2013 Tour de France

In 2013 the Tour de France will be taking place for the 100th time. The French press has already begun to rumor that Corsica may be the site to host the start of this event. (Corsica is the only French region that has not yet hosted a stage of the Tour in its entire history).

ASO officials will travel to Corsica for a formal meeting this October to discuss the issues involved in taking the race to the island, primarily transportation and security.

While we await the final decision regarding the 2013 TDF, Le Tour de Corse Cycliste is an annual six day event that takes riders through the perimeter of the island, with dramatic coastline views of the Mediterranean and the country side.

In today’s post I want to show you some of the sights along Corsica’s northern coast that attract cyclists to this beautiful island year after year.

Cap Corse

Macinaggio, is a large fishing village and a strategic port since the time of the Romans. It is also the starting point to the trail that leads to the Santa Maria tower. In the background is the village of Rogliano.
Nonza, a striking village on the western coast of Cap Corse, perched on a cliff that drops almost vertically to the sea.
View from Col de Teghime. Officially not part of the Tour but this is a favorite spot with cyclists crossing over from Bastia. From this point one can enjoy panoramic views of both coasts. Below are the vineyards of Patrimonio and the village of St. Florent.

La Balagne

One of my favorite places in Corsica: Algajola. A tiny village with its own little fortress, church, secluded beach and very cozy square with a couple restaurants and a pizzeria. What more do you need?
Corsica’s Most Popular seaside resort, Calvi is only 180km away from Nice by ferry. Ste Catherine’s airport is only 7km away. Calvi is surrounded by the hills of the Balagne region, an area dotted with colorful ancient villages.
A quiet break and a refreshing dip after pedaling through Calvi. This secluded beach is called Punta Revellata.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Corsica’s northern coast. In a future post we’ll explore the opposite southern coast.

Filed under: Corsica Cycling-Velo-VTT