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

What about Joe ? We’d been told there would be no helicopters. That the Mercan’Tour National Park didn’t care if it was the second biggest Grand Tour in the world, that this beautiful landscape only stays that way by not giving in to commercial pressures. We were told wrong.The sudden thump of rotor blades announces the aerial armada from the southern side of the mountain and heads turn upwards to see the single dot in the sky circle the Cime de la Bonette. It's not alone for long. Another appears and then another. The race is close. There may be whirly birds but there is definitely NO caravan on this mountain and with only one bar of 3G, every 15 minutes or so getting information is like pulling teeth. Eventually Twitter tells us that Nieve is 9 minutes up the road with a chasing group between him and the peloton. But what about Joe? The motos arrive first at the deserted military camp below. Then the cars. Will we see that bright green jersey that we're waiting for? A sole rider, obviously Nieve, appears as if from nowhere, inching towards us. We’ve got almost a 10 minute view of the approach to our vantage point 1.5kms before the GPM. That’s good spectating for us and a painful slog for the riders who’ve already climbed 19.5kms from Jausiers. Standing on the 80cms strip of gravel between the remaining snow banks and the road, we still expect a gendarme to tell us to stand back. But this is the Col de la Bonette, and the road has been closed for 3 hours so the crowds are limited. We have our toes on the tarmac as the peloton approaches. What about Joe?It’s the very same tarmac that we rode yesterday with some friends and partners. A bit of local knowledge and forethought had us staying in the Gite de Bousieyas; located on the southern side of the climb, 12kms down from the Col on what will be the penultimate descent of the stage. The objective was to remind ourselves of why we are all in this industry, to use the great leveler of riding mountains together for a shared experience away from daily business life. (It also happened to be good preparation for La Mercan'Tour Café du Cycliste). From London, Copenhagen, Vienna and the Ariege (Pyrenees) the Café du Cycliste Giro team arrived in Nice on Thursday afternoon and were sharing a beer that evening outside the gite whilst Claude, our host, had his binoculars out to observe the deer on the slopes across the valley, as if to make the point that this is no ordinary corporate jolly. Claude and his wife, Laurence, choose to live and operate their business in a commune that is only served by a clear road for 6 months of the year, such is its height halfway up the climb. They serve us a dinner cooked from hand-picked produce, with local wine and washed down by their specialty aperitif - thé de hysope - from the slopes we are here to climb, which hopefully has performance benefits similar to Vincenzo Nibali’s acupuncture treatments….. But what about Joe?Everyone’s legs are tired after yesterday’s efforts. Starting with 8% gradients on a 12kms climb with less oxygen than normal was no easy introduction. The joke from last night’s dinner conversation about your Garmin telling you you’re at 105% of your max heart rate is becoming reality. Fast forward to the other side of Jausiers and the 'smaller' ascent of the Col de Vars. Wise men in the group realize the easy start means the latter half of the climb may have a kick to it. And indeed it did. Was this justification for the 4 course meal including a cheese board in Jausiers prior to the ascent of the northern side of Bonette? Possibly not. Some of us push on the final climb, some enjoy the view – you get what you want from cycling, there is no right or wrong way to ride. And Joe? Joe? More dots appear below us, interspersed with motos and cars. No bright green jersey yet though. A pair of riders, one from IAM Cycling and one from Etixx Quickstep seem to be riding without conviction - a chasse patate perhaps. And then the main breakaway appears with our man on the front. Don’t do too much work Joe! Local knowledge means he’s doing his turn before the wind hits on the final 2km approach to the Col (we hope). We wait anxiously as the group climbs towards us. Max takes another swig of brandy from his hip flask to calm his nerves. He is the most personally invested in Joe’s performance today. The group approaches us at a good consistent pace, working well together at this stage to stay away. And Joe. He looks like he’s on a Sunday ride. So smooth, so relaxed, he