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?

Bunker Research-Tour „Anders als die Berge, die von der Ewigkeit erzählen können, sprechen die Bunker von einem Moment – dem Augenblick einer schrecklichen und entschlossenen Auswirkung – einem Moment, der sonst niemals eingetroffen ist.“ (Bunker Research) „Bunker Research“ ist ein Buch das von zwei einflussreichen Personen des Radsports voriges Jahr veröffentlicht wurde: dem Autor Max Leonard und der Fotografin Camille McMillan. Dieses Werk analysiert die verborgene Geschichte der Moderne in den Bergen. Diese besonderen Berge sind zufällig diejenigen, die wir befahren. Deshalb begleiten wir ein paar Monate nach der Veröffentlichung den Trupp der Bunker Tour, der aus Max und dem Tourenspezialisten Stefan (von Pannier.cc) besteht. Wir stellen eine schöne Flotte von Gravel-Rädern zusammen und beladen sie mit allen Notwendigkeiten für eine dreitägige, umfangreiche Feldforschung. “Wenn man sich einmal die bloße Anzahl der Einrichtungen vergegenwärtigt, die sich in den Bergen tummeln, fällt auf, dass die Straße oder die Spur auf der man sich befindet , und die zunächst so unschuldig wirkte, ursprünglich vom Militär errichtet wurde und dass sie auch ein Rolle in dem Drama gespielt hat.” (Bunker Research) Diese Straßen, Wege und Pfade sind in Frankreich als Routes Stratégiques bekannt und wurden für militärische Zwecke errichtet, um Soldaten, Waffen, Fahrzeuge und alle weiteren militärischen Ausrüstungen zur Verteidigung der Front zu transportieren, und natürlich wurden auch die Materialien zum Bunkerbau selbst dorthin geschafft. Für diese Reise sind sie unsere Autobahn, unsere schnellste und einzige Option, um per Bike zu den Bunkern zu gelangen, und sie besitzen zumeist einen Belag aus Schotter, also Gravel. Innerhalb von 30 Minuten, nachdem wir das Café verlassen haben, befinden wir uns bereits auf der ersten Route Stratégique, die auf der Hinterseite des Mont Leuze und des Mont Fourche zum Col d’Èze führt. Von hieraus klettern wir weiter zum Fort de la Revère, das etwa 50 Jahre älter ist als die Bunker. So wie historische Wege verlaufen, haben wir es geschafft, am Anfang der Geschichte zu beginnen (was wir natürlich vorher geplant hatten). Allerdings ist das Fort groß und offensichtlich beeindruckend, jedoch ist das, worauf wir aus sind, ein völlig anderes Betonungeheuer.„Näher an der Küste haben sich die Überreste in die Umgebung integriert. Sie …sitzen zwischen den teuren Villen von Cap Martin…Man mag an ihnen jeden Tag vorbeifahren ohne sie genauer zu betrachten.“ (Bunker Research) Wir schätzen, dass 99,9% der Touristen niemals die Bunkeranlage Gros Ouvrage du Cap Martin bemerkt haben, und doch behauste sie einst 7 Offiziere und 353 Mann. Bei einem Blick über die Panzerglocke sieht man, wie sich die Sonnenanbeter entlang der Bucht tummeln, die bis zur italienischen Grenze zum nächsten Kap reicht. Dies mag auf einer Bunkertour etwas seltsam anmuten und in gewisser Weise zu dieser Befestigung kontrastierend sein. So ist es nahezu ironisch, dass diese Küsten-Panzerglocke Zeuge von sehr vielen Kampfhandlungen während der Schlacht um Pont Saint-Louis 1940 wurde.„Der befestigte Sektor, der Secteur Fortifé der Seealpen wurde der am stärksten bewachte Abschnitt der Alpen. Es war auch der abwechslungsreichste, der fast bis zum Col de la Bonette reichte… Seine Architekten und Ingenieure mussten erfinderischer sein als ihre Kollegen vom Flachland im Norden, in dem der Bau eher standardisiert verlief. So wurden einige extravagante Formen passend zu den Herausforderungen des Terrains errichtet.