I had the great pleasure of meeting the group from the Bicycle Adventure Club of America recently part way through their 16 day tour of Corsica. The tour organisers, Lucy and Randy, made contact back in late 2014 and we met up last year on Corsica as they planned and recce'd their route and what a fantastic route they are riding - Cap Corse, Balagne, Calvi coast to Porto & Piana, the D84, Corte & Restonica, Col de Sorba and Ghisoni, Bavella, Zonza, Sartene and Bonifacio. That's a route of some 800kms with 11,800m of ascent and only a single day with less than 500m of ascent.
It was great to meet up with the group for dinner in Calvi, give brief talk about riding on Corsica and ride out the next day on the Calvi - Calenzana circuit . 
So why the inspiration hashtag? Well these guys are hardcore bike riders - it struck me that cycling is a way of life for them - and they invest a huge amount of time organising and riding tours the world over. Take a look at their 'Our Rides' page - I think you'll agree that the title is just a little understated given the exciting rides on offer! But, the really inspirational thing is that the vast majority are retired and the elders of the group are septuagenarians - truly inspirational and not an ebike to be seen!
Chapeau Lucy and Randy and the BAC group.

Colombia is just an amazing place to visit! Friendly and welcoming people, stunning scenery, great coffee and the most incredible twenty two wheeled trucks weaving their way around the high mountain roads and passes (no rail transport here).
Colombians have a great love of cycling which is on a different scale altogether given the mountains and high altitude. It's an exceptionally popular sport and has produced so many good riders over the years such as Luis Herrera and more recently Nairo Quintana who won the Giro d'italia in 2014 and placed second in last year's Tour de France. There is a very good Guardian article if you'd like to know more about riding Colombia at, Cycling in the hills of Colombia.
One of the highlight's of our visit was Bogota's Ciclovia (cycleway). Every Sunday from 7 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon some 120kms of main roads through the centre of town are closed to traffic and opened up to cyclists with some skateboards, scooters, rollerbladers and dog walkers thrown into the mix.  It is tremendous fun, a fantastic way to see the city and mix with a huge cross-section of Colombians and an even greater cross-section of bicycles - mine was a 'beach cruiser'. A bit of a cycling street festival with a liberal spread of juice and food vendors and plenty of pop-up bike stores along the way.
We rented bikes from Bogota Bike Tours in La Candelaria. They also offer guided tours but we opted to do our own thing and you really can't get lost on the Ciclovia - you just follow the other riders.
We've never seen so many people on so many bikes having so much fun. Viva Ciclovia, viva Colombia!



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I have to admit that sometimes I do other things than ride my bike in Corsica! I do some work, I ski as much as possible in the winter and every couple of years or so we try to travel further afield.
Towards the end of 2015 our travels took us to Myanmar or Burma. To be honest it really wasn't on the list but a wedding in Bagan led to a trip that we're so glad we made that also took in Rangoon/Yangon and Mandalay.
This is an amazing place in the broadest sense: culture, people, history, temples and of course the ubiquitous Buddhas. The food and local beers also are well worthy of a mention. It's also relatively tourist free and consequently untarnished by the tourist dollar. The other surprise for me is how easy it is to get to - just over a one hour direct flight from Bangkok.
It is without doubt becoming ever more popular and rightly so - has featured in many of the Destinations for 2016 supplements I've been reading over the holiday period. I couldn't recommend it too strongly - in some respects it reminds me of Corsica in the sense that it is relatively untouched by the developers - how Viet Nam and Thailand were in the early days. 
You can see many more photos on my Twitter and Instagram accounts but better than that, why not go take your own!
Happy new year everyone.







