Leana Gerrard takes on the south of France
February 8th, 2009
The northwest is one of my favorite places on the planet. Lush forests,
great laid back people, lakes, cities, oceans and mountains all intertwined
and of course the hero dirt for riding. Not included in my list however, are
the four months of the year when grey mist fills the air, darkness lingers
for over three quarters of the day and the motivation to go ride my bike in
the snow and mud is enough to keep me safely indoors.
That being said, when the opportunity arose to pack my bags and go some
place warm for the season I chose the winter escape of the Europeans- Nice,
France. The best I can defer of this place is that it is a mix of Florida
and California with a huge amount of old people but a climate and terrain
like California.
When I first arrived I was greeted by sunshine and it didn’t take me long to
put my bike together and ride up and down the Mediterranean coast in a shirt
and shorts. Since I’ve been here however, I have encountered a few problems:
one being I have no idea where the good riding spots are and another being
that once I find them I don’t have a car so it is difficult to get to. Oh,
and the fact that I don’t speak French- at all. But I’m slowly figuring it
out and even the days when I am just riding the roads around my town I am
still stoked on the awesome mid-winter weather.
When thinking about coming here I had a difficult time deciding which bike
to bring. My downhill bike, the Cannondale Judge, would be fun, but I wasn’t
sure how often I could make it to the mountains. My Cannondale Rush would be
a great bike for riding cross country trails and cruising the roads on the
coast, but then if I wanted to do something a bit more extreme like jumping
I would be struggling. My choice then went to my favorite bike, the
Cannondale Rize. With only a few adjustments I could make it a good bike for
riding downhill trails, or I could use it for cross country or take it to
the local BMX track for some sprints. In my world it is the perfect bike for
doing just about anything on.
Since I’ve been here I’ve made it to some radical riding spots. I’ve gone
downhilling in the mountains behind Monaco on lose rocks and shale. I’ve
done a few cross country rides up in the alps. Once on a nice trail around a
big lake and another in the snow (which of course was due to the fact that I
couldn’t read the guide book in French clearly stating not to ride it in the
winter). I’ve also found some sweet downhill trails near Cannes that include
a gnarly straight up climb but fun, flowy trails down making the climb well
worth it. The local BMX track is also pretty cool, allowing mountain bikes
on it as well as free gate practice.
Aside from riding I’ve also had some flying lessons in Cannes. My friend is
a pilot here at a flying school so he’s been nice enough to take me out a
few times. It’s funny though, almost the entire time I’m in the air I’m
looking down for trails to ride.
I’m scheduled to be here for another few months and then I’ll head back to
the states in time for the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California.
Hopefully by that time the weather in the Northwest will be a little better
and perhaps I’ll know a bit more French.