“ (Bunker Research) Die Ingenieurskunst umfasste auch die Umwandlung vieler Berggipfel in fledermausartige Untergrundlabyrinthe. Die runden, verwitterten Bauten, die man an der Oberfläche sieht, sind, in Ermangelung eines besseren Ausdrucks, nur die Spitze des Eisbergs. Die Bunkeranlage Gros Ouvrage Sainte-Agnés liegt auf dem halben Weg nach oben zu unserem geliebten Col de la Madone. Ihre beiden Panzerglocken sind der nördlichen und der südlichen Flanke zugewandt. Sie ist ein erstklassiges Beispiel einer Befestigung innerhalb eines gesamten Berggipfels. Wir betrachten die Anlage aus der Ferne, während wir Sainte-Agnés umfahren, um auf unsere nächste Route Stratégique in Richtung Col de Castillon zu gelangen. Gerade diese Route ist wie ein großartiges Gravel-Achterbahngelände, das mit einer Talfahrt beginnt, um dann wieder nach oben zu klettern und das Tal zwischen zwei gegenüberliegenden Bergspitzen, des Cime de Bausson und des Col de Verroux, zu durchqueren. Danach folgt die Route den Konturen des Berges zum Col de Castillon.„ Der Talkessel rund um Sospel, liegt nur unweit der Küste und wurde extrem gut bewacht. Die ganze Stadt ist von Kanonentürmen umgeben, Bunker verstecken sich in Felsvorsprüngen und Panzerglocken stehen Wache in Olivenhainen.“ (Bunker Research) Die Bunkeranlage Gros Ouvrage de Castillon ist direkt nach Osten über das Tal ausgerichtet, direkt ins Auge der Bedrohung durch das damals faschistische Italien. So wurde das Nachbarland jedenfalls wahrgenommen, als man in den 1920igern mit dem Bau der Bunker begann. Wir wollen uns aber nicht zu lange mit dem möglichen Fall eines italienischen Angriffs aufhalten (und vielleicht ist es nur deswegen, weil wir nach Sospel wollen, bevor der Supermarkt schließt.) Sospel war schon seit langem eine Handelsstadt, die an dem Fluss Bevéra liegt, der hier von einer Brücke überspannt wird. An dieser Brücke wurden damals Zölle für jeden erhoben, der sie passieren wollte, und hier müssen wir auch unsere Vorräte für unser Nachtcamp oben am Monte Grosso aufstocken: Brot, Käse und natürlich Wein - immer Wein.„Allmählich bekommt man ein Gespür für die zahlreichen leeren Tunnelnetzwerke die sich unter den eigenen Füssen befinden und beginnt sich vorzustellen, wie diese verlassenen Orte einst voller Menschen und voller Leben waren.“ (Bunker Research) Unsere nächste Route Stratégique ist eine Cul de Sac, eine Sackgasse, mit dem offensichtlichen Zweck die große Bunkeranlage vom Monte Grosso zu versorgen. Hier werden wir übernachten. Naja, so in etwa. Der Plan war jedenfalls oben auf einem Bunker zu schlafen – eines der Hauptanliegen dieser Reise. Der einziehbare, drehbare, Granaten feuernde Geschützturm, der seltsamer Weise etwas nach oben gefahren ist, seitdem Bunker Research das letzte Mal hier war, bot uns ein ideales Sideboard. Hier oben zu schlafen war in gewisser Weise geschummelt, wenn man bedenkt welch lange Tage, Wochen, Monate die Soldaten hier unter der Erde ausharrten und auf den Angriff warteten – wie in der Landversion eines U-Boots. Wir atmen die frische Luft ein und fürchten lediglich den Angriff der Insekten, die aus dem Laubwerk entspringen, das sich stufenweise um den Beton legt. Jedoch ist die Atmosphäre gefüllt mit der Präsenz der Offiziersmesse, der Soldatenunterkünfte, des Artillerieraums, kleiner Lifte und Mini Eisenbahnen, die zum Transport der Munition dienten. All das liegt da unten.„Wenn man einen Bergweg fährt, windet er sich wie ein Band, das sich selbst um die Konturen des Anstiegs legt. Bunker Research möchte das Gelände anders erreichen, indem man die Seitenwege zu den schwer zu erreichenden Stellen findet und die Seealpen als ein militärisches Rätsel betrachtet aber auch als einen sportlichen Abenteuerplatz.