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Most people contact me before they set off on a trip to Corsica but recently I received an email from Tevz Cernigoj who hails from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. He'd completed his trip and tour de Corse. Tevz sent me a link to his excellent blog which includes some great tales, really useful tips (especially for those wishing to camp)  and superb photographs. You can read it here, http://ljubljanabybike.blogspot.si/2015/12/touring-cycling-corsica-intro.html

Merry Christmas everyone and very best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
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Just a note to say thanks for your help with my recent Corsica trip. I had an absolute blast out there a lot of it due to your downloadable routes and some research on Google Street view prior to riding - wow, what a place. I’ve ridden Sicily, Majorca and Sardinia but none come close to the cleanliness of the roads and hills and breath-taking scenery of Corsica - a captivating place. I especially loved the fact there was hardly any litter on the roadsides and the car drivers were cycle friendly – I didn’t get an impatient toot all week.
Some tips that might be worth adding to the routes and your awesome website in general: (Ed's notes)

• Easyjet now allows 4 x 16gm CO2 canisters on their flights. They’re best packed in hand luggage so the bike box makes it out there. It meant I didn't need to rush about finding a bike store when I arrived
• There is a great little map shop on Blvd Wilson in Calvi which has pocket size laminated bike maps with topography, elevations and roads marked
• The Calvi, Galeria D81 route is a great route but the D81b coastal road is so badly damaged in some parts that it’s worse than riding cobbles. Still a nice loop though (Still passable with care and worth it for the views)
• I couldn’t see on Street View  whether I could ride from Calvi/Bonifatu to Haute Asco. I  rode up to Bonifatu couldn’t get over. It's definitely not passable by road bike. The maps seems to show a dirt track but its actually a hiking trail (that's a hiking route to the GR20 - not passable other than by foot!)
• When descending you really need to watch out for wildlife- a few times I’d come belting around corners only to confront either wandering cows, a herd of mountain goats or indeed pigs crossing or just standing in the middle of the road (this is normal for Corsica)
• Also on some descents (mostly above 850m) I noticed a lot of grit and gravel which is deadly for cornering.  Especially coming down the Col de Battaglia between Pioggiola and Speloncatu. Riders should take care when descending (again normal for Corsica especially after rain and strong winds)
• I strapped on 25 mm Continental 4 Seasons (pumped to about 95psi)  because I didn’t want to deal with punctures and was thankful I did. I recommend a tougher tyre given the inconsistency in tarmac- some of it was splendid but when it wasn’t I was glad of decent tyres and the 4 seasons stick really well when descending (good idea, I ride 25c's with slime inners - no punctures this year so far...)
• Wear something bright rather than black, grey or green which can get lost against the background. I was wearing coral top and socks and I stood out well against the greenery as people said who saw me out on various roads when I pulled into stops
• Finally I stayed at La Signoria just outside of Calvi would highly recommend them as a very cycle friendly hotel– great storage, set up facilities and starting point for my rides (nice, very nice)

Anyway, great website, great idea and wish you continued success,

Dave Spring

We're having a Medicane! I have discovered that the word is derived from Medi-terranean Hurri-cane.
Earlier in the week I was riding in the mornings and we were at the beach in the afternoon, swimming in the sea enjoying typical Corsican early autumn conditions. Now as I write the rain is hammering against the windows and there are the biggest waves I've ever seen rolling in smashing and crashing everything in their path - the harbour wall in the picture is over 2.5m high! Yesterday afternoon we watched a small yacht break from its mooring and wash up on the beach like a child's toy. Friends from the UK having been in touch to tell us our weather is on their news. This morning an 'orange' weather alert remains in place and all the local schools are closed. The Tour de Corse World Rally Championship is due to commence in fifteen minutes - I think wet weather tyres will be the order of the day - and I'm having second thoughts about spectating stage two at Ponte Leccia this afternoon. For sure I'll not be riding my bike!
Typical Corsican conditions are forecast to return mid morning tomorrow, let's hope so. 
Post script: the worst weather day we've ever seen here. After writing the blog we watched a boat capsize in the harbour, another break loose and a couple of people washed into the water - all safe I'm glad to report. There was a break around noon so we set off for Tour de Corse SS2. First off the roads are full of debris washed in by the severe rain - will take a while to clear. We had to wade into Ponte Leccia where sadly many of the businesses and homes close to the river had been badly flooded. On to try and get to Morosaglia we hit a road closure and that was that. We ate our packed lunch next to a soggy rally refuelling team who had no cars to refuel after SS2 was cancelled. We will try again tomorrow hopefully in more normal weather conditions. It was so good to see the sun again late pm....

