Tour de France 2010
The Tour de France is largest and most fiercely contested cycle race in Europe. Summer 2010 will see the 97th Tour cover a total distance of 3,600km, and Morzine-Avoriaz has the pleasure of hosting two stages and a rest day. The race arrives on the 11th July for their first day of rest day and then they set off again on the 13th July for La Maurienne. Over 500 towns and villages have hosted stages of the Tour since its conception in 1903 and this will be Morzine-Avoriaz’s twenty fourth year of participation. It is reputed to be one of the hilliest races to date, as the cyclists set off from Rotterdam on the 3rd July, through Belgium then race back through Reims, France and into Morzine then onto the the traditional 25th July grande finale in Paris Champs-Élysées..
Although Le Tour de France is not strictly a tour of just France anymore, it is still quintessentially a celebration of France and its rolling countryside, stunning scenery, cheering locals and the freedom and sportsmanship it encourages. It’s origins are also scarcely known, but firmly rooted in French history. When the French Jewish soldier Alfred Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment for selling secrets to the Germans many, including the editor of Le Vélo (the prolific French sporting newspaper), thought this a gross anti-Semitic miscarriage of justice. Le Vélo’s most prolific advertiser Dion Car Works did not agree with this view however, and withdrew their advertising, opting to start their own publication called L’Auto and creating a cycle race to launch this enterprise which has grown into what we know today as Le Tour de France.
In 1919 the highly coveted prize of the yellow jersey or Maillot Jaune as it’s known in its native language was introduced to distinguish the leader from the pack and give the other racers a visible target. Yellow was also a symbolically chosen as it was the colour of the pages of Le Auto. The mountain stages of the tour were only added in 1910 to give climbing cycylists a chance against the powerful flat cyclists. The white jersey with red polka dots that goes to the uphill winner, or ‘King of the Mountains’ is also highly sought after and a great performance in Morzine-Avoriaz is key to this success.
Make sure you don’t miss out on watching this monumental race with its breathtaking scenery and electric atmosphere by booking into rudechalets™ and their morzine accommodation
Chris Lavender has been skiing and snowboarding for over 20 years and is the founder and director of rudechalets which provides summer and winter accommodation in Morzine & Chamonix.
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