If you spend any time collecting Strava activities in France you might come across coup de cul in your segments section. The ride I did with John this morning had two. Here’s one:
This is what Google Translate has to say about coup de cul, which illustrates why Google Translate can’t be always trusted: Ass Blow.
Cul actually does mean ‘ass’, and coup has all sorts of meanings in French, including ‘blow’. No, our segment was not an ass blow, but a short rise in the road that motivates you to lift your butt off the saddle and hammer over it. Coup de cul is not to be mistaken with se mettre en danseuse, which means to ‘dance’ on the pedals, usually on a long climb.
The Vicious Cycle 
Not ass blow. Check. Chuckle.
Crucial language lesson for your next trip to France, Jim!
👍
Oh Calcutta, I had no idea what to expect from reading your title.
I spent years wondering what this was till I finally turned to the interwebs.
Haha! I didn’t know that! 🙂
Not many people do, even here 😉
I’m still stuck on “326w”
That was only a ‘suggestion’ by Strava. I can’t confirm those watts!
[Returning to reading Vicious Cycle, newest to oldest, after a 3-week interlude in which I could tolerate no TDF spoilers.]