As a keen cyclist, like many Irish people, and someone who enjoys photographing cycling races (from the Tour of Ireland to the Tour de France), the opportunity to partake in one of the world's most famous cycling events is tempting, tickets for L'Étape du Tour go on sale 6th of November 2024.

The Étape du Tour is held every year, on closed roads covering one of the Tour du France's most challenging stages, with 16,000 participants taking to the scenic French roads with all the support of the real thing which follows a few days later. This is professional level organisation.

This is a non-professional cyclist's opportunity to ride as if part of the Grande Boucle.

You don't need to be a competitive cyclist, anyone who is fit enough can take part and you don't need to be a KOM rider, this event is doable with a good level of fitness.

For 2025, the Étape du Tour starts in Albertville, home to the Winter Olympics in 1992 and finishes in La Plagne, famous for skiing and the world's most popular ski resort in 2014.

But, in the heat of the French summer in July, skiing will take second place as La Plagne sees the arrival of 16,000 cyclists from all over the world, followed a few days later by hundreds of the world's top professional cyclists.

It will be the last mountain stage for the 2025 TdF but and it will be challenging for the professionals but on the 21st of July there will be a lot of sore legs in La Plagne, as it marks its fifth time hosting the Tour de France.

Interestingly, La Plagne will also host a SUPER8 mountain biking race on the 11th to 13th July, making it a cycling hotspot for 2025. Mayor of La Plagne Tarentaise Jean-Luc Boch said "...we are going to see a real celebration of cycling."

Leaving Albertville (355m) the Étape du Tour will cross some of the most famous mountain passes in France, the Col des Saisies (1,650m) which sees a 13.7km long climb at average gradient of 6.4%; before the descent to Beaufort at 724m followed by the tough climb to the Col du Pré at 1,748m with 12.6km of roads at a whopping 7.7% average gradient, which reaches 11.3% maximum. The Cormet de Roselend takes riders to 1,968 metres above sea level, dropping again to 806m ahead of the long (19.1km) climb to La Plagne at 2,052m with an average gradient of 7.2%! All that over 131km of Savoie tarmac.

{ }

What is it: L'Étape du Tour de France - a closed road, full stage of the world's most famous cycling race, the Tour de France run a few days before the professionals take on the stage

When is it: Sunday 20th of July 2025, 131km and 4,500m of ascent to finish at La Plagne

How to find out more (and only place to buy tickets/register unless booking with a tour operator or riding for charity): https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/the-race/how-to-register

Hurry though, tickets go on sale on Wednesday November 6th 2024 at 16:00 and will likely sell out quickly - within a few hours.

**UPDATE** Registration has now closed, but you can find tickets through official tour operators or ride for charity, more information here: https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/village/tour-operators or https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/event/charity

Antrim rockers Therapy? sold out Dublin's iconic Olympia Theatre on Dame Street on Halloween night, while thousands gathered for the ghost parade on O'Connell Street.

Playing their iconic Troublegum album in full the band brought their usual energy to the scenic, and famous, interior of the Olympia to start their European tour on the 30th anniversary of its release.

This was my third time photographing Therapy?, both previous occasions in Belfast, this the first time in Dublin.

The much-maligned herring gull, Larus argentatus which is known in Irish as Faoileán scadán, seen here soaring and gliding above stormy waves on the Atlantic off the north coast of Ireland.

Seagulls in general may be associated with loud, aggressive food stealing behaviour but herring gulls are currently on the UK's Red List for endangered species.

In Northern Ireland, herring gulls experienced a population increase during the 1950s-1970s, in the Seabird Colony Register census from 1985-1988 there were 17,561 pairs of herring gulls in NI while in a follow-up survey, the Seabird 2000 census, only 722 pairs were recorded.

Ireland has lost large numbers of herring gulls in recent decades and it would seem that the western coasts of Ireland and Scotland have seen the largest declines in herring gull numbers in recent decades.

Today, September 22nd 2024, marks the autumn equinox as the Sun passes Earth's equator at 13:44.

The equinox marks the point of equal night and day throughout the world although at certain latitudes, such as in Ireland, this won't happen for a few more days.

But it's fair to say that it's as close to the point of shorter days than nights in the northern hemisphere and lengthening in the southern hempisphere that we have, especially as the Sun is rising due east and setting due west.

The equilux is the actual point of equal day and night in any location and as mentioned it occurs a few days after the autumn equinox, in spring it occurs a few days before the spring equinox.

Hours of daylight will shorten until the winter solstice and then we will and lengthening again.

In the meantime, expect images of the colour that autumn brings to the Irish countryside.

Why not join me in September, October, November and beyond to photograph Irish landscapes.