A few days from now will see the start of the Corsican edition of the World Rally Championship. After a break of seven years it returns to rekindle it's thirty-five year history of top flight rally car racing on the island. Past winners have included Didier Auriol, Carlos Sainz (snr), Sébastien Loeb and of course the late great Colin McRae who won in 1997 and 1998.
Known as the 'ten thousand bend' rally, due to the tight and twisty terrain, the drivers will cover 333kms of special stages and 984kms in total over four days, 1-4 October. Motor rallying is especially popular with the Corsicans and we will no doubt see large crowds along the route. Lots more detail can be found at the Tour De Corse website.
Hot on the heels of the WRC event is the Tour De Corse Historique running 5-10 October. This rally features some classic cars from motor rallying history including the iconic Lancia Stratos (pass the ear defenders), the Delta Integrale, EscortsRS's, 131 Abarths, Renault 5 Turbos to name a few - there's even a Ford Anglia on the list. For more information about the stages and stops click here TdCH
So a busy couple of weeks for motor rallying here on Corsica which will mean many of the roads will likewise be busier. If you plan to bike ride just check out the links above  before setting out. 

I get regular enquiries about transport, bike hire, places to stop, routes to take etc from riders all around the world. In April of this year Richard Evans from Yorkshire got in touch about a trip he was planning on his Bob Jackson audax bike.  I was happy to offer a few suggestions and recently Richard sent me a link describing his tour here on Corsica. Great to read what a fantastic time he had and that this was his best trip ever! Read for yourself at, http://richardevans147.wix.com/mycycletours

Next week and for the very first time Corsica will host two pro cycle races in the same week. The first edition of the Classica Corsica and the 84th edition of the Criterium International. The Classica one day stage race has high hopes of achieving 'classic' status and is on the 26 March. This is the Crit's sixth consecutive start on Corsica so it has history and form. This year's three stage race will run over the usual format on the weekend of 28-29 March.
I've been disappointed to note that some of the major teams such as Sky and BMC have been giving Corsica a miss. But take a look at the racing calendar and who can blame them - it's very congested.  At the same time as these two events the following are also taking place: E3 Harelbeke; Volta a Catalunya, Gent-Wevelgem and, the Settimana Coppi e Bartali! 
I haven't yet found any TV coverage for the Classica but Eurosport will be live on the afternoon of Sunday the 29th for what is always a picturesque and usually exciting conclusion on the way up to Ospedale.

One of the most popular questions I get asked is whether or not a particular month or time of year is a good time to ride on Corsica. Out of the main season there are three considerations to take into account depending on your needs: bike hire, places to stay and the weather. The first two can be overcome if you go to the right locations the latter is unpredictable. 
This is a mountain range in the sea with 21 peaks above 2,000m packed into less than 9,000 square kms - that's an area the size of Yorkshire! The density of peaks greater than 2,000m is  75% more than in the French Alps and there are 150 passable road Cols. This is not Majorca, where the highest peak rises to 1,445m, this is Corsica where Monte Cinto soars to 2,706m. It's alpine and consequently riding this time of year means you need to be prepared for a number of eventualities.
I experienced some 'variable' conditions during the first week of March. You can always ride the coast in Corsica and there are some 700 kms of paved roads available to you which unlike inland Corsica very rarely sees lying snow. Coastal temps during the winter range from 5-15˚c. This year my main challenge was the wind which blew all week and regularly gusted over storm force strength. Temps largely remained mild at the coast and peaked at a very pleasant 20˚c. Riding inland and consequently up into the hills requires a little more planning and layers but gives shelter from the worst of the wind. Check France Meteo for the forecast, layer up and Toe Thingy's on especially for the descents. The snow line varied during the week sinking as low as 600m but most of the time stayed above 1,000m. I tend to plan on the temps averaging half that at the coast but much chillier descending.
You do have the roads to yourself during the quiet months like March which is good because as my gallery shows there is some truly rewarding scenery to take in.

