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The ‘Île de Beauté’ has a history every bit as intriguing as that of the Tour itself. Its volcanic nature is reflected in its powerful topographical features and rich history; Napoleon Bonaparte was born here, as was Christopher Columbus. Between the 13th and late-18th centuries, Corsica was ruled by the Republic of Genoa; despite the fact it is closer to Italy, it eventually fell under French rule in 1769. Corsica has continued the struggle to exercise its independence ever since, something that has created within its people a complex and potent identity: even the place names tell you this is no département normal. Corsicans speak their own patois and locals can seem suspicious of outsiders. The summer heat is extreme and the strength of feeling about their right to a degree of autonomy can be seen in those cars with French number plates that occasionally burn by the roadside.

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The most mountainous island in the Mediterranean, and the last of the 27 ‘régions’ of France to be included in the Tour, a single chain of mountains runs through its heart. Corsica's tallest peak, Monte Cinto, tops out at 2,706m. Col de Vergio, the highest road pass on the island at 1,478m, is no easy climb in the summer heat but offers stunning vistas out to sea. As well as battling gradients in Corsica, you may also encounter pigs, goats and other animals on the minor roads that criss-cross the island.

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The first three stages this summer will include a good deal of climbing; stage two, from Bastia to Ajaccio, includes back-to-back categorised climbs. It may be familiar to race fans from the Tour de Corse, which has run sporadically since 1920 — or, for those with long memories, from the latter stages of several editions of the Paris-Nice in the 1960s. It was during the 'Race to the Sun' of 1964 that Raymond Poulidor, the eternal second to Jacques Anquetil, won the first stage in Corsica from Ajaccio to Porto-Vecchio. The following split stage on the island, a 143km run-in to Bastia and a 34km time trial saw Poulidor two minutes ahead of Anquetil at the top of the Col de Téghime. But, disastrously, 'Poupou' and his Mercier machine collided with a vehicle from the publicity caravan. With bad road rash and no replacement bike, he had to abandon. Later that season he would famously battle with Anquetil shoulder-to-shoulder on the Puy de Dome in front of half a million fans.

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As for the group of Rapha riders who travelled to Corsica to shoot the new Spring Summer collection for 2013, their journey started on the shoreline of the Porto-Vecchio canton (Bonaparte’s birthplace). Following the eastern flank of mountains down to the southern point of Bonifacio, they found quiet roads that ran through olive groves and past jagged rocks peppered with pine trees, with views to the island of Sardinia to the south. Whatever happens in the 100th edition of the Tour, and to Corsica’s connection to mainland France, the island will forever remain one of Europe's most idyllic road riding destinations. ●