Tour de France is on its way!
July 2016
Things are hotting up in Chamonix now – both temperature wise (been hot and humid and in the high 20’s/early 30’s for the last few days) but also in anticipation of one of the greatest sporting spectacles of the summer heading this way. Yep, the Tour de France is coming to town and this year we are being thoroughly spoiled with not just 1 stage in our vicinity but FOUR! I kid you not:
Wed 20th July: Stage 17 – coming up from Berne in Switzerland to finish at the Emosson Dam, just beyond Vallorcine.
Thu 21st July: Stage 18 – Time Trial Sallanches to Megève
Friday 22nd July: Stage 19 – Coming from Albertville to finish in St Gervais
Saturday 23rd July: Stage 20 – Last stage in the mountains, starting in Megève and finishing with the climb up to Morzine
So, if you’re a fan of road biking, lycra, free tat and all thing yellow then this is where you need to be in 9 days time. We still have a little bit of availability left in Chamonix for TDF week but don’t wait too long – the count down is on!
However, before then we have another of the summer event highlights going on in town right now. Every year, the world’s best climbers descend on the town for the final of the World Climbing Championships. Now even if you don’t climb yourself, this is an amazing spectator event with climbers competing in one of two disciplines - speed or difficulty – both of which are equally jaw dropping to watch. The event takes place in Place Mont Blanc on two specially constructed climbing walls. The “speed” wall is 15m high and 3m wide and the winner is the climber that makes it to the top in the quickest time. Don’t blink though because the fastest of the competitors can do it in less than 7 seconds! For the technical competition, the wall is the same height but it has a killer overhang built out at around 30 degrees. You get more time to appreciate the sheer skill, strength and flexibility of the athletes in this discipline but you can feel the blood draining from your limbs just watching them. Speed climbers will have their moment this evening from 8-10pm and the technical guys will be on the wall tomorrow (12th) throughout the day and then for the finals at 9pm.