Welcome to my first blog for 2015 and the second anniversary of CorsicaCyclist.
I just want to let you know about a new development I’ve just launched on my website. All my routes are now downloadable to your Garmin or other GPS device and smartphone, whether it’s an iPhone or Android. My routes can also be printed from the same link. CorsicaCyclist remains completely commerce free in every respect so there are no charges – all the routes are absolutely free as is the RouteYou app you will need to download to your phone. All I ask in return is for any feedback you have about a route you ride especially so if you think a correction is required!
Corsica remains a hugely under developed road cycling destination and that is one of the great attractions about riding here. Whilst there are more cyclists around particularly post Tour de France, it's not on nearly the same level as say the Alps or Majorca. Having said that visitors to my site have exceeded 10,000 in the last twelve months and the number is growing with around 1,200 in the last four weeks. I can see from Google analytics that just 5.5% of visitors are in my age range, 75% are 18 to 44 years. I had expected the gender split to be more male dominated but it is in fact 45% female, 55% male. Clearly the females are riding different routes to me! The largest proportion of visitors are from the UK (28%) followed by France (13%) and the US (10%). Interestingly in the last month I had one visitor from Yangon in Mynamar who stayed for 3 minutes and twenty seconds - I wonder if they'll make the trip to ride here?
So please help yourself to the routes and as always if I can help with any questions feel free to ask.
Bonne route in 2015!

My first visit to Corsica was in 1976/7 when, as part of my French degree course, I worked as an English assistant in a lycee in Bastia and spent the summer working at a holiday camp near Poretta airport.  I found the island to be a delightful place and the “piano, piano” (slowly, slowly) pace of life suited me down to the ground.  I’ve been back several times since with and without the bike and am always struck by the island’s ability to remain immune to aggressive touristy development, it's rugged beauty, the quality of the food and wine and the friendliness of the people. For the last few years I’ve been pestering friends about a cycling trip to Corsica. Thanks partly to TV coverage of the 2014 Tour de France, the bait was taken.
So a group of 9 of us (inc 3 non-cyclists) spent a very enjoyable week at the end of May, based in Patrimonio, at the south west base of Cap Corse. The weather was perhaps a degree or two hotter than ideal for serious cycling but from the village it was easy to reach St Florent, Desert des Agriates and the west coast of Cap Corse. Bastia and the east coast of the Cap are also within reach though some of us (that’ll be me) failed to manage the ascent of the Col de Teghime. I’ve only ever toured the Cap anti-clockwise before and it’s amazing how the backdrop changes depending on the direction of travel.  Still stunning scenery either way though.  I last tackled the Agriates about 6 or 7 years ago and my faulty memory led me to misinform my compadres that it was a gently rolling ride - more like a stiffish, longish climb as it turns out. I also forgot that outside the main towns many eateries shut up shop at 2pm, so we didn’t get the slap-up feed we’d anticipated at journey’s end.  
Some of the gang tackled the Col de Santo Stefano and the circuit taking in the hillside towns of Oletta and Olmeta-di-Tuda returning to base very pleased with themselves.  I hope to return in the near future and tackle that circuit myself.  We all enjoyed the west coast of the Cap and I particularly enjoyed my lunch at the Hotel Marinella in the Marine de Giottani.  Some of the crew made it over to the eastern coast of the Cap but were disappointed to find it busier traffic-wise and less interesting scenically. 
We managed to fit in some down time as well and were all very pleased at the warm welcome extended to us in the restaurants and bars we patronised in Patrimonio. As a treat we had our final meal at the Auberge du Pecheur in St Florent, where the meal was worth every penny (and there were plenty to pay). You enter the restaurant rather prosaically via the fishmongers shop but then find yourself in a secluded sub-tropical rear courtyard.
We hired road bikes from Europe Active. They were just the ticket for the terrain and rates - including the charge for delivery to and pick up from our accommodation - were reasonable.  
It seems from the local press that the Tour hasn’t brought about an instant tourist bonanza - the global economic downturn may have seen to that - but cyclo-tourism has evidently taken a big leap forward since I was last there.

