View from the Back
Ramblings of a retiree in France
One from the Vaults: Postcard from [Paris-]Nice
Typically at this time of year, the weekend is spent watching the final two stages of the Paris to Nice cycle race. But this year I’m spending the weekend in Monaco where we’re attending a Gala dinner for the Monaco Bentley Owners’ Club – no, we don’t have a Bentley – so I’ll be watching the race on the television. Here’s how it unfolded in 2016…..
Yeah, I know Nice is just up the road but it occurred to me that I don’t bang the drum enough about my home region and, this year, the final two stages of Paris-NeigeNice were both around Nice and the Niçois hinterland, and it WAS a race to the sun.
Every time I attend an ASO organised event I am reminded of what a superb job they and their staff do to make the race run seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly. However, if like me, you’ve been involved in arranging or managing any mass participation events, you’ll appreciate how much work goes into it. In addition, ASO are constantly innovating. This year there was a sizeable village with plenty of stands and activities for all the family.
And that’s not all. Last year ASO organised Challenge #ExploreNice, a multi-stage sportive showcasing the area. This year the one-day Paris-Nice challenge saw amateur riders, including my beloved, tackle Sunday’s stage on Saturday. I dropped him off nice and early in Nice on Saturday morning, well before the sign on for that day’s stage, leaving me to hang around to collect him later. He calculated he would be back at 13:30, and he was.
Meanwhile, I watched the start of the queen stage of Paris-Nice where anyone who harboured GC ambitions would have to make their move on a parcours which proved probably more difficult that many imagined: a summit finish, seven climbs and barely any flat, apart from the roll-out on the Promenade des Anglais. The stage didn’t disappoint with the leading protagonists enjoying a ding-dong battle royal up La Madone d’Utelle where, cruelly, the steepest section is in the last 500 metres. It’s a deceptively long and difficult climb and I’m speaking from experience.
I had whipped up my race-winning brownies for a couple of my friends (and their teammates) who were taking part. I felt they deserved a treat given the cold and snowy conditions they’d had to ride through on Wednesday. You might wonder why I call them race winning brownies. Suffice to say those who have eaten them in the past have won the stage or gone on to win the overall race. This time the teammates of my friends won the overall and finished third on the podium. Ironically, I was rooting for runner-up Alberto Contador. I really must make him some of my brownies.
At most ASO events, while the race unfolds, someone will engage with the spectators and ask them questions about the race. If you answer the question correctly, you get a prize, typically a bidon. I love Cycling Quizzes. After an embarrassingly large haul of bidons, my beloved pulled me away before the quizmaster started saying: “Does anyone other than Sheree (yes, he knows me by name) know which of today’s participants has won the most stages?” Easy, peasy that’s Tom Boonen with six stages. Am I the only person who knows the correct answer? It would appear so…………….
Sunday morning we were down bright and early to enjoy breakfast in the Cours Saleya in the Old Town, always worth a visit. There’s a flower, fruit and vegetable market every morning save Monday (antiques) and the better stands with local producers are to be found at the far end of the market.
Suitably fuelled, we headed back to the start area to catch up with friends and acquaintances all enjoying the warm spring sunshine and the prospect of another day’s great racing. Before the riders signed on, ASO and Astana held a touching presentation in memory of Andrei Kivilev who, while riding for Cofidis, crashed and died 13 years ago last Friday. It’s a nice touch and helps young Leonard Kivilev, who was born after his father’s death, and his mother keep his flame burning bright in their and our collective memories.
While my beloved took photos of the sign-on, I looked around for riders to have a quick chat to or team press officers to set up future longer interviews with certain riders.
Once the boys had ridden off, I got to see my little cupcake race around the Promenade des Anglais in the Louis Nucera. He’s a little lacking in form having spent three months off the bike due to growing pains in his back. It was a tough event to debut his season thanks to the presence of a few ex-pros, now riding for amateur teams.
Once the race was over, my beloved required feeding (again) so we headed to one of our favourites, the roof terrace at Le Meridien which affords a great view of the finish line, though we were back down in time to see the television coverage and the unfolding of an absorbing final stage. Despite his efforts, Alberto Contador couldn’t put enough time into Geraint Thomas to take the title for a third time and was noticeably disappointed on the podium.
All in all it was a magnificent weekend.
.
View from the Back 
well that all sounds fab! I am glad you had fun! xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a wonderful weekend! Enjoy your time in Monaco 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
Sounds like an eventful, exciting weekend! 🙂
LikeLike
It was and I’m sure it’ll be fun this weekend too
LikeLiked by 1 person
My experience anecdote of Monaco was going by car around the roundabout from Cap d’Ail into Monaco and was stop by the police for a control check. I was told they do that often there…As it is the frontier is hardly noticeable! I am watching Paris Nice on TV, it started in my old hangout of the Yvelines 78 nice views. You did beautiful pictures here. Cheers
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome
LikeLiked by 2 people
We had great Christmas holidays at Nice last year. I walked on Promenade des Anglais almost every day during our two week stay. The cycling event was amazing and your pictures are fascinating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you June. Nice is a great place to visit all year round.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Splendid drumming and congratulations on earning recognition
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Derrick
LikeLiked by 2 people