SOUTHERN BREAKAWAY | MVC RIDE THE ÉTAPE

On Saturday 6 July, thousands of cyclists descended on Nice to ride the Étape du Tour, the mass participation event that pits amateur cyclists against a stage of the current year’s Tour de France.

Among their number were our friends from the City of Lights, the Montmartre Vélo Club (MVC), who descended from their hillock in the north to ride some real southern mountains near Nice.

Étapes always take on mountain stages, but this, the 32nd running of the event, was a particularly challenging one, taking in many of our favourite cols – Braus, Turini, la Colmiane and Couillole – and climbing more than 4,600 metres in only 138 kilometres. Luckily, many of the MVC members had just been on a cycling boot camp in the Cévennes hills of south-central France – this was the moment for the training to pay off! As for the pros, they will be riding this parcours on 20 July with 19 previous Tour stages in their legs, including the climb to the Cime de la Bonette, the highest road in France, the previous day.

6:30 a.m. on the Promenade des Anglais: around a dozen MVC riders wait in their separate starting pens for the starting gun to go off, ready to head off into the mountains of the back country. There were no team tactics for the Étape, but a certain team spirit rules nevertheless.

With all the incredible mountain roads closed specially for the event, it’s a dream riding scenario; unfortunately, the weather doesn’t entirely play ball. On the Col de Turini, undoubtedly the wettest mountain in the area, a fine drizzle causes one of our riders to crash on the descent. He is unharmed, but his bike is less lucky, and he has to withdraw.

After many long hours of literal ups and downs and metaphorical highs and lows, the MVC are reunited at the finish. After a quick shower, they head for a pizza in a village close to the finish, to refuel and to savour and digest their experience deep in the cyclists' playground of the Alpes-Maritimes – telling stories and comparing notes with laughter and beer. Challenging but magnificent, it is agreed.

But there’s no rest for the wicked – or at least, only a night’s good slumber before our travellers from the Montmartre Vélo Club have to get back on their bikes to ride back down to Nice. This time, everyone rides together, sharing the mountain scenery – and the slight downhill all the way – with their club mates.

Because of the Étape, Café du Cycliste on the port is very busy – but not too busy for a quick coffee and a shower before heading to the nearby Place du Pin for a hearty lunch. And, at 4 p.m., a final ride to the station to catch the TGV back to their little hill in Paris, with sore legs but good memories of a southern breakaway weekend.

Come and watch the Tour in our café on the port for the best atmosphere in Nice!