“ (Bunker Research) Und so kam es, dass wir unsere „leichten” und wohlbepackten Touringräder für 3 Stunden schulterten und sie insgesamt 800m hochtrugen. Die „leichten“ Fahrräder fühlten sich gegen Ende gar nicht mehr so leicht an. Unsere Route führte uns zunächst durch Wälder, dann auf offenliegende Kuppen, dann weiter hoch durch mehr Gehölz, das schließlich einer vertikalen Mauer aus Buschgras wich, in dem gefühlt die gesamte Weltpopulation an Grashüpfern hauste. Irgendwann gestand Antton, unser Fotograf, sein starkes Verlangen nach einem Eimer Blaubeeren aus seiner finnischen Heimat. Kluger Weise tut er das, nachdem wir den höchsten Gipfel bestiegen haben. Werden wir es nachher zur Hütte, auf der anderen Seite des Col de Tende schaffen?„Heutzutage hat das gesamte Royatal die Atmosphäre eines Niemandslandes. Es ist weder Frankreich noch Italien, sondern es ist einfach was es ist.“(Bunker Research) Ein Eimer voller finnischer Blaubeeren zählte nicht zum Verkaufssortiment in Breil-sur-Roya, also musste anstatt dessen ein Bad im Fluss das Verlangen kurieren, bevor man sich wieder aus dem Tal nach oben schleppt und bevor es nach links ab in Richtung Casterino geht. Casterino? Auf welcher Seite der Grenze sind wir? Aber, wen kümmert’s, wenn der Anstieg zur Stadt so wunderschön ist. Man verspürt diese Sensation, die Hochalpen mit ihren Bäumen, der seidenglatten Asphalt, Serpentinen und der abfallende Fluss, der eine allzu große Versuchung für einen Tenkara-Fliegenfischer in unserer Mitte darstellt. Er packt seine Angelrute aus der Sitztasche, sucht sich einen Platz auf einem Felsbrocken und jagt seine Beute, wie ein Scharfschütze in einem Bunker… nur ganz, ganz anders. Wir schaffen es definitiv nicht zur italienischen Hütte.„De Gaulle…nutzte diesen, seinen letzten Angriff auf Authion, um sich an den strategisch wichtigen Tende Pass heranzupirschen und drei Tage vor dem Sieg in Europa gelang es ihm. Tende wurde zum ersten Mal seit 100 Jahren französisch, nur durch das Unterzeichnen der Pariser Friedensverträge von 1947.” (Bunker Research) Unsere strategische Piersch nach Tende vor dem Einbruch der Nacht schien offensichtlich zu scheitern wegen der obengenannten Radwander- und Angelaktivitäten. Und unsere Unterkunft in Casterino? - Nicht an diesem geschäftigen Urlaubswochenende. Anstatt dessen finden wir uns, in dem umgewandelten Bergbaudorf Vallauria wieder, gegrüßt von reizenden Menschen, die insistieren, dass wir uns hinsetzen und erst einmal essen, bevor wir unsere Zimmer finden. Jede Beherbergung sollte wie diese sein. Es ist schon ironisch, dass wir uns für unsere zweite Übernachtung an einem ehemaligen unterirdischen Bahnhof wiederfinden. Hier wurde das Gestein bekämpft, um Blei zu fördern. Uns bleibt die Möglichkeit Tende früh am nächste Morgen einzunehmen und zwar über die beste Gravel-Strecke der Welt.Der Weg oberhalb von Casterino ist atemberaubend und überwältigend. Unglaublich, dass er immer noch von Autos genutzt wird, wenn der Tende Tunnel gesperrt ist. Man verlässt die Zivilisation, und es ist genauso steil wie malerisch. Die Kaskade ist ausgetrocknet, was unseren Angler enttäuscht. Als wir die Spitze des Weges erreichen, erblicken wir am Kamm von Baisse de Peyrefique italienische Bunkeranlagen, die von Mussolinis Truppen errichtet wurden und sich deutlich in ihrer Erscheinung von ihren französischen Gegenstücken unterscheiden. Sie stehen weit offener und sind speziell an diesem Tag von Rindern und Grass-Pfaden umgeben. Letztere betteln uns förmlich an, sie mit unseren Reifen zu befahren. Pourquoi pas - warum nicht? Hinter dem Kamm flacht der Weg ab und schmiegt sich an den Berg. Die letzten Linkskurven enthüllen das epische Seitenprofil des Col de Tende, auf dem sich seine 65 Haarnadelkurven den Berg hoch winden zum großen Fort Central samt der ihn umgebenden Schutzbunker.