Winter training on the Côte d’Azur
In the mid 1950s, Apo Lazaridès, a famous French domestique whose time in the peloton was coming to an end, had a brainwave. He bought a hotel and mini golf resort on the Mediterranean near Saint Tropez: in the summer, his clients would be tourists; in the winter, cyclists.
Though he was from the north of France he’d trained and raced on the Côte d'Azur his whole career, and he knew how the mild, sunny winters and empty, challenging roads through the back-country hills above the coast, were a perfect foundation for the season ahead.
Word quickly spread through his contacts in cycling and soon a colony of pros formed. Raphaël Géminiani brought his Saint Raphaël team and a young Jacques Anquetil; Louison Bobet, his Mercier team – it became quite the fashion.
There had always been early races in the south – local races like the Boucles du Sospel and the Mont Chauve hill climb in Nice, Marseille-Nice and, further east, the Monaco-Mont Agel – but with the influx of riders wanting to find form and test their legs these grew in importance. For stage racing there was Tour du Var, the Tour du Sud Est, the GP du Midi Libre in the Languedoc and of course the jewel in the early-season crown, Paris-Nice.
These days, it's not so fashionable to have your training camp on the Côte d'Azur. Tenerife, Mallorca, Calpe, even Rimini are more popular, though you still might find Cofidis on a stage in the Esterel national park near Cannes.
But the good weather and the roads are still significant factors that attract pros to live around Nice, or on the stretch of coast from Cannes towards Saint Tropez. (The others are the good international airport and, for the mega rich, the tax-free life in Monaco.) Astana has a significant base here, as does Team Sky.
Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Ian Boswell and Joe Dombroswki all live in Nice or Monaco, where they’re joined by BMC’s Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd, as well as riders from Cofidis, FDJ, QuickStep and many more teams.
In the winter they can often be seen on the road together, riding for a companionable cappuccino just across the border in Italy. Sometimes in Nice in the off season you'll see team cars parked on the streets, as if the soigneurs, mechanics and other staff are enjoying a little break.
For recreational cyclists, too, it’s a paradise in the winter months. The local fashion, particularly among older cyclists, is to cover up in bulky jackets and tights or leg warmers from late September until April, but in reality, if you stay near the coast, you'll barely need more than a good long-sleeved jersey such as Yolande even in the depths of winter.
Inland, it quickly gets colder, and the weather more temperamental, but on the first wrinkle of hills and mountains by the sea, it's possible to ride up almost to 1,000m altitude all year round. Just remember to take gloves and a gilet for the descent!
