The Tour of Britain and a humungous hike.

It's not every day that world renowned cyclists pass so close to my home town, and it's not every day that the Tour of Britain races up one of the most famous routes in Wales! The Tumble (aka The Blorenge) involves around 1,300 feet of climbing over a distance of four miles – a challenge not to be taken lightly, according to my husband who has cycled this route many times, although not reaching the summit in the impressively quick times the professionals achieve.

Unable to resist watching this stage of the race end at the top, and aware that the roads would be closed, we decided to park in the nearby town of Abergavenny, treat ourselves to a full English breakfast, then walk up the mountain to the finish line. This involved a climb up the side of The Blorenge, firstly up a pretty lane, then through a narrow tunnel underneath the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, then through a steep­-sided woodland. Emerging out of the trees, we were treated to a superb view, that only got better the higher we climbed.

And what a climb it was – approximately 1500ft up some steep and scrambly terrain.

I was broken when I reached the top, but it was well worth it and after a restorative coffee from my trusty flask, we set off across the mountain to reach the road where the race was due to end.

I've never seen so many cyclists gathered together in one place! There were hundreds of them, plus tour officials galore, and other hikers like us. The party atmosphere and sense of anticipation was incredible. Food stalls kept spectators fed and watered while they waited, and music and commentary from the pop-up stage where the trophies would be issued to today's winner and runners-up entertained the crowd, and a big screen showing the live race kept us abreast of the cyclists' progress. There were also several bike-specific outlets, including Cycle Exchange. My husband has bought a couple of bikes from them and I had to drag him away because he would have chatted about bikes all day if I’d let him!

The atmosphere was electric, many spectators there to celebrate the final race of Geraint Thomas, our very own Welsh cycling legend, before he hung up his professional boots for good. It was a privilege and an honour to see him cross the finish line.

That wasn't the first time, though, as we'd witnessed him and the then Team Sky, win the Tour de France with Chris Froome at the helm back in 2015. We stood for hours in the Parisian drizzle to watch the last stage of that year's iconic race. And it was that memorable experience which made me want to incorporate the highly competitive and frankly rather insane world of cycling into one of my romances – and Le Tour de Love was eventually born.

So if you want an uplifting romance that takes you through the heart of France and gives you a little bit of insight into this unique sport, then this book is for you! Le Tour de Love by Lilac Mills.

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About the Author

Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her love of simple pleasures, and the beauty of everyday moments. She’s the author of over twenty feel-good novels, and also writes as Liz Davies and Etti Summers. Meet her here.