CYKELNERVEN - STAGE 1

FINAL MOUNTAINS OF THE 14TH TDF-STAGE

“The start of stage 1 begins with an 11 km descent from Les Gets towards the town of Taninges before the ascent of the first of two significant tour mountains begins. We have 87 km and 2,332 meters of elevation gain ahead of us - and the stage reflects this year's 14th Tour de France stage from kilometer 86.5 until the final town of Morzine at kilometer 152"

After arriving in Les Gets on Tuesday, a joint welcome, dinner and a good night's sleep, body and mind must be ready on Wednesday for the start of the unique cycling experience. The challenges of the decisive Tour de France mountains lie ahead.

We are settled in the mountains and therefore have to descend 11 km before the legs can warm up with 8 km of relatively flat from Taninges and before we reach Mieussy. It is from this small French town that we exactly follow the official tour route for the 14th stage of this year's Tour de France.

At the roundabout, we follow the sign for COL DE LA RAMAZ, which is the first exit on the right. Ahead of us is a 13.9 km climb with a 7.1% average gradient. It reflects 986 meters of altitude before we stand at the top at a height of 1,619 meters.

The road up offers beautiful terrain with grasslands, cattle, small trees, and houses and we drive through the local communities of mountain farmers until approximately 5 km from the summit. After this, we wind along hillsides and rougher terrain - and with 3 km to the top we drive through a tunnel and on to the real skiing area. In a markedly different area, we can almost see all the way to the top and the percentages of climb are quite manageable at 4-6% until the last kilometer, when the steepness again peaks and you have to push harder in the pedals!

With the defeat of the first tour mountain of the year, a long descent awaits. After driving 9 km downhill, you drive directly onto the same road as today's first descent from Les Gets - so the following 6.5 km are recognizable.

On the first descent to Taninges we drove to the right - this time the route goes left in the town and towards Samoens to hit the foot of the COL DE JOUX PLANE. Before that, however, there will be lunch and the opportunity to fill up bottles at a depot by the parking lot in the middle of Taninges shortly after the river.

The ride 10 km west towards Samoens can be used to digest lunch, and the road rises slightly, which is a nice chance to warm up legs and body for another significant mountain challenge. Although COL DE JOUX PLANE is 2.3 km shorter than COL DE RAMAZ, it is considered to be a tougher mountain to conquer. The average rate of increase is 8.5%

COL DE JOUX PLANE has not been part of the Tour de France since 2016, which was also the year when CYKELNERVEN's riders were present at these mountain as the final challenge. Bad weather conditions made it both even more challenging, but also the descent became risky, which is why the climb was "neutralized" for our riders. That's why a revenge also awaits at this 10-year anniversary for riders who didn't make a mark in the personal mountain book next to an otherwise well-known tour mountain.

The approach is very two-part with a 7-9% gradient for the first 6 km. After that, you really have to push through as the following 5 km's climb varies between 9.1% and 10.5%. The mountain profile's black categorization reflects a tough final finish before you can click off the pedals at an altitude of 1,691 metres.

Just like the Tour de France route, we continue over the top and further down towards the well-known ski resort of Morzine. The Tour riders end their 14th stage in this town after 11 km of difficult descent. We take the same trip, but continue all the way up to Les Gets, which means a 6 km controlled ride until we can park the bikes at the hotels and look back at the first stage of the event.

Col De Joux Plane

At the Hotel Bellevue in Les Gets, there will be a great opportunity for socialisation, recovery and great stories about the experience of the 1st stage and the first two Tour de France mountains during this year's CYKELNERVEN.

Hôtel Bellevue: 125 route du Front de Neige, 74260 LES GETS