„Ob Sie nun entlang der markierten Strecke fahren, radeln oder wandern, werden Sie bemerken, dass Sie überwacht werden. Die Scharfschützen verfolgen Ihren Fortschritt und sind bereit auf Sie zu feuern.“ (Bunker Research) Wir kommen am Bergpass an und finden dort Horden von Feiertagstouristen mit ihren Autos und Sonnenblenden vor, die sich um das Chalet de Marmotte tummeln. Ein paar Leute liegen in Liegestühlen und sonnen sich an diesem 1800m hochgelegenen Ski Chalet. Sie waren nicht an den Stellen, an denen wir waren und haben nicht das gesehen, was wir gesehen haben und so sind wir uns der Blicke der Scharfschützen auch mehr bewusst als sie. Das Fort Central ist so groß, dass wir mit dem Rad herein- und durch es hindurchfahren. Die große Anordnung der leeren Räume verstärkt die Wirkung, die diese verlassenen Gebäude ausstrahlen. Ihre Stille ist ohrenbetäubend, wie man sagt.„Heute sind die Soldaten, die die Bunker einst bemannten nicht mehr am Leben. Deswegen versucht Bunker Research das Gedenken an sie aufrecht zu erhalten.“ (Bunker Research) Nach der Abfahrt vom Fort Central, vorbei an seinen beschützenden Bunkern rollen wir stets geschmeidig nach Tende. Auf dieser zentralen Route dazwischen die nach Piedmont führt, spionieren wir einen nahezu Route-66-artigen Maschinengewehrposten aus, der in ein Mini-Besucherzentrum umgewandelt wurde mit grellen Schildern und Schaufensterpuppen in Militäruniformen. Wir teilen ein gequältes Lächeln, als wir realisieren, dass jemand anderes sie auch entdeckt hat, und dachte sie wollten ein paar Cents verdienen. Fussnoten: Fotografie: - Antton Miettinen. Text - 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.

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat Dies ist einer der einfacheren Traillauf-Routen, die Sie an der Côte d'Azur finden können, seine 120 Meter Höhenunterschied bieten einen ausgezeichneten Übungsort für Anfänger sowie erfahrene Athleten gleichermaßen. Wie schwierig Sie es machen, hängt davon ab, mit welchem Tempo Sie die Route angehen, da es schwieriger (und gefährlicher) ist, mit hoher Geschwindigkeit bergab zu laufen, als es aussieht. Es ist möglich, mit dem Zug von Nizza dorthin zu gelangen, indem Sie am Bahnhof Beaulieu-sur-Mer aussteigen. Ein kurzer Kilometer bleibt dann, um zum Ausgangspunkt zu gelangen, wo Sie sich in der „Baie des Fourmis“, in der „Bucht der Ameisen“ befinden. Zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts war der Ort wild, die Wellen spülten Algen aus dem Meer an den Strand, die sich anhäuften und sich regelmäßig in riesige Ameisenhaufen verwandelten. Paloma Beach, der erste große Kreuzungspunkt nach dem Verlassen des Dorfes, bietet einen atemberaubenden Blick auf die Bucht. Im Sommer ist es ein kluger Schachzug, früh am Morgen dorthin zu gelangen, bevor die Strandtücher einander berühren. Das Morgenlicht und die umgebende Stille verstärken die Schönheit des Ortes. Die Route erklärt sich selbst und folgt dem Weg der Küste. Diese bietet manchmal steile Reliefs und zu Weilen in den Felsen geschlagene Buchten. Die natürliche Treppe, die auf Höhe des Leuchtturms an der Spitze des Kaps in den Felsen gemeißelt wurde, stellt die größte Herausforderung dieser Route dar. Einige Passagen sind technisch ein wenig anspruchsvoll, bevor Sie am Meer ankommen. Diese Route unter der prallen Sonne oder am Ende des Tages anzugehen, kommt mit einer Einladung zum Schwimmen gleich, der man nur schwer widerstehen kann. MOUNT BORON Mit dem Ausgangspunkt am Café du Cycliste, ist dies die