14 minute read
Keeping cool in a Corsican cauldron
by Audax UK
A quartet of pals – three Brits and a Swede – encountered searing heat, goats, pigs, blocked roads, and many mechanical glitches on a punishing anti-clockwise circuit of the rugged
Mediterranean island of Corsica in June 2019. But, as Chris Wilby explains, Le Tour De Corse (Corsican Raid) had its compensations, including great scenery, food, beer and countless refreshing dips in cool mountain pools. Here’s his account of a notable ride: Keeping cool in a Corsican
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WORDS & PICTURES CHRIS WILBY & ADRIAN LAGAN
FOUR RIDERS IS a good number for a tour. It helps minimise costs and admin, but it also ensures a shared experience. And this 865km ride along a predefined route around the beautiful island of Corsica delivered plenty of experiences.
The team was: Patrick “Paddy” Cope, Lars Eckerborn (from Sweden), Adrian Lagan, and me. We are experienced randonneurs, except for Lars, but he’d ridden the Vatterundam, a 300km day and night ride around Vattern Lake in Sweden in 2018. The plan was to complete a 10-day, self-supported tour of the island, starting and finishing at Bastia. There are 16 checkpoints to pass through to claim a medal from the ACP (Audax Cycling Parisian).
Adrian rode a specialised Roubaix and Patrick had a new Look 765 optimum ultegra disc tubeless bike. I used my Airnimal Chameleon folding road bike. Lars had hired a Specialized Allez, but it began to fall apart early on – starting with an inadequate seat post clamp, then a faulty bottom bracket.
We were kitted out in white Corsica Cycling shirts, so we could spot each other. Three of us opted for cycling sandals, because of the relentless sun, except for Paddy who wore cycling shoes – his feet boiled.
Day 1 Bastia to Calvi – 176km, 3387m climbing
Heading north out of Bastia Northwards, we were immersed in sunshine with the sea on our right and mountains on our left, and we made good progress on fresh legs to Macinaggio. At the first control at the Tourist Information on a quayside we got our stamps, but Lars was having problems with his saddle sinking. Adrian helped him by trying to tighten the saddle clamp. Meanwhile Paddy and I found a shop to obtain snacks, and water from a street spa.
When we got back, we couldn’t see Adrian or Lars so assumed they’d continued. We set off up the long climb into the mountains on the road to Nonza. Lars’s seat clamp continued to be troublesome – whenever any weight was put on the saddle it would sink so the bike had to be ridden mostly standing up.
After a long climb the road descended and hugged the coast again, twisting and turning. The views were spectacular, the sea a beautiful turquoise. I arrived with Paddy at the Café de la tour in Nonza, sampling a platter of cheese and meat with beer. The food and location was fantastic. Adrian arrived an hour or so later and we became concerned about Lars, so Adrian went back to find him, he was struggling up the long climbs, his saddle continuing to trouble him. After many attempts to fix Lars’s bike clamp Adrian swapped bikes to help him get through the day.
We hoped to remain together but the hills, long descents and differing abilities didn’t allow this, so it was nice to just take time to enjoy the solitude and scenery.
Lars and I adopted a steady pace which took us into the night. I just had a small light, which was not really enough. When I arrived with Lars at Calvi, Paddy was enjoying a drink from a corner bar and Adrian was waiting in the hotel with just a towel wrapped around his waist – Lars was riding Adrian’s bike, and his clothes were in the saddlebag. After some beers we enjoyed a pizza back at the chalet hotel rooms.
Day 2 Calvi to Piana – 107km, 2545m climbing
In the morning we visited the local cycle shop and they replaced Lars seatpost clamp with the proper sized one, and I bought a more powerful lamp. We then had omelettes for breakfast from a small cafe and set off together.
This was one of the best days of the tour with two long climbs. The first was 11km with a great viewpoint at the top and an exhilarating twisting descent to Porto. Then a tougher but rewarding final 8.5km climb to Piana, with a short 30 per cent section near the end.
Adrian and Paddy had already reached the holiday cabin. It was a short walk to the beach where they’d gone for food and drink. Lars and I had been taking our time but we had received a text warning from Adrian that there was no food ahead, so Lars and I stopped in Piana for a Pizza. When Lars and I found the chalet site the other two were still on their beach trip.
cauldron
Corsica has two major geological domains nicknamed “The Elysée of Geology”, with the Western “crystalline” part and the Northeast “schistose” part.
The island’s average altitude is 568 metres, making it the highest of all the islands in the western Mediterranean. The highest point is the Massif du Cintu with an altitude of 2,706 metres. 180 kilometres long from north to south and 82 kilometres wide makes the island 8,680 square kilometres. and has a coasline of more than 1000 kilometres.
