France is of course just a a short-hop from the south of England, so as a kid I cycled many slices of the country. Sometimes on school-trips, other times on holiday and once around the suburbs of Paris whilst playing in a Rugby tournament. The land has always felt very familiar, but the people not so much. I remember drinking strong coffee made by a host family when I was about 12, before flying down the motorway at 180kph in a convertible Ford Escort XR3i. Life was lively he