Route, die am leichtesten zugänglich ist, wenn Sie nur wenig Zeit haben und ihre Sachen irgendwo ablegen möchten. MEHR SEHEN LA TÊTE DE CHIEN: Diese Route über den „Hundskopf“ ist technisch anspruchsvoll, bietet auf seinem Gipfel eine unglaubliche Aussicht über Monaco und endet am Stand mit dem Namen Plage de la Mala. MEHR SEHEN VON ÈZES KÜSTENSEITE NACH NIZZA Eine klassische Route zwischen wunderschönen Riviera-Villen des Dorfes auf den Felsen: Èze. Über den Nietzsche Pfad geht es zurück nach Nizza. MEHR SEHEN Nizzas Traillauf-Guide Wenn Sie gerne laufen und Nizza besuchen, können Sie sich auf zahllosen Routen durch sagenhaftes Terrain wiederfinden mit einer Aussicht, die Sie veranlassen wird, für immer bleiben zu wollen. MEHR SEHEN

VON ÈZES KÜSTE NACH NIZZA Die erste Ausgabe unserer Traillauf-Routen ist ein Klassiker, und wenn Sie nichts gegen eine kurze Zugfahrt haben, um zu einer so atemberaubenden wie wilden Strecke zu gelangen, ist diese Route genau das Richtige für Sie. Unter den Fahrgästen des Regional Express (TER) finden Sie sich in Shorts und Laufschuhen wieder. Sie steigen in Nice-Ville ein und einige von den Passagieren werden Sie fragend ansehen, während andere Sie neidisch anstarren. Verlassen Sie den Zug am Bahnhof Èze Bord de Mer (ca. 20 Fahrminuten). Wenn Sie ein paar Meter vom Bahnhof herunterlaufen, erreichen Sie einen Kiesstrand mit glasklarem Wasser, ein kleiner Umweg, der die Aussicht wert ist. Um jedoch die vorgegebene Route zu laufen, müssen Sie wieder auf die Straße gelangen und sie überqueren. Der Nietzsche-Pfad, benannt nach dem berühmten Philosophen, schlängelt sich zwischen den Steinmauern wunderschöner Riviera-Villen. Drehen Sie für das bevorstehende Klettern ein paar Warm-up-Runden auf der Ebene, um nicht von der Steilküste überrascht zu werden, die Ihnen gleich zu Anfang bevorsteht, denn in den nächsten 30 Minuten werden Sie nicht aufhören zu klettern. Wenn Sie sich über das Meer erheben, wird die Landschaft noch grandioser, und nach etwas mehr als 250 Metern Höhe betreten Sie das Dorf Èze. Der Felsen, auf dem Èze thront, wird seit der Eisenzeit um 220 v. Chr., bewohnt, aber Ihre Route um ihn herum entspricht nicht dem typischen Touristenpfad. Sie sieht vor, der Straße in Richtung Nizza für etwa einen Kilometer zu folgen, bevor ein neuer Aufstieg auf den Berghang beginnt. Der Weg ist steil, also lassen Sie sich nicht dazu verleiten, hier zu gehen, denn das bevorstehende Spektakel ist die Mühe wert: Der Col d'Èze kommt bald in Sicht. Von hier aus erfolgt der Abstieg über die „Route Stratégique“ mit einer bemerkenswerten Kuriosität an der Nordflanke des Mont Leuze, wo Sie die vier Wege sehen können, die zum Col führen. Daraufhin geht es weiter zum Parc du Vinaigrier, in dem sich die Atmosphäre der Route irgendwie ändert, sobald Sie zwischen Olivenbäumen und alten Steinmauern laufen. Dann plötzlich betreten Sie Nizza. More Trails LA TÊTE DE CHIEN Diese Route über den „Hundskopf“ ist technisch anspruchsvoll, bietet auf seinem Gipfel eine unglaubliche Aussicht über Monaco und endet am Stand mit dem Namen Plage de la Mala. MEHR SEHEN SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT Eine relativ einfache Route, die sich bis zum Paloma Beach (Plage Paloma) schlängelt mit perfekten Aussichten und einem Finish am Meer. MEHR SEHEN MOUNT BORON Mit dem Ausgangspunkt am Café du Cycliste, ist dies die Route, die am leichtesten zugänglich ist, wenn Sie nur wenig Zeit haben und ihre Sachen irgendwo ablegen möchten. MEHR SEHEN DER TRAILLAUF-GUIDE FÜR NIZZA Wenn Sie gerne Radsport betreiben oder laufen, können Sie eine beliebige Anzahl an Routen einschlagen, die nur wenige Kilometer vom Hafen entfernt liegen. Sie werden sich auf einem sagenhaften Terrain wiederfinden mit einer atemberaubenden Umgebung, die Sie veranlassen wird, für immer bleiben zu wollen. MEHR SEHEN