pops a two-fingered peace sign to Max with a huge smile on his face as he rides past us. We are immediately convinced he will win the stage. We have to wait for the peloton and pretend we care about them before being able to ride back up past the GPM signs and descend down to the gite to get plugged into the WIFI and live stage coverage. The question still on everyone's mind; ‘What about Joe?’On the descent we also wonder if Camille got the shots he hiked one hour and many meters up to the fort above the gite for. The life of a photographer is sometimes unenviable - choosing the ideal location, gambling with the weather, adapting to the light - it seemingly has as many variables and chance as it takes to do what Joe was attempting - to win a grand tour stage. Some of the team depart early to make flights home but three of us remain huddled around an iPad on the floor in the dormitory, with the door wedged open to ensure a strong WIFI connection as Joe attacks on the Col de la Lombarde. Now what about Joe? Two days after the finish of the race Joe is in the Café buying his mum birthday presents and sharing thoughts on which Niçois restaurant to take her to. His parents have been in Europe for a week not only cheering on their boy but riding the climbs of the race before him. That’s passion. Of course, he’s disappointed not to have won the stage - he wanted that win badly. But he tells us he had fun on his ‘home’ roads and that it was great that friends and family cheered him on the Bonette and Lombarde climbs. Much like we did with our friends and partners. Same mountains, same sport, same enjoyment, different viewpoints. The beauty of cycling in two days; objective achieved.

The cannibal & the couillole Eddy Merckx, wearing the yellow jersey, rode the Col de la Couillole in 1975 on the way from Nice to Pra-Loup during Stage 15 of that year's Tour. It was a day that went down in Tour history - just as the first edition of La Mercan’Tour Café du Cycliste will take a prominent place in the cycling albums of the 499 lucky riders who tackle the same Col before the finish line in Valberg.The Tour riders had enjoyed a rest day in the sun before they set off, and it was much-needed for Eddy who had been punched in the kidneys by a spectator while chasing an attack on the Puy de Dôme. Meanwhile, Bernard Thévenet, who managed to drop Merckx on the previous stage was obviously condisering another day of courage in the hope of being in yellow for Bastille Day.It’s impossible to say what was going through the mind of the Cannibal as he turned onto the Col de Couillole. Most likely it was his default primary thought – “when will I attack and make them suffer“. But looking in the history books, surely there must have been some doubt - since the Tour had hit the Pyrenees and the climbs of the Massif Central he had been losing time to Thévenet and Zoetemelk. On top of that, during the rest day he’d been forced to consume a concoction of painkillers and, worse, blood thinners as a result of that punch.Riders on La Mercan’Tour may have their own doubts when they exit the Tinée valley to start the 15.9kms climb from Saint-Sauveur-de-Tinée. Look at the profile on Strava and you’ll see one of utter consistency, which after Cols Cayolle and Bonette can only be interpreted as one thing – no breaks. But unlike Merckx and his fellow riders in 1975 who had to face three more major climbs, the Couillole is the final climb of the day on La Mercan’Tour. The experinence of riding it will be defined by the amount of remaining energy reserves of each rider, so like any climb, it’s best to break it down in sections. The first few kilometres are still beside the Tinée valley and can be spent admiring the increasingly higher view of Saint-Sauveur sitting pretty on the elbow of the river below. Track the steep chemins and goat tracks on the other side of the valley and be thankful for the smooth tarmac below you.The second section leaves the Tinée valley behind and winds it’s way up the deep Vionène river valley towards Roubion, which sits tantalisingly on the skyline in the distance. After riding through the rocks and tunnel a few straighter sections might have been where Merckx would have attacked had he been en forme, streaking off in the distance allowing his competitors to see his strength as he left. But not on that day in 1975. Emerging from the gorge-like valley, arrival at Roubion signals that only 5kms of the climb remain. We wonder if Eddy was apprehensive approaching the village, fearing the locals on the roadside might throw