He inherited his love of cycling from his father, who was an alpine mountain guide, and it was the local geography of Elidir Fawr and Holyhead mountain that helped hone his skills.

BBC: Sir David Brailsford: London 2012 cycling chief knighted

The local politicians are mainly from the right, business types keen to promote the region's virtues of geography and language.

ECONOMIST: France

But geography was no obstacle to two well-connected local Christian Democrats who delighted their constituents by getting the town included in the fund's remit.

ECONOMIST: Italy