Tour de France reaches Switzerland today
Tour de France – For the 25th time, the Tour de France is making a guest appearance in Switzerland. Today’s destination, Lausanne, is organizing a stage finish for the sixth time, and it’s a premiere for Sunday’s starting point, Aigle.
It’s been six years since the Slovak Peter Sagan celebrated his seventh stage victory in the Tour of France in front of the Wankdorf stadium in Bern and Fabian Cancellara was on Swiss roads as a professional for the last time. Now the most important cycling race in the world is returning to Switzerland.
Erik Dekker’s successor sought
At around 4 p.m. on Saturday, the field of riders coming from Dôle will cross the Swiss border in the Jura. The entourage travels to Lausanne via the Vallée de Joux.
The Dutchman Erik Dekker won the sprint the last time he arrived in the Vaud city 22 years ago. This time, the treacherous arrival could be too difficult for the fast-paced drivers. The last few kilometers through the city of Lausanne are uphill.
Lausanne includes the Tour de France for the sixth time. Only Geneva, with ten arrivals, was a stopover in Switzerland more often. Geneva was a regular host, especially in the early days of the Tour at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to Geneva and Lausanne, the Tour only visited Basel more than once (1971 and 1982).
Circuit in the western Swiss Alps
On Sunday, the riders have to complete a circuit from Aigle through the Friborg and Vaud Alps before they leave Switzerland again in the early evening in Morgins in Valais and shortly thereafter in Châtel les Portes du Soleil, close to the border, after 193 km they choose the next stage winner.
Until then, in the second mountain stage, they have to cross the Col des Mosses and the Col de la Croix, among others, before they cycle through Aigle a second time, where the headquarters of the International Cycling Union UCI is also located.
5000 cars accompany the convoy
Compared to the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie, the Tour de France entourage is much larger. Around 5000 vehicles accompany the drivers. Unlike the Swiss tours, the route is closed to all traffic several hours before the passage. A gross is the safety device. Major traffic delays are expected.