another fist. We can imagine him surrounding himself with a wall of domestiques to ensure there was no repeat of the incident. The road hairpins left at the entry of the commune to head into the more open, alpine section of the climb. Meadows, a wider road and signs for the ski slopes signal that the final summit of a big, big day is edging closer. A final effort up through pine trees straightens then kinks before the Col itself. At this stage with the first major climb done maybe Merckx decided he was strong enough to increase the pressure and then attack on the penultimate climb, the Col d’Allos. He would then try and hold on for the uphill finish to Pra-Loup. That attack did, of course, get him a gap and caused chaos behind, with the Bianchi team car crashing off the road and ejecting its mechanic as it tried to keep up. But it also led to the Cannibal's famous défaillance on the final slopes before Pra-Loup. A rare moment of weakness which showed that he was in fact mortal, and is memorable exactly because of his otherwise impenetrable strength. One other lesser known fact from the 1975 Tour – it was the year they introduced the polka dot jersey to increase recognition of the climbers' competition. It took its design from the wrappers of Poulain chocolate, the first sponsors of the jersey. Now there is something every finisher of La Mercan’Tour will deserve – recognition for their climbing heroics. And chocolate.__________________________________ If you need a summer target but prefer to do it away from the maddening crowds of the Marmotte and the Etape du Tour in one of France's most beautiful national parks, within a 1.5 hour drive from the beach, sign up for La Mercan'Tour Café du Cycliste

Giro preparation Every year, we at Café du Cycliste head north, into the backcountry close to Nice, to climb the Col de la Bonette on the first day the road opens. It’s become a tradition that signals the start of summer for us, one which usually happens in mid May. This year we went earlier. The Giro is passing over the Bonette on 28 May, on the penultimate day before its finish in Torino. To get to France it will cross the 2,744m Colle Agnello, the Cima Coppi (the highest point passed by the race this year). At 2,715m, the Bonette col road is scarcely less formidable (there is a little loop that is even higher, that the race is not taking); but, in truth, any pass over 2,000m will be difficult going in May. Think back to infamous Giro stages on the Passo dello Stelvio in 2014 , or the Gavia in 1987, for a picture of what could be to come. So why do it? Glory, for some riders, suffering for others, and beautiful pictures of the Mercantour National Park, where the Bonette is situated, for millions of TV viewers. We travelled in convoy with Didier, Eric, Bernard and Aurelien, the municipal road-clearing crew, driving behind them as they started their day’s work. We stopped while they unlocked the wooden gate barring the road, drove through, stopped again while they locked it again behind us. It was Wednesday 20 April and they had already been working for two weeks. The Friday before, they had reached the col; now, they were going down the other side, and were stuck in deep powder about a kilometre and a half from the top. Just below, marooned in the white sweep of unbroken snow was a large stone barracks, a reminder of why the road existed: until 1860, all of these mountains – and Nice – belonged to Italy. Only then, when Napoleon III took control of the County of Nice, was the Bonette road built, to protect Nice and to hitch the area definitively to France.While Eric and Bernard widened and tidied the work on the south side, Aurelien and Didier’s task was to make progress down towards Jausiers, the first village to the north. First Aurelien, in the fraiseuse à neige – the snowblower – would clear a narrow passage. Where the snow was more than about 1.5m high, that meant rolling up a snow slope made by Didier, who was driving a gigantic digger, to roll on top of unknown depths of snow and make a first pass. After that, Didier would clean up behind, widening the cut and digging down until the black tarmac emerged from underneath its white coat.On a good day, in shallow snow, they could advance a kilometer, Aurelien said. Today, in drifts up to six metres high, they simply couldn’t get going: Aurelien was having difficulty attacking the high wall in front. Finally, after a moment teetering on the edge, the rollers on the front of the snowblower cut into the vertical barrier, and a fine stream of white crystals