Published by Lyn on 5 April 2011
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Emma Davies is a familiar face on the roads of the Côte d'Azur. We talk to her about her love of cycling in France
Emma out on the road with her business partner, Claire Scrutton.
Photo: Cycle Côte d’Azur
Do you remember your very first time on a bike (as a child)?
I don’t remember my very first time but I’ve seen lots of pictures of me on bikes. Apparently I was always pretty competitive trying to keep up with my older brother. My earliest memory of riding a bike came from when I had done a ride with some friends and my dad, and I raced my dad to be first home. We lived in an old house that had solid oak gate posts and as I rounded the corner I had my head down sprinting and went straight into the gate posts. My mum was watching and came running out to find me dazed and with a few cuts and brusies but I think this started a trend for sure. Also it was the days before helmets and I hit my head pretty hard – I think it could explain a few things.
How old were you when you decided to try and make cycling your career?
I was 16 and had raced since I was 13. I thought maybe it was possible. At that time there where girls such as Marie Lawrence, Sally Dawes, Maria Pervis etc and I saw them riding for a career and just thought I had to try. With my dad having been an athlete, he just told me I had one chance to do it and if I got the chance I should take it. From then it was luck; in 1997 when I left school, Lottery funding was introduced and something called the WCPP (world class performance programme) was started under the guidance of Peter Keen. I was lucky in that I was chosen and that meant I received a small salary to ride with my national team fulltime. Many people see now the success of the British team but don’t see how it all started. It wasn’t so long ago and it's strange to think that I was part of the beginning and how lucky I was.
You ride your bike for a living – do you sometimes have to pinch yourself when you think about that?
I was lucky and worked very hard to stay at the top of my game. It was never easy and I saw a lot of people fall by the wayside. I always knew that one day it would finish and I was lucky that when I retired, I had my cycling project on the Côte d'Azur to concentrate on. I would of ridden a bike no matter what, but I was just lucky enough to be good enough to be paid, be in a good structure like British cycling with Lottery funding and to be in good health. One thing I can always tell myself is that I performed as well as I could and I gave it my all. I don’t have any regrets that I followed this life. True, I sacrificed a ‘normal’ life so I could ride my bike to a high level, but I enjoyed it every day. Even if sometimes on a bad day I would look and think why the hell am I suffering up a 15km climb in the cold, I could always say well it's better than sitting behind a desk. I was blessed to have supportive friends and family and feel fortunate to have achieved the level I did. When it came to retiring in 2008, I looked back and said two Olympics – not bad, I can retire happy and that's what I’ve done. Cycling is in my blood and I am naturally competitive and I love helping others discover what is great about cycling.
The cycling project you mentioned on the Côte d'Azur is a cycle tour company – can you tell us how it came about and why you chose to base it on the Côte d'Azur?
I love the Cote d’Azur. I did a training camp down here one year with my professional team and loved the area. Also I raced a stage race called the Tour de l’Aude which is a region just up from the Cote d’Azur and always marvelled at how beautiful the area was. In 2010 I worked with Stephen Roche and ran a training camp from his hotel down here. When I started riding, I saw the potential of the area and also how undiscovered it was for cycling. All cyclists know about Majorca and Lanzorate, but not many know about Nice. The beauty of the area is that you can truly ride all year round. Even in the height of summer you just need to ride 20 minutes out of Nice and you are virtually alone in the hills. It's an amazing area and when I met my business partner, she was also thinking the same. By the end of a couple of weeks of discussing it we just said ‘well why not ?’ No one else has a business down here doing this and we just thought there was a real niche for our business.
Can you tell us about the first time you cycled in France?
We used to do a lot of sport in my family. My dad was an Olympic 800m runner and was involved a lot in cycling in the mangerial side of things. We always took our bikes on holiday just to use as a way of exploring the area we where. We took a holiday in the south of France and I remember trying to keep up with my dad – he would go out every day and would take me for a quick spin. I loved it, being in the fresh air and then coming back and feeling good about myself. I think from a young age I loved the endorphines that exercise produces.
What’s your most vivid memory of France from that trip?
The smell. The south of France really has a unique smell to it. It's a kind of warm hazy smell mixed with lavender and earth. I can’t describe it but whenever I leave Nice and am coming back, it's the first thing I still notice.
How have your impressions of France – and cycling here – changed over the years?
I remember watching Stephen Roche ride into Paris in 1987 to win the Tour de France and being mesmorised. Then for many years it was a place to race and seeing so many different parts of France where the scenary changes so much. For example the Alps are different to the Pyrenées and the Masif Central is different to Pays de Calais. It's such a varied country and I love it for how much it varies. I was fortunate enough to see it as a child and then notice the changes whlie I was racing here for so many years.
What do you like most about cycling in France?
Like I said before, I love the variety of the country. France is a huge country and even when I was commentating on the Tour de France, I was every day amazed at the scenary we passed. I also love the fact that you will always see some old guys out riding in the middle of the day. You see these people and realise they have probably been riding the same roads for years and still really love it. Also the passion for cycling in France when the Tour de France is on – it's absolutely awesome. Just to see how many people line the roads every day in an event that takes place every year is truly inspiring. It's one of my memories of childhood watching the Tour de France on TV and seeing the crowds. It makes France!
You’ve cycled all over the world – how does France as a cycling destination compare to other countries?
It's different. I lived for four years in Belgium in the heart of Tour of Flanders country and saw how passionate the Belgians are for any kind of cycling. To them it's like Brits and football. I don’t think anywhere else in the world you can encounter the Belgian passion for cycling and from such a young age too. But France is definitely one of the countries for me to ride and race in. I have cycled in many countries from Russia, Australia, USA and most of Europe, but France will always hold a special place in my heart. I saw as a child the Tour on TV and that's really where my love for the sport started. Also watching Sean Kelly win Paris-Roubaix is a memory I have. Even now when I sit and have a coffee with Sean I still can’t believe it was this guy that I saw grimacing over cobble stones and winning in a velodrome in Roubaix.
Emma in the commentary box with Sean Kelly, twice winner of the Paris-Roubaix, and winner of the Paris-Nice seven years in a row, from 1982–1988. Photo: Cycle Côte d’Azur
If you could ride anywhere in France, where would you go?
I haven’t ridden in a part of France that I didn’t like yet, but my favourite area is still the Cote d’Azur. That’s the reason I started a business down here. I love the variety of mountains and coastal roads. In an hour's riding you can be high above Nice and looking down to the sea and up towards the snow capped mountains; it's stunning. Some of the coastal roads along from Cannes to St Raph are some of the most amazing in the world. In my opinion it's even more stunning than riding along the South African coast road in Cape Town.
And where would you avoid?
I’m not a big fan of big cities but I think even as a tourist on a bike you get more of a feeling for a place and see it in a different light.
Finally, what three items can’t you cycle without?
I’m a pretty old-style cyclist in that I love going out and exploring where I'm going. I hate Garmins and planned routes. I love the excitement of getting lost then finding my way home again. It's a great way to learn your way around. Fortunatley I'm lucky to have a good sense of direction, although it has been known to be horrendously wrong on a few occassions. But I love riding with a map. And I can’t ride without my phone. I’ve had a few emergencies when I’ve needed it! Also I’m old style in that I always carry a pump. Most people use cartridges but I tried and after several emptying themselves before they got in the tube and finding myself stranded (hence the mobile phone), I much prefer the old style pump.
Emma represented Great Britain at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, and England at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze in the individual pursuit. She now has a base in Nice, where she co-owns Cycle Côte d'Azur.
