Saturday 2 June 2012

The Tour de France in our area

As the southern hemisphere slides into winter things are warming up in Meribel as the date for the Tour de France gets closer. The Tour which was first staged in 1903 covers more than 3,600 km of demanding terrain and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours" the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. Those not lucky enough to catch the Tour live keep up to date with extensive TV and Radio coverage which for Australians means a lot of late nights hoping to see Cadel Evans repeat his success of last year.  

In Meribel this year there were many activities to mark the 20 year anniversary of the Olympic Games being hosted by Albertville and on the 12th July the City will mark the start of stage 11 of The Tour. This stage is 140 km, the riders will tackle the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Col du Mollard before the final climb towards the resort of La Toussuire. This stage is being seen as one which could single out potential winners of the Tour. Albertville is less than 30km from Les Allues so the stage is a real treat for the many cyclist enthusiasts who live in the village as well as the visitors who flock to the area for a taste of The Tour.