Corrèze — A Road Less Ridden

On Sunday, July 12, 2026, the Tour de France peloton will roll out of Malemort-sur-Corrèze and ride 185 kilometers northeast to Ussel. It will be Stage 9 — the first time this route has ever been raced.

Between now and then, we're going to ride it ourselves. Not all at once, and not at 45 kilometers an hour. Instead, we'll cover the route in 26 segments, each roughly 7 kilometers long, published twice a week starting this Sunday.

The Route

The road climbs from the limestone lowlands around Brive-la-Gaillarde into the granite heart of the Massif Central. It passes through medieval villages built from red sandstone, descends into the valley of Tulle — the departmental capital, famous for lace and accordions — then climbs again through the wild Monédières hills and across the vast, empty Plateau de Millevaches before dropping into Ussel.

Along the way: nine categorized climbs, including the fierce Suc au May at 7.7%. Two "Plus Beaux Villages de France." A summit at 977 meters on Mont Bessou, the highest point in the Corrèze. And everywhere, the quiet green countryside that most of the world has never heard of.

The Four Riders

Four of us are riding along — not on the road, but on our bikes at home, logging daily kilometers from April through July. Each day we ride, we inch a little further along the 185-kilometer route. The rules are simple: ride whatever you want, but only 2 kilometers per day count toward your total. Bank what you don't use.

The riders:

• Justin — aiming to finish before the peloton does
• Marian — steady and strategic
• Nan — unpredictable bursts of distance
• Wally — the dark horse

Their progress will be tracked in every entry, updated with each publication.

What to Expect

Each entry will cover one 7-kilometer segment of the route. You'll find:

• A map showing exactly where we are on the road
• An elevation profile with gradient coloring and power estimates
• The story of what's there — the history, the scenery, the people, the geology
• Rider standings — who's ahead, who's falling behind, who had a big week
• Weather at the segment's location on the day of publication
• Images from Wikimedia Commons and other Creative Commons sources

Twenty-six entries. Thirteen weeks. One road through the Corrèze. The peloton arrives on July 12. Let's see how far we get before they do.