Day 3 Cargese to Corte – 110km, 3067m climbing
To Calacuccia and Corte – I was ahead of the others and waited at a sharp turn to make sure they didn’t miss it. I let them catch up and waved them through. Last through the steep downhill stretch I went too fast and lost control on some gravel which made me skid off into the barbed wire fence while my folding bike wrapped its front chassis backwards into the frame breaking the catch on the folding mechanism in the process.
I sliced my arm in several places and was bleeding. A nurse driving by saw me, and stopped to bandage my arm. How amazing is that? Adrian came back to help but the front wheel was so bent it was impossible to use other than at walking speed. I enlisted the help of two tourists to stand on the wheel rim in an effort to straighten it. Adrian took a photo of the three of us standing holding hands to balance. It didn’t work.
So, I cycled behind Adrian slowly to Cargese at which point Lars appeared. I found someone’s garage that had a workbench inside which I used to try to straighten the wheel. The owner came back and was in a bad mood, probably because I’d been in his garage but the door was half opened so that’s an invitation to enter, isn’t it?
My plan was to make my way by taxi to Ajaccio, book a night and get the bike fixed and meet the others there as that was further on our route. Then I thought about my friend Dave who was travelling the Island on holiday with his wife, so I phoned him. Fantastic – he was staying in Ajaccio and he rescued me. I stayed at his place in Ajaccio and bought a 26 inch wheel with a slick tyre, from the Decathlon store. I left the others after Calacuccia, stayed at Ajaccio for one night with Dave, got the bike fixed and Dave took me to Zicavo where I waited for the others.
After my crash, Adrian was eager to catch Lars and Paddy. The next 10km was flat along the coast before it turned inland with a steady 8km 6 per cent climb to Saint-Antoine, where Adrian met Lars. The next section was the toughest of the tour. It was only 7km to the top but it was out of saddle and lung-busting at times. It seemed relentless especially in the heat of the interior of Corsica. Adrian weaved through a goat herd before the final ramp to the top. The reward was a breath-taking view across the mountains and far below was the next stop, Cristinacce, where Adrian met Paddy, and later Lars. The bar owner served large plates of chips and steak, washed down with a cold beer – delicious.
Next was a steady 14km climb through the forest to the summit of the Col de Vergio where there was a café for refreshments, with a panoramic view and a striking statue of Jesus. That was the thing about this trip, there were panoramic views of mountain and sea all the time.
Adrian waited for Paddy so that they could descend together, however Paddy enjoyed powering ahead on the downhill sections. The 23km descent was thrilling and the view at the bottom was just as amazing. At the U Pont Altu a crystal-clear river runs from the mountains under an ancient bridge. There were people sunbathing, swimming and diving in. The cool river looked extremely inviting after a hot day in the saddle, but Calacuccia beckoned.
At Calacuccia we regrouped, Lars wanted a meal so stayed behind. Adrian and Paddy were soon racing downhill through Le Canyon de la Ruda, a visually spectacular and adrenaline inducing 10kms of sheer fun – Adrian’s highlight of the tour. This was followed by a steady climb on tired legs with a final descent into Corte to see the impressive Citadelle de Corte on approach. The best and most punishing day of the tour was complete.
Day 4 Corte to Zicavo – 110km, 2497m climbing
I left the others after Calacuccia, and stayed at Ajaccio for one night with Dave and his wife and got the bike fixed. Dave took me to Zicavo, where we had drinks and I waited for the others.
Adrian noticed his rear derailleur cable was fraying, so as a precaution went to a local cycle shop. The owner had to cut the existing cable and then struggled for 40 minutes to insert a replacement through the internal routing. At one point Adrian thought his tour had ended.
Paddy decided to get moving as the day was already heating up, but Lars stayed with Adrian, and it was already very hot when they got going. There was a steady climb out of Corte, and after an hour they couldn’t resist the temptation of a refreshing dip in a pool by the side of the road. The roads became much quieter with hardly a passing vehicle, it descended and ahead were mountains as far as the eye could see. The road climbed more steeply this time for 12.5km at 7 per cent, with a series of switch backs to the summit of the Col de Sorba. This was followed by another rapid 10km descent through the forest to Ghisoni. Paddy was waiting at Le Kyrie, a family-run restaurant. He recommended the lasagne, made with a local vegetables. It was simply fabulous.