Stan Surgin, UK

There's a roundabout on the N193 south of Bastia with a weather beaten sign for the Biguglia war cemetery.  I noticed it quite a while back and made a mental note to visit. Finally this summer we followed the sign into Biguglia and discovered, in a corner of a foreign field, a beautiful memorial commemorating sixty Commonwealth WW ll casualties. 
Like much of Europe and all of France, Corsica was occupied during the war. On the 16 September 1943 it became the first part of Metropolitan France to be liberated. Some 12,000 local partisans known as the Maquis drove out the occupying German and Italian forces. After this the island, sometimes referred to as USS Corsica, became a vital strategic  air base for the allied forces.
The memorial in Biguglia is funded and maintained by the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission. It is maintained to the highest standards and is an idyllic and peaceful spot for a memorial. The graves are predominantly for British forces but also include nine Australians, one South African and a Canadian soldier. They ranged in age from just 19 to 43 years. 
We read each of the headstones and interestingly the very first one we looked at was James Hillier - the same surname as my mother in law's maiden name!
This is the only Commonwealth war cemetery in Corsica. It is a fitting tribute to and commemoration of the fallen as well as a timely reminder of the terrible cost of conflict.

Warm on the wheels of the Tour de France 2013 Grand Départ from Corsica Bernard Hinault has been here to join the presentation of a new UCI one day race, Corsica Classica. The inaugural edition of the race will take place on thursday 26 March 2015 shoehorned into a busy racing calendar presumably post Milan - San Remo and pre Paris - Roubaix.
Pro bike racing is not new to the island - the Criterium International has been running here since 2010, the Tour came for the first time in 2013 and the Tour de Corse ran as a pro race between 1971-1987 which incidentally, Hinault won in 1982.
The race will depart Ajaccio and finish in Bastia. It's a 204km route and takes in two categorised climbs: after 53km, the Col de Vizzavona at 1,163m (12.5km at an average gradient of 4.1%) and after 76km, the Col de Bellagranajo at 723m. The first 84km of the race is the reverse of the 2013 Tour de France stage 2. At Corte the route turns for Aleria on the east coast and then north for a flat run into the finish in the centre of Bastia.
The aim of this event is to build on the success of the three days the Tour raced here in 2013. Visitor numbers this summer are down on last year although anecdotally I see more cyclists than previously. The route is not fixed and will vary year to year. Given the timing you can expect to see snow on the peaks and quite possibly surrounding the col at Vizzavona.  Whether or not we can expect the race to become an established classic, as the name suggests, only time will tell.

May is once again one of my favourite months to ride in Corsica! It has been warm, the traffic is light, there are hardly any visitors around and the hotels, restaurants etc are just starting to emerge from their off season hibernation. What a contrast to May last year when it was cold and still snowing on the highest tops.  
My May excursion is typically a combination of riding and gardening (in that order). The winter has been wet and the spring warm which is just about perfect for growth conditions. Rediscovering the garden is like catching up with an old friend which in turn is a bit like a couple of my staple rides: up to St Antininu and the Col de Salvi.  The picture I tweeted from the Col of the Red Kite flying towards me caused great interest on Twitter - "OMG what is that"!! Just a bird, albeit a very large one. It was so popular that I've included it again here.
I took the opportunity to drive down to Solenzara in Corse-du-Sud to ride the Route de Bavella as this is a very good time of year to do so from a temperature and traffic perspective. I've updated my route description which you can read by clicking the link. It is without doubt a spectacular road to ride but I'm not sure I'd recommend it in the height of the summer as the Col is a tourist mecca. Afterwards I returned to Solenzara via l'Ospedale - what a superb view of Porto-Vecchio bay and Sardinia in the distance from just below the village. My Gallery page has new photographs of Bavella and Ospedale.
Returning home  I drove through the wonderfully named,  Défilés des Strette and de L'Inzecca which you can ride following Vivario Cols. On through Ghisoni, paying respects to Neptune as I passed by, and up and over the Col de Sorba for a drink at Le Chalet on the Col de la Serra. These roads are just a cycling paradise. 

