hips don't lie: Tour de France: Checking out this year"s starting point

Thứ Hai, 27 tháng 5, 2013

Tour de France: Checking out this year"s starting point

By

Max Wooldridge

PUBLISHED:

14:04 EST, 18 May 2013

|

UPDATED:

14:04 EST, 18 May 2013

When you consider that Corsica offers views that take in the sparkling Mediterranean on one side and ragged mountains on the other, it seems ridiculous its two French ‘departments’ are the only ones – bar far-flung types such as Guadeloupe and Reunion – yet to host the Tour de France. This will be put right this summer when the first three days of racing in the 100th running of the Tour will take place on the island.

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Naval history: Calvi, where Admiral Nelson lost an eye

The opening day, on June 29, will see the pack depart from Porto-Vecchio in the south before heading for a sprint finish in Bastia on the north-east coast. Corsica is shaped like a thumbs-up sign, or a club foot, depending on how many bottles of the local Pietra beer you’ve consumed.

I was on the island for a cycling break but didn’t have the time – or the fitness – to complete the entire route the competitors will take, so I chose the most appealing section, the mountainous stage from Ajaccio on the island’s west coast to Calvi in the north-west.

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Pedal power: Max on his tour of the island

Out of Ajaccio, famous for being the birthplace of Napoleon, I was soon cycling on narrow, twisting roads caressed by gentle sea breezes that cancelled out the strong whiffs of Corsican sausages and overpowering local cheeses.

Though the coastline is wild and rugged, the roads are smooth and make for sensational cycling. Soon the route headed towards the fishing villages on the Gulf of Porto and the spectacular coves at the World Heritage site at Piana.

The pack will gobble up this delightful stage in just a few hours, but for cycle tourists like myself there seemed no reason to rush when I was faced with such a delightful platter of remote mountain roads and stunning scenery, so I took two days. Between Piana and the village of Porto, I was greeted by the amazing spectre of a red granite landscape meeting the sea.

Later, I dismounted at the top of Col de la Croix, which overlooks the gorgeous Golfe de Girolata. Corsica is the most geographically diverse of the Mediterranean islands and I certainly experienced the best it had to offer.

The ancient citadel of Calvi looks down on a sumptuous bay and a marina full of luxury yachts. Some claim that Christopher Columbus hailed from Calvi – the notion is based on the fact that Columbus was Genoese and Corsica was once part of the Genoese republic.

What is certain is that Admiral Nelson lost his eye nearby during a Royal Navy bombardment of the town in 1794. Napoleon and Nelson…now there are two historical figures the Tour cyclists – French or English – can doff their caps to.

Travel facts

EasyJet (0843 104 5000, easyJet.com) offers one-way fares from Gatwick to Ajaccio from £67.49. Corsican villa specialist directCorsica.com offers seven nights’ rental of Apartment Carla, sleeping four in the 15th Century Citadel in Calvi, from €855 (£722).

It has teamed up with Europe Active to offer guided and self-guided cycling routes. The company will deliver/collect bikes from villas, including hybrid, road and mountain bikes, plus baby vans and ‘third wheels’ for children. Three days’ bike hire starts from €50. Radisson Blu Resort Spa, Ajaccio Bay (radissonblu.com/resort-ajacciobay), offers rooms from €114 BB per night.