sprayed high into the blue air, and down the slopes to the left. We were off.What’s the game plan once you get going? “Orient yourself on the snow poles, and aim just above them,” Aurelien said.And hope for the best, he could have added. There was a constant struggle to keep the snow-cutting equipment level as the truck tipped sideways and threatened to fall down the slope. More than once Didier had to take time out from shoveling huge snow boulders to tow the snowblower backwards, out of the crevice in which it had got stuck. Apart from that, accidents are rare, though in case of disaster all the guys wear avalanche beacons.Once the road is clear, the black Tarmac heats in the sun, further melting the snow at the edges – making it safer for riders and spectators at the Giro, as well as the other cyclists, motorcyclists and hikers who use the Route de la Bonette as soon as it is opened. It’s not only important for the Giro: the valleys on either side see a 30% benefit to their economy once they are turned from ‘col de sacs’ into destinations on the tourist route over the highest road in Europe. And after the first big effort, any new snow – even heavy falls – can quickly and easily be cleared by a regular snowplough. The only potential problem for the Giro, predicted Aurelien’s boss, Monsieur Fabron, would be a big storm on the day of the stage itself. By mid afternoon, the newly uncovered road had turned into a slushy stream in the sun, and it was time for the men to stop work. Aurelien left the snowblower at the snow face, headed up to base and drove back down in the snowplough, to refuel his machine.Then we shook hands and they were gone, leaving us on a deserted, silent road above the locked barrier, free to ride our bikes between huge walls of snow as the sun disappeared behind the peaks.

Kong Fùfù: The man, the myth and the unmasking… It was the opening of Café du Cycliste’s new home in the old Port of Nice that drew the mythical Kong Fùfù out of hiding. Or at least we like to think so. But whatever the reason was, when he surfaced for a double espresso recently we couldn’t resist the opportunity to learn more. We were lucky enough to arrange a sortie into his natural habitat and after following him (as best we could) up some lesser known climbs and then taking more than a few moments to draw breath, we sat down and started firing.CdC: It’s hard to believe that an amateur cyclist can beat the pros on the testing cols of the Cóte d’Azur. Surely you must be an ex-pro?No, I’ve never been a pro. I was an elite mountain bike rider between 1998 and 2004 so I rode in teams with riders who went on to become professional road cyclists but I didn’t follow them.CdC: So you were good enough for the pro ranks, you just choose not to take that route?I don’t know if I was good enough, I’ll never know for sure. I have had experience training with pros, racing a few of them on the MTB and obviously the Strava times give an indication, but that’s not the same as actually competing in the pro road racing ranks.CdC: Who did you ride with who went on to go pro? Can you name names?I used to ride a lot with Alexander Blain (who has ridden for Team Cofidis, Endura Racing and Raleigh), we had a lot of fun. I remember riding the Col de la Bonette with him way back in 1999. I had a GT bicycle that weighed about 10kg and the highest gear was a 42x23. We arrived at Bousieyas, and he was very upset. He asked me to go slower but I told him ”I can't, I have a 42 on the front and I'm on the 23 at the back, I can't go slower!”CdC: Now we’re really intrigued, can you drop some more?I entered an endurance MTB race back in 2002 where there were quite a few top riders on the starting line. I remember thinking I had to start fast if I was going to keep up with them and so I followed Jerome Chiotti (ex Festina and 1996 World MTB Champion) and Peter Pouly up the first climb, which went on for about an hour. Eventually after 90 minutes I was caught by Jean-Christophe Peraud! I finished about 15th in that race but remember him coming to congratulate me after the race for the way I rode.CdC: What about road racing, did that ever appeal? Not until about ten years later! By then I was 35 years old but I decided to race in some road races. I finished 4th in the Tour de Corse and during that race placed 2nd behind Antoine Lavieu on the Mont Faron Climb. Antoine was at AVC Aix, and that year he won a stage at the Tour du Val d'Aoste before being signed for the La Pomme Marseille team in 2013, so he was pretty quick. CdC: And so was it after that