VOM CAP D'AIL ZUM TÊTE DE CHIEN Hier sind Sie, in Cap d'Ail für den Trail-Parcours, der Sie direkt zu einer der schönsten Aussichten über das Fürstentum Monaco führt. Der Beaverbrook Parkplatz ist ein idealer Ausgangspunkt, und wenn Sie sowohl sparsam als auch ehrgeizig sind, nutzen Sie die kostenlosen 30 Minuten, um den Kurs zu absolvieren. Andernfalls werfen Sie eine kleine Münze in den Parkautomaten ein und machen Sie einen längeren Ausflug. Die paar Treppen zum Aufwärmen führen Sie zum ersten Pfad, und schnell weichen die Dächer der Wohngebäude einer freien Sicht auf Cap Ferrat. Die Wege bestehen größtenteils aus Schotter, aber gelegentlich werden größere Felsbrocken Ihre Beweglichkeit testen. Nichts, womit Sie nicht umgehen können. Während Sie sich mit großer Anstrengung nach oben kämpfen, heißt Sie der Gipfel mit offenen Armen auf dem Tête de chien, dem Hundskopf willkommen. Laut einer aktuellen Studie können sich 90 % der Menschen ein „Wow“ nicht verkneifen, wenn ihnen der Blick auf Monaco eröffnet wird. Wenn Sie sich für die freien 30 Minuten entschieden haben, verschwenden Sie keine Zeit damit, mit offenem Mund dazustehen, sondern beginnen Sie sofort mit dem Abstieg. Für diejenigen, die eine Münze eingeworfen haben, empfehlen wir, ein paar Minuten zu genießen und dieses „Wow“ zu bewundern. Der Abstieg ist kürzer als der Aufstieg und daher steiler. Die Aussicht bleibt für einige Hektometer bestehen, also lassen Sie sich nicht ablenken und achten Sie auf ein paar rutschige Abschnitte des Weges. Zurück in Cap d'Ail können Sie die Gelegenheit nutzen, um am Strand von La Mala zu schwimmen, der nur einen Steinwurf entfernt liegt. Es ist eine wunderschön erhaltene Bucht, die einen genaueren Blick verdient. More Trails SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT Eine relativ einfache Route, die sich bis zum Paloma Beach (Plage Paloma) schlängelt mit perfekten Aussichten und einem Finish am Meer. MEHR SEHEN MOUNT BORON Mit dem Ausgangspunkt am Café du Cycliste, ist dies die Route, die am leichtesten zugänglich ist, wenn Sie nur wenig Zeit haben und ihre Sachen irgendwo ablegen möchten. MEHR SEHEN VON ÈZES KÜSTENSEITE NACH NIZZA Eine klassische Route zwischen wunderschönen Riviera-Villen des Dorfes auf den Felsen: Èze. Über den Nietzsche Pfad geht es zurück nach Nizza. MEHR SEHEN Nizzas Traillauf-Guide Wenn Sie gerne laufen und Nizza besuchen, können Sie sich auf zahllosen Routen durch sagenhaftes Terrain wiederfinden mit einer Aussicht, die Sie veranlassen wird, für immer bleiben zu wollen. MEHR SEHEN

Mount Boron This fourth option begins with a coffee at the counter of the Café du Cycliste in the harbour of Nice. The path begins a few hundred meters from here. You can reserve a locker in the cafe's cloakroom to leave your personal belongings there. You will begin your journey when you cross the threshold and finish your light stretches. You glide alongside the port, then past the beach where the coastal path begins. It’s magical on the side of the rock, overlooking the sea. The best time of day to set off on this route is certainly the morning. After three kilometres, you will arrive at the foot of a staircase which is sure to make you wince. This one is reserved for the brave; the objective is to keep running without cracking (good luck). Following the trail towards the sea then begins the ascent of Mont Boron. Nothing too difficult in terms of elevation, at most a good sweat if the sun has already risen in the sky. On Mont