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The Tour du Mont Aigoual
The Cévennes
The Cevennes, in a remote and largely ignored part of the south of France, is a unique landscape for road racing. Riding here is beautiful but unremittingly hard. Geographically the area is defined by a series of spectacular deep gorges, separated by high plateaux. The climbs are steep and the 'cols' are often described as being ‘upside down’. You descend first into the gorges and then immediately start climbing. There is no relief at the summit, just a grind over the windswept ‘Causses’. Not surprisingly, this raw landscape is the scene for countless French races each season.
The Ride
In September 2007, four riders from the Rapha Condor team set out to ride the course of the Tour du Mont Aigoual, the race featured in the Tim Krabbé classic ‘The Rider’. The 137km figure of eight loop from Meyrueis takes in classic Cevennes terrain, with three major climbs, dangerous descents and fast riding through the beautiful gorges of the Jonte and Tarn rivers. This would be the team’s final training ride before the Tour de Gevauden, held on many of the same roads. Their challenge was to ride the route faster than the winner of the race in The Rider: 4 hours and 30 minutes.
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