Every summer France is gripped by the biggest and best cycle race in Europe - Le Tour de France. The Alps have played a large part in the race over the years with the gruelling mountain climbs providing some of the most exciting spectacles of the event. The route changes slightly each year, taking in different towns and villages along the way.
The Tour de France goes through Albertville this year – some 45 minutes away by car. If you want to follow in their tracks or try some of the previous years's stages (ie. neighbouring Les Arc or La Rosiere), then bring your own team and pit yourself against the best of the best.
Stage 9 - With four climbs on the programme, this will be the major alpine stage, following the first rest day. The stage will start in Haute-Savoie then, after a climb to the Colombière mountain pass, cross the border into Savoie and the Aravis pass, followed by the Saisies pass. The final and most gruelling challenge will be the Madeleine pass that lies thirty kilometres from the finish in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