Another climb followed, 17km in the burning heat of the day. It was punishing. Adrian weaved from side to side to keep in the shade and stopped at every spring to douse
❝I enlisted the help of two tourists to stand on the wheel rim … It didn’t work ❞
himself and replenish his water bottles. The reward was an 18km descent, the road hugged the mountain side and made its way through forest, levelling out and undulating for the last 6km to Zicavo.
Day 5 Zicavo to Ajaccio – 102km, 1951m climbing
My Airnimal bike now had a 24 inch wheel on the back and a 26 inch wheel on the front. Paddy called it the ET bike. About 400 yards out my sandal broke – the cleat stayed on the pedal and the sandal stayed on my foot.
We made an early start with a plan to stop somewhere en route for breakfast. The first 6km was downhill, freewheeling, and nice and cool. This was followed by 9km at 5 per cent. Downhill again for 10km and then a 6km 4 per cent short climb along the busy T40. At 32km we stopped at the Auberge de col St Georges café for a continental breakfast. Between us we ate their whole supply of croissants, filled with butter and jam, with coffee and orange juice.
Lars was having issues with a pedal and had been left behind. A considerable gap had opened up between us before we knew he’d stopped at a garage about 15km behind. At 9am the day was heating up to 25C, so we pressed on without Lars.
The road to Ajaccio looped back and undulated for 17km with a few short inclines. We passed a pinnacle of rock with the Corsican flag planted on top. The road was carved into the rocky hill side and radiated heat. Thankfully Lac de Tolla was around the corner so Adrian and Paddy dived into cool off. After Tolla there was 12km of twisting downhill with a view across the mountains to the sea.
Ajaccio seemed busy after the solitude of the mountains but it was good to stop and take a dip in the sea and have an ice-cold beer. Lars arrived about four hours later, having cycled using one pedal for most of the day!
Day 6 Ajaccio – rest day
Whilst in Ajaccio some of us visited Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthplace. We went for a swim, and afterwards went straight to our table for our evening meal. Lars and I shared a freshly-caught fish. Dave and his wife were with us for this meal – my treat for their help in supporting me and my battered bike.
Our accommodation in Ajaccio overlooked the sea with a balcony and a large table, and space to fix the bikes. Lars contacted the bike hire company who delivered a replacement bike. Now back on schedule, Lars with a new bike, me with the ET bike, Adrian with some minor problems with his disc brake and gear cabling, but Paddy on his new bike with tubeless tyres.
Next day we made an 8.30am start and planned to have breakfast at about 45km. The first 30km was flat and was quickly travelled within an hour this was followed by numerous short climbs with the odd decline over 15km. Unfortunately the café we planned to eat at was closed. The location was remote, so we had to cycle another 15km before finding another. Thirty minutes later we entered Propriano, a bustling town with shops, restaurants and a marina. We took in the sights and left before noon.
After Propriano there was a 6km climb with a twisting switchback at Sartene through busy traffic. It was well worth it – there were fabulous views back over the valley and the view of Sartene. The heat was increasing. It was only 20km to the coast but felt much longer even though the route was mainly downhill. The view along the coast was magnificent, the deep blue sea and rugged coastline was something to remember.
The undulating 30km to Bonifacio was beautiful but exposed under the baking sun. Adrian drank all his water before reaching Bonifacio and jumped in a river to cool down – to then dry within 10 minutes.
Bonifacio is dominated by a large medieval citadel. I made my way up the winding road to the hotel which was at the very top of the cliff. We found a suitable place to stop and drank some beers while waiting for Lars, who was getting full value out of this ride.
Day 8 Bonifacio to Aleria – 132km, 2473m climbing
Next day we set off at 6am. It was the first time we’d needed jackets as a sea mist drifted in. This soon cleared and we stayed together for the first 35 undulating kilometres, but parted over a 13km climb. After 45Km of riding we regrouped at the A Tigliola Pizzeria in the mountains. The café had a viewing platform and pool, and there was a magnificent view of the coast far below. It was absolutely stunning.
It was another hot day so we stopped and took a swim in Lac de L’Ospedale. The mountain roads were hot and the trees offered little shade so we took it steady after our swim. Just before noon we arrived in Zona, a hub for cyclists and walkers. We took our time and ate a three-course lunch as we’d already done the hard riding for the day.
After lunch we climbed the Col de Bavella, which was 10km at 5 per cent gradient. At the summit was the Madonna of the Snows statue. Adrian and I then set off on to 40km of rolling coast road to Aleria. We made steady progress until his front wheel started making a rattling noise. We took the front wheel off, spun it, no noise; put it back on and spun it again, noise. Eventually we discovered
