asked of any discerning cyclist and usually, behind every bike there is a story. So here is a selection of some of the many vélos that have rolled into Nice Port and crossed our door this summer, for your critical and ever so unforgiving eyesPETER'S TRAINING BIKE This bike belongs to Peter. Peter prefers to ride mountain bikes and not shave his legs but someone (we think the owners of this bike brand) pays him a lot of money to ride this particular bike (and others the same as it). We were very nervous about handling it but at least we got the valve stems at the bottom and the chain in the big ring. Strict rule-adherents might dislike the saddle bag, but it's a pro's prerogative. The story of this bike? The following week it's rider won the European Road Racing Championships. Will he successfully defend his title at the Worlds in Qatar next month?BADEN'S FACTOR ONE Factor Bikes made a splash when their first ultra-aero race bike offended the UCI's rule book. We asked the rider of this particular bike if we could photograph it, only to realise it was none other than Baden Cooke himself, Tour de France green jersey winner and co-owner of Factor itself. Baden spends half of each year in Monaco and with members of their sponsored One Pro Cycling team living or training on the Côte d'Azur, these bikes are a regular sight on the basse corniche. Black-Inc carbon wheels from Factor's sister company, Dura-Ace Di2 (recharged in the café during Baden's noisette and croissant) and an eye-catching all in one stem-handlebar piece mean this bike looks fast standing still. The following week we met Baden on the road and we can confirm that it looks just as fast disappearing over the hill between Beaulieu and Villefranche. MAX'S STINNER CUSTOM Tested in earnest on our recent Bunker Research Tour, this whole set-up was emphatically declared 'fit for purpose'. Once we get past Max's eye-catching 650b Compass tyres adorning the Jones wheels, we start to notice the beautiful custom Columbus steel frame and Enve CX forks, the Brooks saddle and, of course, the go-to SRAM Force CX1 gearing. The TRP HY/RD cable actuated hydraulic braking system was new to us. We suspect that Revelate luggage is actually full of obscure books about either French mountain goat shepherds, 50's Russian bus-stops, or both but what is for sure is that, with this bike, Max can go deeper into his beloved mountain obsession.REMI'S VICTOIRE CUSTOM VERSUS You've maybe seen this bike somewhere before (like here) - it's our co-founder Rémi's adventure - flying fish bike. It went head to head with Max's Stinner as the best looking adventure bike on the Bunker Research Tour, with minimalist luggage. And it proved to be one of the best equipped machines for the job - 42x42 gearing for steep bits, 40mm WTB tyres for the rough bits, custom rack for the fishing bits. It's such a nice bike we couldn't not include it. And yes, that is a fishing rod poking out of the bag on the rack. Once a river man, always a river man. CYCLE CAMELLINI'S ROLO This bike tipped the scales in our atelier at 5.8kgs with pedals. We worked out that overall this build cost just under 2,500€ per kilogram, or thereabouts. Almost as expensive as class-A drugs, but better for your health. No paint means less weight, carbon in-house Rolo cranks, stem and bars also save the grams meaning you the bike will off-set the calories in your post-ride beer. We did manage to set a PR on the Saint-Laurent d'Eze climb between the basse and moyene corniches on this machine despite what can only be described as two weeks of intensive de-training. We want to say #YOLO Rolo but we probably shouldn't (we'll pass that gem to their marketing team).PETER'S TRAINING BIKE This bike belongs to Peter. Peter prefers to ride mountain bikes and not shave his legs but someone (we think the owners of this bike brand) pays him a lot of money to ride this particular bike (and others the same as it). We were very nervous about handling it but at least we got the valve stems at the bottom and the chain in the big ring. Strict rule-adherents might dislike the saddle bag, but it's a pro's prerogative. The story of this bike? The following week it's rider won the European Road Racing Championships. Will he successfully defend his title at the Worlds in Qatar next month?

