etape

For those of you who like me, until a few months ago, had never heard of this word - the 'Etape du Tour' is a day's cycle ride for anyone up for it, in the middle of the 'Tour de France'. My younger son, who is just a few months off his fortieth birthday has been training hard and is flying off to France today, ready to cycle 100 miles up and down the French Alps on Sunday.
He has loved cycling since he was 10 and very briefly thought about taking it up professionally but decided against it because of the amount of drug use at that time, and as he would have to cycle 100 miles every day to keep in top form he thought he would like to have a life instead!
He is now a buyer for a chain of bicycle shops but loves to cycle whenever possible - mountain biking as well as on the road.