The Tour de World Class is the first cycle ride organised by the well-known fitness club. Cycling is famously popular in Monaco. The Principality is a yearly venue for various competitions and charity cycling events broadcast on the media and supported by Prince Albert II himself.
The World Class Fitness Club sensed the trend and organised its own race open for everyone on the morning of 30 September. Among the “Tour de World Class” participants, there was a professional cyclist from Australia, Tiffany Cromwell, who has been living and training in Monaco for six years.
According to the fitness club manager and a former professional cycling coach, Larent Devivi: “The idea of the event is to promote cycling which is already spreading both in our region and around the world “We want to offer our clients a cycling ‘journey’ to show them how the cycle rides are handled on the road. Our club offers exercise bikes, but not all of our clients are ready to take the next step and go on the road. I think the ‘Tour de World Class’ is a great opportunity for beginners to discover what a real bike ride is.”
The 40 kilometre track is designed to suit a cyclist of any level. “We are going to cycle along the sea front to Nice at a speed of 18-20 km. On the way back, the participants will have two options: take the coastal road or go by the Moyenne Corniche. It all depends on the level of the cyclist,” explains Laurent.
Participating in such an event is an excellent opportunity for beginners to cycle alongside professionals and learn some roadway tips. After all, the narrow French Riviera coastal roads present high risks of accidents. Tiffany, who sadly experienced some repeated road accidents during her cycling career, shared some practical advice with those summoning their courage to go on the roadway:
“Do not take up the whole road. When there is a lot of traffic, that’s what makes the drivers more aggressive and more likely to come very close to you. Don’t do silly things, don’t disrespect the cars. We have no protection, and the more we annoy them, the more likely they are to get unsafely close to us.”
The first World Class cycle ride involved about a dozen people. However, Laurent is not going to stop at that. “We have created a new event and will gradually give it more scope. We were lucky enough to get Tiffany involved. We are hoping that other cyclists will soon join us too.”
Perhaps, it’s too early to talk about competitions, but Laurent Devivi is open to such a possibility. “Of course, this is a very ambitious goal. Organising competitions requires obtaining official permits from the authorities, blocking the roads, attracting policemen, etc. We will start with our cycling tours. And once they are successful, why not organise a real cycling race?”
As they say, it is the start that matters in any business. According to a 29-year-old cyclist, it is never too late to go into cycling, even if you want to become a professional.
“You really can start at any age. I have teammates who have started in their twenties, I have a teammate who started when she was 37. But to reach the best you need to start young, before 16. You don’t care, you don’t think, you try everything. It’s really good to learn the basic skills, because when you are young and if you fall, you don’t care. When you are older you have strength, but it’s really hard to adapt.
Find a good club, find some friends. In cycling it is important to have other people to do it with. It’s the best way to start. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, if you have a chance to ride with a professional just keep asking because this is the best way to learn from people’s experience.”
In anticipation of a new cycle ride to come, you can take part in the athletics games held at the World Class fitness club on 7 October. The Tour de World Class cycle ride is sure to offer a great opportunity to discover your cycling potential.