バンカーリサーチツアー 「永遠を象徴する山とは異なり、掩体壕は瞬間を語ります。残酷で決定的なインパクト、訪れることのなかった瞬間」（Bunker Research） サイクリング界で影響力のある２名の著者、Max LeonardとCamille McMillanによって、山々に潜むモダニズムを分析した書籍バンカーリサーチが今年はじめに出版されました。取り上げられた山々は我々にとって身近な場所であり、出版から数ヶ月後にバンカーツアー（著者MaxとツアーのスペシャリストPannier.cc に属するStefanが同行）に参加しました。　３日間の荷物をグラベルバイクに積み、フィールドリサーチへと出かけました。 「数多くヒルに置かれた設備を見ると、走行中のロードやトラックは一見イノセントに見えてもかつては軍事用に建設され、大きなドラマの一部となったことに気付かされる。」(Bunker Research) これらのロードやトラックはフランスではRoutes Stratégiquesとして知られ、軍隊、武器庫、軍車、国境を守るために必要な軍事用品の通路として建設されました。掩体壕もそれに伴い作られ、そこへ辿り着く最短距離のルートはほぼ全てがグラベルです。 カフェを出て30分以内に、モン・リューゼとモン・フォーシェの背面を登りエズ峠下と続く最初のRoutes Stratégiquesに差し掛かります。掩体壕より50年前に建設されたFort de la Revèreへと向かい、歴史の初期からツアーを始めます。要塞は大きく、非常に目に付く建造物であり、私達が求めているものは多少違っています。「海岸に近づくにつれ、要塞跡は地表に同化していくのが分かります。高級ヴィラであるCap Martinの間に立っており、毎日側を通っていても気がつかないでしょう。」(Bunker Research) おそらく99.9%の観光客がGros ouvrage du Cap Martinに気づかないでしょう。将校7人と353人の軍人が配されていた大きさではありますが。日光浴を楽しむ人々がイタリア国境へと続く海岸沿いに並び、次の目的地へと向かう道のりは非現実的な感覚を覚えます。1940年のサン・ルイ橋の戦いの中心地となった場所であるのは皮肉といえるでしょう。「Secteur Fortifé des Alpes-Maritimesは、アルプスで最も防御が高い地域となりました。最も多種なものであり、ボネット峠にほぼ届くほどの高さです。北方の平地よりもかなりの工夫を要する建築だったといえるでしょう。結果として素晴らしいフォルムが生み出されました。」(Bunker Research) 山頂を地下のラビリンスのような構造に作り変え、地表から覗く円形状の構造はコンクリート氷山の一角というのがふさわしいでしょう。Gros Ouvrage Sainte-Agnés（マドン峠の中間地点にある）の南と北に面するクロッシュは、山頂全体の設備をよく表しています。Sainte-Agnésから次のRoute Stratégiqueへ向かい、Col de Castillonを通るルートからでも遠くに見ることができます。Cime de BaussonとCol de Verroux間の曲がりくねった渓谷の素晴らしい軍用ルートを通り、山に沿ってCol de Castillonへ向かいます。「海からそれほど遠くないソスペル周辺の盆地は、特に防御が高い地域でした。砲塔が街を囲むように配置され、掩体壕は岩場に隠れるように作られ、クロッシェはオリーブ木の側に立っていました。」(Bunker Research) Gros Ouvrage de Castillonは渓谷から東向きに立ち、1920年にはイタリアのファシズムによる脅威に立ち向かうものとして捉えられていました。イタリアの攻撃を避けるために長居はしないほうが良さそうです（ソスペルのスーパーが閉まる前に街へ降りる必要もあったわけですが）。 ソスペルは貿易が盛んな町で、Bevéra川には渡る度に税金がかけられていました。夜のキャンプのためにMonte Grossoで必要なものを買い揃える必要があります。パン、チーズ、そしてもちろんワインも。常にワインは欠かせません。「地下のトンネルネットワークの存在に気付くと、かつては軍人が行き交っていたことが感じられるでしょう。」(Bunker Research) 次のRoute Stratégiqueは意図的に行き止まりとなっています。夜の滞在予定場所となっているMonte Grossoの巨大な施設があり、掩体壕の上で眠ることは、このツアーの最大ハイライトとも言えます。 引き込み可能なシェルを発砲する砲塔（Bunker Researchが最後に訪れた時より位置が上げられていたのが気になりますが）は理想的なサイドボードとなり、当時地下で攻撃をひっそりと待ち受けていた軍隊のことを思うと、上で眠ることは正当でないかもしれません。