UVic course gears up for Tour de France

Victoria is the hometown of Canadian cyclist and 2012 Giro d’Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal, touted as a contender for Tour de France 2013. Victoria is also the site of a new third-year university course on the Tour, timed for the 100th anniversary of this mega cycling spectacle. The University of Victoria course takes place completely online, and partly via Twitter (#tdf325).

Its instructor, Dr. Emile Fromet de Rosnay, is an elite cyclist himself. An assistant professor of French literature and culture at UVic, he is currently working on a translation of Paul Fournel’s A to Z of road cycling, Méli-Vélo: abécédaire amoureux du vélo, which he is tentatively calling Bits and Bikes: a fanatic’s A to Z of cycling.

The UVic Faculty of Humanities culture course, FRAN 325: The Tour de France, will be offered in English to nearly 150 undergraduate students beginning June 24, five days before the Tour begins June 29. The course covers an overview of the history of the Tour as well as other aspects including doping and commercialization in sport. For more details about the course: ring.uvic.ca/news/french-course-takes-tour-de-france-new-level.

Course webpage: http://tdf325.wordpress.com.

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Please note: Dr. de Rosnay is available for interviews June 25 to July 4. He is also pursuing the possibility of several UVic students being available to comment during the course.