I've been riding in Corsica over the past week. As you might expect it's very quiet, what you might not expect are the warm temperatures. There is a wide temperature variation depending whether or not you're by the coast or up in the hills but typically a February day near the coast has a range of 3-13˚c.  It was 16˚c yesterday afternoon and warmer earlier in the week - more like what you'd expect in April. The snow line is high and spring does appear to have arrived early with splendid displays of mimosas, fruit blossoms and camellias. Will it last? Last year I got caught out in a snowstorm in late May up in Haute Asco however with plenty of coastal riding Corsica always has a warm weather alternative.

opposite sides of a ravine that leads down to the harbour. It's not remarkable that there are two churches, what is remarkable is that one, the Church of Assumption is Catholic and the other, St Spyridon is Greek Orthodox.
How did Corsica acquire a Greek Orthodox church named after the patron saint of potters?

In 1676 some 730 Greeks from the Mani peninsula in the Peloponnese arrived in the area after fleeing the Ottomon Turks at home and the imposition of new taxes. At this time the Genoese controlled Corsica and welcomed the Greeks as part of their colonisation plans. They were not made nearly as welcome by the Corsicans and this led to them spending nearly 45 years in Ajaccio. The French followed the Genoese in Corsica and post the Treaty of Versaille Cargèse was established in 1784 by what was left of the Greek immigrant population. Life for the Greeks remained unsettled but they hung on in there and it was not until 1976 that the last native Greek speaker died.

The catholic church dates from 1828 and the Greek from 1852. Both are still very much in use today as there remain some 200 families following the Greek way of life they inherited from their ancestors.

A short while ago I received the note below from Jakub Kalus who late last summer undertook the Randonnée des Cols Corses. Here is Jakub's tale...

Based on some recommendations for cycling in Corsica and thanks to the information about the Randonnée des Cols Corses I found on your website I decided to complete the Randonnée last September, 2013.

Unfortunately my attempt to contact the authorities of Cyclos Randonneurs Thononais failed so I went to Corsica without the possibility of getting the ‘Randonnée medal’. I don't know if they still work. Nevertheless, I followed the Randonnée map and it took me total of 19 days and a distance of 1,697 km starting and finishing in Ajaccio plus a 1 day of hike up to Mt Cinto, Corsica’s highest mountain at 2,706m.

Some facts from my trip:

• Corsica is pretty hilly but the country is stunning.
  
• September seems to be an ideal time for such trip, not so hot anymore, only 2 days of rain from total of 30 but higher in the mountains, it was already cold.
  
• I am originally from Czech but now live in Norway. Corsica was quite expensive, to some extent comparable to Norway.
• Luckily I didn't have any punctures. On some recommendations I ran Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres with thick self repairing inner tubes. This increased the wheelset weight close to 6 kg but the ride was safe then.
• My MTB frame was built from top quality Japanese double butted CrMo Tange and equipped with a Shimano Exage bulletproof group-set. The butted frame is not an advantage here but luckily everything survived. The lightest gear ratio for 26" wheels and such heavy bike (30 kg plus food and water) must be 0.8  (Ed’s note: 22 chainring and 27 cog) or lower, a 2.7 ratio is is enough for top speed on descents.
  
• Potable water is everywhere thanks to fountains spread all over the country, in mountains and villages
  
• Food in Corsica doesn't cause any problems. I cooked food every day, typically some pasta with corned beef or tuna and some local cheese.
  
• I had my tent and camped mostly on campsites - usually 10 euros per night. I never need to reserve a place in advance. It's not that easy to find flat spots to camp outside of the sites and you have to be careful to avoid private land.
• If I’d travelled light on an organized and supported trip and just carried spare parts like tubes, tools etc then I think it is feasible to complete the Randonnée in less then 14 days. With all my stuff I cycled on average for 4-5 hours each day and covered around 85 km.
  
• The most beautiful place was Bonifacio so after I finished the Randonnée I spent the last few days there, hiking around the coast and having a nice relaxing time.
• It was great trip and I will not hesitate to repeat it again.
  

The pictures show my bicycle in front of the highest Col, Vergio at 1,497m and me at the summit of Mt Cinto.