地上の潜水艦のようなものです。新鮮な空気を吸い込み、恐れるのは虫の攻撃だけです。将校の部屋、軍人兵舎、大砲室、リフト、弾薬を運ぶ小さな鉄道に囲まれ、独特の雰囲気が流れています。「山道を走るとリボン状に曲がり、登につれて輪郭に沿ってカーブします。掩体壕を調べるということは、より行きにくい場所を目指して進まなくてはいけません。アルプ＝マリティームは軍地であり、スポーツにも向いた土地であることが分かります。」(Bunker Research) 収納された「軽量ツアー用バイク」を800メートルの登りを含めて 3 時間にわたり担いで進み、最後にはバイクが軽量であることが疑わしくなってきたほどでした。森を抜け開いた山頂を通り、垂直に茂る草原には無数のバッタが飛び交い、写真家のAnttonは、フィンランドに帰ってたくさんのブルーベリーが食べたくなったと口をこぼすような道のりでした。この後にタンド峠の向こう側にあるイタリア避難場所に辿り着けるのでしょうか？「現在のRoya渓谷は無人の土地のような雰囲気が漂っています。フランスでもなければイタリアでもなく、ただ地が広がっています。」Bunker Research) Breil-sur-Royaではたくさんのブルーベリーを見つけることはできませんでしたが、Casterinoへ向けて渓谷を登る前に川で一息つきました。国境のどちら側にいるのでしょう？街へのクライムがあまりにも美しく、細かいことは気になりません。木々、なめらかなターマック、スイッチバック、釣りをはじめたくなる衝動に駆られる川に囲まれ、アルプス高地にいることが実感できます。中には釣竿を取り出して、スナイパーのように獲物を狙い出すメンバーが出てきました。イタリア避難所まで辿り着くのは難しそうです。「De Gaulle。Authionでの最後の攻撃を利用してタンドの戦略的ルートを作り、ヨーロッパの勝利3日前に達成しました。1947年にパリ平和条約が 結ばれ、タンドは100年以来初めてフランスのものとなりました。」(Bunker Research) 日が暮れる前にタンドを越える予定は、ハイキングと釣りの寄り道の影響で無理なのは明らかでした。祝日の混雑した週末にCasterinoで滞在するのは不可能でしょう。代わりにVallauria村で滞在することになり、部屋に入る前に食事を勧められ、全ての滞在がこうであればいいのにと願うような素晴らしい出迎えを受けました。 2 日目の夜は岩の多い地下の設備を見つけ、翌朝早くに世界最高のグラベルロードを通ってタンド峠を越える準備をします。 Casterino上のループからの素晴らしい景色に息を呑みます（タンドトンネルが閉鎖されていても車が通っています）。喧騒から逃れた、急勾配の絶景です。滝に水はなく、釣りは無理そうです。Baisse de Peyrefique尾根の Casterino渓谷頂上に近づくと、ムッソリーニの軍隊が築いたイタリアの掩体壕があり、フランスの作りとはかなり異なっていることが分かります。より目立つ位置に建設されており、牧場の人々が家畜を追いかけています。草の道の上を通ってくれと頼むように言われるのが不思議なのですが。 尾根の上部ではロードはフラットになり、山に沿うように走ると巨大なFort Centralと掩体壕へ向かうタンド峠の素晴らしい65個のヘアピンカーブが姿を現します。「車を運転していても、バイク走行中も、ルートをハイキングちゅうも、監視されていることに気付くでしょう。過去の目があなたの進み方を見張り、攻撃をしてくるかのようです。」(Bunker Research) 祝日の観光客で溢れる峠に到着し、Chalet de Marmotteは車やサンバイザー姿で混み合っていました。1800メートル標高のスキーシャレーでデッキチェアを出して日光浴をしている人々もいます。しかし、彼らが行ったことのない場所に我々は行き、彼らが見たことのない光景を見ました。頭上にある過去の目を意識せずにはいられないのです。 Fort Centralは巨大で、中を走行します。無数に並ぶ空室が廃墟となった建造物の雰囲気を増し、静けさで聴力がかき消されたかのような感覚さえ覚えます。「ここに配属された経験のある兵士で生きている方はいません。記憶と忘却の間を記録するのがBunker Researchの役割です。」(Bunker Research) Fort Centralから下降し、掩体壕を通り過ぎ、タンド峠へとスムーズに進みます。Piedmontへと続くメインルートには、Route 66似のマシンガンのある観光案内センターがあり、軍服に身を包んだマネキンが並んでいます。軍の歴史から収入を得るアプローチに苦笑いを隠せませんでした。 脚注： 写真 - Antton Miettinen。文 - Max Leonard