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Most of the recent stories on this website describe ways of getting to know a country, or countries, by bike. In 1998 I discovered France as a high school student. Saumur, a 30,000 person town in the Maine-et-Loire – an area known for beautiful wines, many old chateaus and small houses built into rockfaces – was my temporary home.
Almost as if by accident, we arrived in the Pyrennean town, Bagneres-de-Luchon, the same day le Tour de France made its depart. The bars and restaurants were bursting with cyclists, little jersies were strung between trees, and everywhere you looked people seemed happy and content. Bikes and holidays – what a wonderful combination.Continue reading “Postcards From Big French Mountains 2”
“Grab your helmet and hurry up!” These the words that woke me from a much needed sleep. An hour later I found myself hanging onto metal railings, high above Saint-Jean-De-Maurienne, where Le Tour de France had made its depart earlier that morning. Sydney riding buddy, Yvoine McCort, who grew up in the area looked more at home the higher we went. I loved every minute of the experience and was glad I didn’t wear thongs.Continue reading “Postcards From Big French Mountains”
There are a lot of happy things that go hand-in-hand with a trip to Europe in July. Three summers in a row is a big one. Seeing a stage of Le Tour de France is another. Hiking up the final climb to La Toussuire to witness one of the decisive alpine stages of the 2012 Tour was an opportunity not to be missed.Continue reading “Tour Time”
With the town at 1800 vertical metres and all rides starting in an upward direction, Livigno is a much loved training destination for world class road and mountain bike athletes. Many walking tracks are also open for mountain biking which means some epic rides are doable on some epic trails. Following the Dolomiti Superbike Gayes and I headed to this dream-worthy location with teammates Mike Blewitt and Naomi Hansen. Mike and Na were keen to enjoy some final prep before the Craft Bike TransAlp stage race which would start a week later.Continue reading “Team Training in Livigno”
Kath Bicknell