Corsica recce

For the summer of 2012 I was offered a job that was too good to turn down! I was given the opportunity to come over to the French Alps to work for the Alp based cycle training company GPM10. This job offers a lot as it enables me to ride full-time, travel, live overseas, race my normal schedule and get a great tan!! After a quick 2 day turn around post Andalucia Bike Race I was on my way to airport once more, I arrived into Geneva to blue skies and surprisingly warm climate, happy days! I spent a couple of days in Annecy (my base for the summer) getting things sorted out and pedalling around the lake before heading down to Corsica for a 4 day recce of the island for a trip later on this summer. After a late flight into Ajaccico we put our faith in Mrs Sat Nav for the 140km drive across the island, this was one big mistake as she took us the most direct route straight across, instead of the faster main road around the mountains. It's always a game to try and beat the time the sat nav sets down, but in this case it was impossible! As we wound our way up one narrow mountain pass after another the time kept going out and we eventually arrived at the hotel in Porto Vecchio at 0130 a full hour after our original ETA. Not a great start to the trip!

The next day we awoke to clear blue skies, warm sunshine and all we had to do was build and ride our bikes. From here on the trip just got better and better as we discovered some amazing routes that took us along the coast and high up into the mountains and through quaint little villages on deserted roads.  As a bike rider I would thoroughly recommend Corsica as a place to visit and pedal around. The climbs are long and steady and you will be treated to stunning views almost everywhere on the island.

The view as we spin along the costal road.

Mafia dumping ground - there were 5 cars all having been pushed off the side of a cliff!

The car we wished we had hired!

Nice way to end the day.

Corsica has some of the nicest coast line I have ever seen.

I'm now back in Annecy for 24hrs before jumping back in the car to Barcelona to catch a boat to Majorca where I shall be based for the next 5 weeks of riding! I hear the weather isn't to shabby there either :)

The day job!