you decided to go Strava hunting? I didn’t really decide to, in fact it was much more of an accident. A friend of mine told me I should register on Strava but I was riding without any computers and I was not very interested. But he insisted I take his old Garmin and that’s how it started. CdC: Do you remember the first KOM you got? I think the first climb was Côte de Peille (which usually features in the queen stage of Paris-Nice) but actually it was something that happened around the same time that sort of motivated me. It was very hot day in August but I had this crazy thought that I should go and climb Col de la Madone. I must have been crazy that day because I really attacked it from the start and about 3km before St Agnès I saw a guy climbing above me in the distance. I thought he must be as mad as me to climb in this heat but when caught him I saw that he had a Team Sky jersey and a Pinarello. Just as I reached his back wheel I realised that it was Ritchie Porte! I immediately congratulated him for their victory that year in the Tour with Chris Froome. We shared some words but as he seemed to be riding quite slowly and suffering, I wished him a bonne journée, accelerated and continued to climb. CdC: Not every day you leave someone like Porte in your wheel (to say the least), that must have encouraged you to compete with the pros over segments? It gave me a kick for sure. After that I started to share my rides and ride my favourite climbs to see how I would compare. Then about a year later Strava sent me a video of my activities: and I had more than 380 KOMs.CdC: Definite proof you could compete with the pros. Over Strava segments at least! And of course that was another kick and the start of a period when I really raced for KOMs with a few different guys. The two I ‘virtually raced’ regularly with were Ian Boswell and Joe Dombrowski. I knew that some of their followers thought that I was a cheat and were saying that I took the KOMs with a car. But they were great, when we fought for the ‘La Redoute’ segment and I eventually retook it Peter Kenaugh tweeted 'Kong Fufu is going!' CdC: The pros were taking notice but did you ever ride with them? Never. For two years we raced on Strava but I’d never met Joe or Ian. This summer I was at Café du Cycliste when Joe arrived. Of course there was no reason for him to recognise me and he went to speak to Mikael the mechanic. After a few minutes, Mikael asked Joe whether he knew who I was but Joe had no idea. Mikael explained that I was Kong FuFu ad Joe immediately got out his phone to take a photo, as if I was about to disappear! That was really very nice. CdC: But your riding isn’t all about KOMs is it? Not at all, that was just a period. And also I made a decision to run more as well. I love trail running as it really gets you into the wilderness of the mountains and to some very beautiful places. CdC: We’ve seen your Instagram feed, it looks like it shows every nook and cranny of the Alpes—Maritimes and the Mercantour National Park ? Quite a few of them anyway! I love to explore, on my bike and on foot. That’s where the real enjoyment is for me, riding to discover new places and have new adventures. Nowadays I lose more KOMs than I gain, that’s for sure. CdC: Which must bother you a little bit? Not at all. CdC: Just a tiny little bit? No, okay, I admit, I’m curious sometimes. Like when I lost the ‘Mont des Mules’ segment by 20s and then a couple of days later I lost Col de la Madone by 50s to the same guy, his name was Shaky Shake.CdC: Suddenly you knew how other people felt? Exactly. And over the following months I kept getting the Strava emails telling me I’d lost my KOMs to the same guy. Every time I lost another one I wondered who he was and after a while I thought I would have to find out. CdC: And did you manage to? Eventually. I kept checking where he was on his Strava profile, I saw he was in Tenerife during the winter for example, and then I talked to some people I know. Finally I found someone who knew. Shaky Shake is…Lieuwe Westra! CdC: Lieuwe Westra , the new Kong FùFù...there's just one more thing we obviously have to ask, about your name? That's easy, it was my young son mispronouncing a cartoon character, I thought it sounded good so I used it. CdC: We actually meant your real name...your actual name...you must have a real name...where are you going? If you’d like to see how you stack up again the man himself (Kong Fùfù that is), join the Café du Cycliste Strava club.

Lookbook Passoni Titanium steeds in house livery. Now available to rent.

