They say a Col d’Eze a day keeps the doctor away. The fruits of your labour are borne in the legs and they will take you deep into l’arrière-pays niçois when time permits.
A ten kilometer climb straight from the city, it’s used by locals as a training ramp before or after work. Scores of cyclists can be seen staring at their stems – some because they are going for a time, others (who are new to the region) because they underestimated what is a ‘proper’ climb.
But look up and you’ll find a not so forbidden fruit. The figs of the Grande Corniche. Actually, they are first noticed on the ground. The premier stage of the hunt is to scope the road edge for a semi-circle of smashed green and purple mulch. Some pre-ripe green figs remain in shape, but not for long.
The second stage is to understand your orientation and elevation. The first two kilometres of Col d’Eze face west so only get the sun in the afternoon and early evening. It’s a beautiful view across the city but it’s not the prime spot for fig maturation.
You must make the cross-over that comes by looping around the back side of the Observatoire and transition almost instantly from mountain vistas to coastal views as you pass through the Quatre Chemins. Face to the south, the sun rays and sea breeze are your soigneur for the rest of the climb, just as they are for the mother tree that is the fountain of fig on the Grande Corniche.
The location of the mother tree is not secret and it is not hidden. It lives somewhere within the final four kilometres of Col d’Eze. Like cyclists, the fig tree likes dry and sunny climates and can cope in amongst the rocks, but isn’t suited to cities because of its aggressive root structure. The mother tree is there to be found but we are not about to tell you where or how. Because you have to ride for your figs.
And now is the time. Like the legs, figs ripen in late summer and into autumn. A whole season of sun packed into one juicy punch. A time when main objectives have most probably been ticked off and riding is freeform and fun. So you can pack your figs in your musette and go long, or you can take a seat and savour the moment.
Whichever way you want to do it, just go fig.