Boron and up to the fort, a good part is run in the shade of the pines. The 180º views over the eastern waters will reward your efforts. This is obviously a route not to be missed if you’re staying in Nice. Then it’s a gentle U-turn back to the Café to retrieve any of your personal affects. We highly recommend the homemade lemonade served at the bar. More Trails THE DOG'S HEAD Somewhat technical trail with an incredible view of Monaco at its peak and finishing at La Mala beach. VIEW MORE SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT A relatively easy route that winds its way to Paloma Beach for impeccable views and a finish by the sea. VIEW MORE ÈZE SEASIDE TO NICE A classic route between beautiful Riviera villas to the village of rock of Eze via Nietzsche Road and back into Nice. VIEW MORE NICE TRAIL RUNNING GUIDE For the visiting runner in Nice, you can take any number of routes and find yourself on terrific terrain with stunning scenery that will make you want to stay forever. VIEW MORE

Zeitweilige Eröffnung in Paris Kommen Sie und entdecken Sie Café du Cycliste neu in einem der bedeutungsvollsten Kaufhäuser von Paris. Café du Cycliste setzt 2023 Kurs auf die französische Hauptstadt und hält vorübergehend Einzug in den Galeries Lafayette Haussmann in Paris. Eine breit gefächerte Auswahl an Produkten inklusive der neuen Sommer-/Frühlingskollektion 2023 mit Artikeln für Straßenradsport, Gravel-Abenteuer nebst Outdoor- und Lifestyle-Produkten wird erhältlich sein. Café du Cycliste eröffnet auf der 2. Etage für Herrenbekleidung bis zum 30. September. LAGE Galeries Lafayette 40, Boulevard Haussmann 75009 PARIS ÖFFNUNGSZEITEN Montag: Dienstag: Mittwoch: Donnerstag Freitag: Samstag: Sonntag: 10h00-20h30 10h00-20h30 10h00-20h30 10h00-20h30 10h00-20h30 10h00-20h30 11h00-20h30 Galeries Lafayette, Haussmann Events 2023 Nur ein paar der vielen Gründe, Paris und unsere zeitlich begrenzte Verkaufsstelle zu besuchen. 25 Feb Paris, da sind wir. Café du Cycliste eröffnet in den Galerien Lafayette Haussmann in Paris. 05 Mar Paris-Nizza Bekannt als das „Rennen zur Sonne” beginnt das erste große Etappenrennen mit einem Prolog in der Region Paris und endet in unserer Heimatstadt Nizza. 10 Mar Die Frühling-/Sommerkollektion 2023 Unsere neusten Produkte kommen herein und werden in den Geschäften sowie online verfügbar sein. 02 Apr Paris Marathon Europas größter Marathon findet einmal wieder in Paris statt. 09 Apr Paris-Roubaix Die Königin der Klassiker führt über die Pflastersteine ins Velodrom von Roubaix. 12 May Frühling/Sommer 23 Atelier Unsere neuste Kollektion mit limitierter Auflage wird in den Geschäften und online erscheinen. 23 Jul Die Tour de France Das berühmteste Etappenrennen der Welt endet auf den Champs Élysees. SS23 FIND OUT MORE Das Café Nizza Unser Hauptgeschäft und unser schlagendes Herz liegt in Nizza. Besuchen Sie uns, und entdecken Sie unser komplettes Bekleidungssortiment, Fahrräder der Spitzenklasse und frisch gemahlenen Kaffee. MEHR SEHEN Unsere Geschäft: Palma Von einem Radsport-Abenteuergebiet zum anderen. Unser Geschäft im Radsport-Mecca von Mallorca bietet unsere komplette Kollektion für Männer und Frauen. MEHR SEHEN Échappée Paris. Jeder Stadtteil hat seine eigene Energie, und Sie können das finden, was Sie wollen, wenn Sie von einer Straße in die nächste fahren und von einem Stadtteil in den anderen. MEHR SEHEN Mit Zweck fahren Nr. 2. Sophie Gateau fährt durch die leeren Straßen von Paris, um Essen an Bedürftige zu liefern. Sie fotografiert die Hauptstadt während des Lockdowns und zeigt sie von der Perspektive des Sattels, wobei Sie für einen guten Zweck fährt: „Pour Eux“ – ihretwegen. MEHR SEHEN