We ride on the moon “Ils on roulé sur la Lune” (‘they rode on the moon’), was journalist Philippe Bouvet’s description of the Grand Boucle’s venture up Col de la Bonette in 1993. In fact, that year the peloton passed over the extension of the Col to the summit, the Cime de la Bonette, which, at 2,802 meters high, is the highest point the Tour has reached in its entire history. While Google encourage employees to spend 20% of their time on personal projects and Amazon apparently still make their desks out of old doors, here at Café du Cycliste we have a few of our own eccentric traditions. One of which, with the village of Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée only 90km away, is to ride the Col de la Bonette as soon as it opens.This year we had to wait what felt like an agonising full five days after the scheduled opening until the snow ploughs were finally able to do their job. We received daily updates from the Valée Ubaye organisation until the Col finally opened on the 13th May and on the 14th, we were there. This is what it looked like.As a result of more snow, the Col closed three days after we rode it so if you plan to go, check with Valée Ubaye before leaving as anything can happen when you are so high above sea level.And don’t forget if you want to come and ride it with us, we are opening our new premises very soon and have some exceedingly special bikes to take you up an equally special road.

First day at the office The 34 switchbacks of the small road squeezed between the French and Italian border have brought us to the top of the Col de Tende. The light’s starting to fade, it’s our fourth col of the day, the elevation clock on my Garmin has just ticked past 3,000, the last 3.5kms were gravel and I’ve got a puncture. From what I can tell as I wrestle with tyre levers, the topic of conversation seems to be whether we now have enough time to hammer the 15kms back to Tende to make our train. A calculation complicated by the fact that no one seems quite sure what time the train actually leaves. It’s the first day of a new job and for a moment there’s only one thought that comes to mind. How the hell did I get here? Cause and effect are never the easiest things to pin down but I suppose it started with a throwaway remark from a close friend. ‘You need to get out of your box’, my particular ‘box’ being an office in a Belfast law firm and the repetitive grind that went with it. Working files, reviewing forests of mind-numbing documents and constantly advising clients on the ‘worst case scenario’. One thing I've learned is that spending too much time advising people on the worst cast scenario probably isn’t good for your psyche and can be equally damaging to your soul. There are, after all, other scenarios available in life. Inspired by regular trips, the best case scenario for my wife and I gradually revealed itself to be making a life on the Cote d’Azur. Menton was our destination of choice, the last stop on the road before Italy and a town of pastel colours set against a sparkling blue sea. ‘La Perle de France’ sometimes seems like the forgotten dot on this part of the coast and, note to all here, I’m perfectly happy if it stays that way. On each visit we relaxed more quickly, picking the finest fresh food from the Belle Epoque style covered market, sipping a noisette between sleeps and swims on the beach before enjoying an Aperol Spritz drenched in the evening sun. Lovely as it all was, in truth a sedentary beach life doesn’t much suit me and I spent much of our first visit staring up at the mountains surrounding the bay and wondering. A year later I brought my bike with us and that, as they say when they can’t think of anything pithy, was quite simply that.For while Menton is certainly enchanting, it’s deep in the Alpes-Maritimes behind the coast that an exploring or aspiring cyclist can find happiness and perhaps even a Zen like serenity. Within 1.5km of my front door I found myself tackling 15% gradients on the infamous Col de la Madone, from the sea to the sky in 13 painful kilometers. In that first week alone I passed a shepherd herding his mountain goats (not the lycra clad ones) on the Madone, an elderly couple harvesting thyme at the side of the road on the Col de Braus and a film crew shooting a yellow Citroen ‘Deux Chevaux’ (2CV) in 3D on the Col du Turini. All mini-dramas in their own way, all memorable extras to sit alongside the epic views and beautiful winding roads that whispered this was where I should be.And now here I am. After first meeting Remi , co-founder of Café du Cycliste, some three years ago when I dropped into the office to buy a jersey and grilling him sporadically for tips and contacts for the move that I’d mentally almost already made, our paths crossed again a couple of months ago. We were already on our way by that stage, bags packed and goodbyes said, but when an opportunity arose at the company it seemed like the last piece of a six year puzzle was finally slotting in to place. So what happens next? I honestly don’t know but first things first. Let’s just see if we can catch that bloody train.