With regards,

Jakub Kalus
Norway, Jan 2014

I've just recently discovered that there is a small city in the state of South Dakota in the US called Corsica! I'm familiar with the popular American car, the Chevrolet Corsica but had no idea that there was a town of the very same name. How did the City of Corsica in South Dakota come by its name?

It was established in 1860 by railroad workers some of whom came to the US from their mediterranean island home. It was they who decided it would be a good idea to name their new settlement in honour of their home, Corsica. 

Prompted by this I have delved a little further and discovered that Blooming Grove in Morrow County, Ohio was originally named Corsica! The town was established in 1822 by Salmon E. Harding who apparently was greatly inspired by Napoleon. The town was renamed Blooming Grove in 1835. 

There's more - in Pennsylvania there is a Borough called Corsica in Jefferson County, population 354, established 1802 by John Scott. The name also appears to have been inspired by the French Emperor of the time, Napoleon.

Napoleon clearly had an inspirational impact in the US as did Pascal Paoli another of Corsica's favourite sons as there are numerous places named in honour of them both.

From my perspective very much a statement but for the island and its visitor driven economy most likely still a question that will begin to be answered next summer. One thing's for sure - never in the history of time has Corsica had such a large television audience. And, the weather provided the perfect backdrop for Corsica to showcase itself around the globe via more than 170 TV channels with an estimated daily audience in excess of 40 million!

To remind you, this was the first ever visit of the TDF to Corsica - the final two departments of Metropolitan France to receive the world's greatest bike race and arguably the world's most watched annual sporting event.

It is reported that Corsica paid some €2 million for the privilege of hosting the Grand Depart and three days of stage racing. The arguments and fears about coping with the Tour logistics proved unfounded - 4,500 people including 200 riders and 2,000 journalists plus more than 2,000 vehicles including 200 alone for the publicity caravan! 
So with the 2013 drawing to a close was it worth the wait for Corsica? Well Tour supremo Christian Prudhomme appeared very happy talking in Calvi at the end of stage 3,

 "it was a great stage and the scenery was absolutely superb. I am delighted with this Grand Départ, it has been magnificent. The people here have shown the kind of real fervor and enthusiasm which you so often see by the road on the Tour de France. But I have never seen so many people say ‘thank you.’ It was incredible. We have felt a real sense of pride amongst the people at being able to host the Tour.”

As for Corsica itself it's too early for any official data but there is no doubt that the TV coverage has raised the island's profile, the back end of the summer season got busier, there are more cycling tours planned for 2014 than ever before and my site visitors and enquiries have grown significantly. 

Seasons greetings and see you en Corse 2014! 

Lying between the northern end of Aregno plage on Corsica's northwest coast and the Total petrol station on the N197 is this amazing granite column. It is 17 metres in length and just under three metres in diameter. It is a thirty two sided polygon, more commonly known as a 'icosidodecagon'! The calculated weight is just under 300 tonnes which is the equivalent of 15 London buses or 1 unladen jumbo jet.

This column lies in the quarry it was cut from. This is the very same quarry that in 1810 provided the granite pedestal for the Vendôme Column in Paris which was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte as a commemoration of victory in the Battle of Austerlitz. Just like Nelson in Trafalgar Square, Napoleon still sits atop the Vendôme for all to see despite being temporarily removed in the 1870's.

Napoleon was of course a native of Corsica, born in Ajaccio and it was Ajaccio that placed the order for this column which was carved in 1836. The plan it is said was to erect a Napoleon's Column in honour of its most famous son. Alas the column proved to heavy to move and instead, other stone from the quarry was used to provide a base for the more modest Casone memorial just above Napoleon's grotto in Ajaccio.
 
So, it's not just Nelson that has a column nor indeed Santa who has a grotto!

Like many destinations, and if you're free of the school term dates, going out of peak season is often the very best time to go. How true that is of Corsica. As I write it's 25 degs outside, the sun is shining, there is a windsurfer in the bay and a handful of people at the beach. Many hotels and restaurants are closed but there's more than enough to choose from. The supermarket is the closest I've come to a private shopping experience! Put simply, you can take the best of what Corsica has to offer and have it virtually to yourself - riders and non riders alike.

