Saturday, July 31, 2021

From the President

 Chers Amis,

It’s that time of the year again and the world’s greatest annual sporting event, the Tour de France, is drawing to a close. By their bleary eyes and advanced state of fatigue you can easily recognise the local Alliance Française members and other Tour enthusiasts as you walk around town. For three weeks they have kept vigil over their televisions into the wee hours of each morning as the epic battles of this great race are fought out against the background of one of the most beautiful countries on earth. The Australian contingent this year is so large that for the first time ever the Australian riders actually outnumber the Italians. Perhaps the Italians stayed away because they heard that debutant rider young Ben O’Connor from Western Australia would lead one of France’s oldest teams, AG2R-Citroën, and would be blitzing the bunch on the longest and highest climbs. We didn’t get to realise our own 14 July plans because of Covid but, on the day, we were able to watch the Tour and raise a glass to France and to some of the world’s greatest athletes.

Speaking of tours, in this edition of La Mouette, you will read further information about our inaugural Alliance Française Sapphire Coast Adventure Tour which will take place on Sunday, 15 August. Mark the day in your calendars and get some friends to come along and help you to work your way through the clues which will get you to your destination. Sylvie and Wal have been very tight lipped about the route so we are all looking forward to seeing where they take us and enjoying an exciting day out.

Best wishes

Rob McCombie

 

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