Taking a 2CV HC According to legend, the Tour de France's climbs are categorised by the gear that a Citroën 2CV, the iconically French car, had to use to successfully make it to the top. Category 4, the lowest categorisation for the easiest hills, was possible in fourth gear; Category 3 in third gear, and so on. Hors Categorie, or 'beyond categorisation' was reserved for those climbs which a 2CV could not drive up. While it's true that the Deux Chevaux (the name means 'two horses', as in 2hp) was not made for climbing mountains it's probably not true that it was the source of the classifications. The Tour de France categorisations were created in 1947; at first, the mountains were only divided into first- and second-category climbs, and the HC designation was only introduced in 1975. 2CVs, on the other hand, were not manufactured until 1948 and by 1975 had 602hp at their disposal rather than the 375 they were born with post-war – more of a Trois Chevaux you might say. More likely it was a Hotchkiss, the car used for years by Tour founder Henri Desgrange, that would be struggling up the climbs and needing gear selection advice. And Alpe d’Huez has always been an HC climb, yet the road is purpose built so that the biggest, heaviest vehicles can deliver their goods or their people to the popular ski resort above.These days, the classification of an individual climb can change from year to year depending on where it comes and what else is happening in the stage, and its category depends a lot more on how important the organisers want that climb to be in the King of the Mountains competition.For our Autumn/Winter 2014 photoshoot we took a 2CV Fourgonette van into the high mountains.First, we went to the top of the Cime de la Bonette at dawn, to catch the sunrise on the highest paved road in Europe. It's only an hour's drive from Nice but it's cold and wild and barren up there, and only a day or two after our visit the first snow was settling on the peaks around it. Taking the 2CV up that tiny, deserted road was a struggle, and eventually it had to 'rest' to get over its exertions. It was not the road's fault – more the combined weight of the photographer, passengers and several bikes and models that jumped in and out along the way. Let's call it an Hors Catégorie photoshoot.

サン＝ジャン＝カップ＝フェラ コート・ダジュールにある比較的楽なトレイルコースの1つ。120 メートルの垂直降下は、初心者ランナーのみならず経験豊富なアスリートも楽しめるルート。スピードを出して降下する方が明らかにタフ（そして予想以上に危険）であるため、選ぶペースによって難易度が異なるでしょう。 ニースから電車に乗り、ボーリュー＝シュル＝メール駅で下車することも可能。その後「アリの湾」と呼ばれる出発点に到達するまでそれほど遠くありません。19世紀初頭は同地域は自然に囲まれており、海藻が波によって運ばれて積み重なり、巨大な蟻塚を形成しました。 村を出た後の最初の主なクロッシングポイントは、海岸の絶景が広がるパロマビーチ。海水浴を楽しむ人々で溢れる前の早朝に海岸に辿り着くのは良策です。朝の光を受けた海は息を呑む美しさ。 急勾配や岩で形成された入江を時折含むルートは分かりやすいでしょう。 岬の先端にある信号所の高さに岩で彫られた天然階段は、ルートの主なチャレンジ。海に到着する前に多少テクニカルな部分もあります。灼熱の太陽の下で挑戦するこのルートを終えた後には、ひと泳ぎするのがおすすめ。 モン・ボロン カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステをスタート地点とするルート。荷物を置く必要がある方や、多く時間がとれない方に最適なコース。 詳しく見る ドッグズヘッド 山頂からモナコの素晴らしい景色を望み、マラビーチでフィニッシュする比較的テクニカルなトレイル。 詳しく見る エズの海岸からニースへ Nietzscheロードを介して美しいリヴィエラの村々からエズの岩場、そしてニースへ。 詳しく見る ニース トレイルランニング ガイド ニースを訪れるランナーは、どのルートを選択しても永遠に滞在したくなるような素晴らしい地形と景色を堪能することができるでしょう。 詳しく見る