I've riden almost 250kms over the past four days and what a joy it's been. Yesterday I saw the same number of cyclists on my route as I did jet fighter aircraft overhead - two! I rode a 22km descent and only saw three moving cars and one lorry. The main hazards on the road are pine needles, horse chestnuts and the occasional pig, sheep and or cow.

There are downsides - if you like crowds there aren't any, there's little in the way of night life, it can get cool in the evenings and atop mountain passes, entertainment mainly has to be self made. For the cyclist you must be totally self sufficient as you should assume on your rides that you will have to feed and water yourself as well as be able to carry out running repairs. Personally I don't recognise these as downsides, just more reasons to be here now!

Post script - I've just been asked if bikes can be hired this time of year. Yes, Balagne Cycles are open in L'Île Rousse and have a good selection road, hybrid and mountain bikes available. They also have paddle boards which are great fun.

I recently received an email from a reader in New Zealand who enquired whether it is possible to arrive in Bastia, cycle to the south of Corsica and cross over to Sardinia?

The answer is yes. Infact you could start in Italy at Piombino and take a 20km ferry ride to the island of Elba. Elba is well known of course for the exile of one of Corsica's most famous sons, Napoleon. It has 150km of coastline that can be cycled as well as some hill routes that rise to just over at 1,000m Mount Capanne.

Bastia is just a 50km ferry ride from Elba. From there it is 175km to Bonifacio, Corsica's most southerly port where you can catch a ferry to Santa Teresa on the northern coast of Sardinia. This crossing takes less than an hour. Sardinia, at more than twice the size of Corsica has plenty of riding options. If you ride to the south of the island to Cagliari you can take a ferry to Palermo in Sicily. From Palermo to Messina is around 250km where you can take the short crossing back to the mainland and cycle back to your start point. I have calculated, excluding ferry crossings, that by taking the most direct routes this is some 2,000km of riding! It certainly would be an interesting tour and with some planning could take in some of the routes used by the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. I sense a book in the offing...

Ferries:
Piombino to Elba with Moby Lines
Elba to Bastia with Corsica Ferries
Bonifacio to Sardinia with Moby Lines
Sardinia to Sicily with Tirrenia
(Note: these are all seasonal services)

Post script - last week I received an email enquiry from a reader in Rio. I have misplaced this so please send again, apologies. Mark

The excellent article by Mark Bailey published in Cyclist about riding here on Corsica is now available online. Read it here by clicking this link, Ride of the Century
Some superb photographs by Pete Webb.

It's been thundery here on Corsica in the past couple of days and the lightning strikes have been fierce. I see from the forecast that the UK can expect some severe storms in the next day or so too. Very sadly a German tourist was killed here on Corsica by a lightning strike ten days ago on the terrace of his accommodation. So what do you do if you're out riding and a storm brews? The simple answer is, TAKE SHELTER preferably in a house, stone building, cafe or car and certainly not in any metallic shelters or near water. If the lightning is very bad I would have no hesitation stopping a car or seeking shelter in a nearby house.

What however if there aren't any shelter options available and that is certainly a real possibility if not probability here and in other less populated places we love to ride? A review of the literature and guidance says:

- don't be the tallest object around
- leave high ground such as ridges and cols i.e. turn around and ride down hill as fast as is safe to do so
- avoid lone trees
- stay away from poles, pylons and fences
- avoid ditches especially so if there's water around - avoid all contact with water e.g. streams
- if there's no shelter available and you're in the open then separate yourself from your bike (regardless of what it's made from), separate yourself from your companions and squat on the balls of your feet with head on chest/legs and hands over ears - the aim is to minimize your size and contact with the ground. This is known as the lightning crouch!
- if a vehicle comes by don't be afraid to ask for a lift to the next village or town

Of course it is advisable to check the weather before setting off, Two very good sources for Corsica are Corse Matin either online or inside the back page of the daily paper and, France Météo.

The probability of being struck by lightning is of course very slim but as we saw recently it can happen and it's best to take precautions if you get caught out. Do let me know if you have any other and/or different advice.