How the Tour de France helped me think about geology in a new way

As I write this, the Tour de France has reached its halfway point, with the cyclists climbing the Alps. Or, to put it another way, the race has left Armorican continent and entered the folded relics of the Valais Ocean and the Brianconnais microcontinent.

For me, as an academic geologist and cycling enthusiast, this year's edition of the world's biggest cycle race is particularly exciting as colleagues and I laun