Possibly the closest a Cent Cols Challenge gets to a “holiday” : two nights in each hotel (every other stage is a loop ride) ; fewer double-digit climbs; regular sea-views and beach-located hotels. But beware : there are very few flat kilometres on this Island of Beauty. Roads are often remote and in need of some repair. ‘Free range’ domestic animals share our roads frequently. The “Pirate” emblem of Corsica is so appropriate : this wonderful island oozes free spirit and one cannot leave untouched by the raw intensity of the landscape and indeed of the islanders themselves.