Power to the pedal!

To cycle up a mountain is to pedal into a world of paradoxes. Mountains are a playground and a torture chamber; a means of outdoor adventure and inner discovery; an opportunity for wonder, a guarantee

Cyclist: What are your earliest memories of the Tour? Serge Laget: I first discovered the Tour in my village of Langogne in the Cévennes in 1954, when I was seven. I remember as if it were yesterday.

‘Who are the French guys who can win the Tour this year? It’s a subject that’s served at the table every July,’ says Romain Bardet, whose second place in 2016 is the closest a Frenchman has come to br

Just when you think you’ve found a hidden gem of French mountain cycling, the Tour de France pitches up and announces it as a finish of the biggest stage of the first week – and one of the most fun st

Exciting ways to get away from it all

When it comes to entertaining friends, it is hard to top Château de Chambord as a spectacular party venue. Set in a vast forested estate larger than the City of London, this flamboyant royal residence