Tiff any Cromwell
sp ecialized- lululemon
ith the Spring Classics campaign coming to an end for the women at La Flèche Wallonne, it is time to turn my focus away from one- day racing and towards stage racing.
With the upcoming Women’s Tour of Britain being my next race, I have been able to enjoy a couple of weeks at home to recover from the busy start to the season and rebuild with a short training block.
During my time back at home, I took part in the third annual Charity ride from St Tropez to Monaco organised by the Champagne and Oysters Cycling Club – otherwise known as the COCC ’s by members. The aim of the ride every year is to raise as much money as possible for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
I had the honour of designing the official kit for the ride and it was great to see the 140 riders lined up on Sunday morning in St Tropez ready for the ride. It wasn’t any ordinary charity ride; we had the Prince of Monaco with us, former F1 racer and team owner Eddie Jordan, former All-Black rugby player Byron Kelleher, singer Caroline Corr and even Mario Cipollini, along with plenty of successful business people. This is something I love about cycling – it is a sport that brings so many different people together that share the same passion.
It was a fantastic event and stunning ride along the coast. For me, it was the first time in the four years I’ve lived in the area that I’ve ridden on the roads between St Tropez and Cannes. Through l’Esterel from St Raphael and Mandelieu you ride along a roller coaster road winding along the coast with the sparkling blue water on one side and this stunning red rock on the other. It was truly beautiful. I wanted to stop and take photos everywhere.
With such varying levels in abilities, the group split up but there were plenty of opportunities to regroup. The ride included stops along the way: lunch in Mandelieu, a pint of Guinness at the Irish Pub in Nice and a live roadside band with finger food and champagne in Eze. You get the idea; these guys want to enjoy themselves.
The final regrouping was just outside of Monaco in Cap d’Ail where everyone came together and the Prince led the red and white army back into his principality down to Stars and Bars in Monaco port to complete the pilgrimage.
It was a fantastic opportunity to be a part of such an event and it isn’t everyday you get to ride alongside true royalty.