Tar fondu Life in France is great but it’s not without its problems, the relentless politicisation of every minor event, teenagers on mopeds with modified exhausts that make a vuvuzuela sound soothing and… melting roads. Picture the scene, you are descending a stunning route and suddenly round a bend to discover the road is melting, … Read more
Sorry but I’m not going to write a big Tour de France preview. They all say the same thing: Contador’s the favourite Andy Schleck’s his closest challenge Those cobbles could cost someone the race Can Wiggins go better? Eugene Christophe broke his forks in the Pyrenees …I could go on, take a look at some … Read more
Cyclismag.com is a French website that punches above its weight. It seems to pick up stories before everyone else, and it’s often quick to relay news from other media sources, making it almost a news aggregation service. It’s something I read almost every day and I’m not alone. British-owned Cyclingnews.com seems to collect a lot … Read more
When I wrote how Rapha got the French and Italian colours mixed up on their “Country Jersey”, it became the most popular item on here in March, thousands of people visited these pages, including, I think, some people from Rapha. Well now they have a new item in time for the Tour de France, the … Read more
If you haven’t lived in France – I’m not talking about a holiday – then you probably don’t understand how much life here can be politicised. It has its plus points but it means that even the little things become swept up into the big deal. No exception, the humiliation of the French soccer team … Read more
Some interesting information landed in my lap the other day and, via Twitter, I asked for some in the cycling world to offer advice. It’s not the biggest story in the cycling world but it involved some big names so I didn’t want to splurge the details on here without reflecting on it. I’m grateful … Read more
Ah, Monaco! Monte Carlo! Images of the Formula 1 GP, Grace Kelly, James Bond holding court at the casino, the shimmering seas, the yachts. It’s all good. Only it’s not quite like that. Yes it can be a pleasant part of the world but not everyone likes it. I do some work for small outfit … Read more
Having watched the Dauphiné on French TV it was nice to be able to watch the race on a proper TV screen rather than a pirate feed over the internet. But it wasn’t perfect thanks to the commentary on France Télévisions. The pair of sports generalist Thierry Adam and ex-rider Laurent Jalabert doesn’t work. Thierry … Read more
…I’ll have to ride the the Col de Chaussy The col features this incredible series of hairpins. But further on the road becomes unsurfaced, so even better you simply turn around and enjoy the bends on the way down. It’s on the Maurienne valley and starts here. For more details on this climb, see the … Read more
On Thursday Stage 4 of the Dauphiné goes to Risoul, the first summit finish of the stage race. It’s a climb that’s not been used much before, so here is a brief introduction: Risoul ProfileClimb By Bike has the full profile and states “the Risoul – Station ascent is 14 km long. Over this distance, … Read more