The Other Tour de France?  What the heck is DA BG on about? Everybody know there’s only  ONE  Tour de France – Right?  Absolutely sports fans. But there is another cycling event each year not quite as famous. At least Worldwide.

But here in the land of  Wine, Cheese, and Government Ministers with Swiss bank accounts, the race from the (often cold n’ wet) environs of Paris to the (often sunny n’ dry) shores of Nice on the French Riviera, is marked on every French Calendar.

My fellow scribbler Florent Rois gives us “the skinny:”

“The first Paris-Nice  took place in 1933. Since then, some of the greatest cyclists have won this one-week time-trial which connects the French capital to one of the most beautiful cities of the Mediterranean: Nice, on the French Riviera.

Created to promote two newspapers, the time-trial has become, over the years, one of the first events of the cycling year. Only the second world war prevented the race from running six times between 1940 and 1946, and a couple of modifications have been made, such as an extension towards Rome in the 1950s.

Creative Lisence

Despite the name of the race, Paris has not in fact been the starting point of the race since 1962. After the creation of new cities on the outskirts of Paris, the organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), decided to move the starting place to the suburbs. Issy-les-Moulineaux and Fontenay-sous-Bois have thus had the opportunity to welcome the start of the race, like Houilles did this year. Since 2007, ASO, which also organizes the Tour de France, has replaced the white jersey (which was formally blue) in favour of a yellow jersey for the overall leader of the race.

End o’ the Trail

The finish has often been celebrated on the famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice but has also taken place in Col d’Eze, on the east coast of the city. Col d’Eze acts as the ultimate judge of the time-trial between Nice and Monaco, and hosted the finish between 1970 and 1995. Richie Porte won there this year during the individual time trial. This French mountain range is legendary in the region. Involving one of the first ascents to climb in the cycling year, it often presents much difficulty and is a good gauge for athletes for the rest of the cycling season.

Back in the Day

Paris-Nice has seen the greatest champions win on its slopes before gaining Tour de France fame. Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor, the two legends of French cycling, went head to head between Paris, the Massif Central, the Alps and the Mediterranean. The Norman against the man from Limousin captured the hearts of the French.

Anquetil, five-time winner of Paris-Nice, first won the “race to the sun” before winning the Tour de France in 1957. Poulidor, the eternal runner up of the Tour de France, won Paris-Nice twice. The two fought for the final victory in 1966 during the second-last stage in Corsica. The week-long, relentless battle between the two men will forever remain engraved in the memory of French sport.

On the Isle of Beauty, Anquetil got the lead and came out ahead of Poulidor, Adorni and Merckx. Merckx then won three Paris-Nice titles, well behind Sean Kelly, the record-holder with seven wins.

Amongst the greatest moments of the Paris-Nice race over the last few years were Laurent Jalabert’s victory over Lance Armstrong in 1996, Alexandre Vinokourov’s 2003 victory which he dedicated to Kivilev, a fellow countryman who died during the race, and Alberto Contador’s wins in 2007 and 2010.

This year Richie Porte won the greatest triumph of his career. The Australian succeeds another member of Team Sky, Bradley Wiggins, winner of the previous year’s race. Porte can now envisage greater feats like his teammate, who some months later won on the Champs-Elysee during the Tour de France.”

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French Country Travel Life Legend is an apt phrase to describe the (medium) tiny village of St. Tropez. Legendary largely becasue of Bridget Bardot filming there “back in the day.”  Sadly, DA BG was  too young  to have been there. (And on another continent anyway.)

Since that day, St. Tropez, more than any other French Riviera destination has been the “in” place to be/seen for movie stars, royalty, politicians, and assorted corporate criminals. All have one thing in common. Deep pockets. So it is here, to this legendary “place in the sun” by the sea that they flock to cavort, boogie down and misbehave with impunity.

My talented colleague Laure Van Ruymbeke (trying saying that fast after a few pina colodas) has the legendary details:

The birth of a French legend

Far from the glitter and glam for which it is well known, it was at the end of the 19th century that this small fishing village was discovered by a few Neo-Impressionists. For the first time they offered the world the Tropezian delights brought to light by the colours of midday through their paintings. Painters like Signac – who set up his studio there, Matisse, Picabia and Bonnard met there regularly and worked on similar themes, such as nudes, familial scenes andMediterranean landscapes.

In 1925, it was Colette’s turn to make a contribution to the village’s reputation. Overwhelmed by the charm of the provincial region, she took up residence and pursued her literary work from her house named ‘La Treille Muscate’, in the calm and quiet that the town afforded her. Playing with a renewed freedom and enchanted by the splendour of the landscape and her own garden, she wrote, “Upon waking, the world is new to me, every morning”. Troubled by the arrival of tourists some years later, Collette left the now too-coveted place in search of more peace and quiet.

The post-war years saw the Parisian intellectual elite and the big names in the arts and humanities – Gréco, Prévert, Picasso, Vian – discover the peaceful village. Now associated with sun and pure Mediterranean beauty, Saint-Tropez is the ideal place to relax and lounge around.

The 50s and the consecration of the French village

In 1956, the filming of ‘Et Dieu…créa la femme’, shot the the young Brigitte Bardot, and the small picturesque village to fame. Falling for the charm of its small lanes and Mediterranean sun, Brigitte Bardot decided to move to Saint-Tropez, giving it a certain star status.

By the end of the 50s, ‘St Trop’ had become the capital of recklessness, sensuality and freedom, and like Bardot, was known the world over. Bardot continued to bring fame to the port with her 1963, hit song ‘La Madrague’, named after her waterfront house of the same name. This was the era of the vichy dress, bikinis, and mini shorts.

The release of ‘Gendarme de Saint-Tropez’ in 1964, starring actor Louis de Funès, only served to increase the popularity of the village. Among other movies filmed in Saint-Tropez, ‘La Piscine’ (1969), brought stars Alain Delon, Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin to the seaside paradise.

Increasingly, tourists invaded the fishing village…

The ‘St Trop’ legend, still on people’s minds

The Tropezian legend has since been perpetuated by the press, which never hesitates to return to the origins of its celebrity. For example, on the release of their new perfume ‘Dior Addict’, Dior hired a young blonde model, not dissimilar to Bardot, with a mischievous allure, and chose the catch-phrase ‘Et Dior créa la Femme’ for the campaign.

The advertisement played on the nostalgia of old Saint-Tropez, from deserted beaches to small paved streets, and far from the yachts and currentextravagance for which it is known today. The reference to B.B. is undeniable, in the model’s resemblance and the invitation to “be iconic” at the end of the ad.

Read more about St. Tropez the French Country Travel Life Legend

HERE

and/or : Check out THIS VIDEO

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