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Sprint | Le Grand Bornand (33.5 km)

Points at finish, youth day classification, kom sprint (2) col des aravis (21 km), kom sprint (1) col de la colombiére (45.5 km), kom sprint (1) col de la ramaz (93.5 km), kom sprint (hc) col de joux plane (134.5 km), team day classification, race information.

tour de france 2016 morzine

  • Date: 23 July 2016
  • Start time: 14:00
  • Avg. speed winner: 35.62 km/h
  • Race category: ME - Men Elite
  • Distance: 146.5 km
  • Points scale: GT.A.Stage
  • UCI scale: UCI.WR.GT.A.Stage - TM2022
  • Parcours type:
  • ProfileScore: 314
  • Vert. meters: 4127
  • Departure: Megève
  • Arrival: Morzine
  • Race ranking: 0
  • Startlist quality score: 1758
  • Won how: 8.5 km solo
  • Avg. temperature:

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2016 Etape du Tour route analysis - Megève to Morzine

tour de france 2016 morzine

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Route profile and map for the 2016 Etape du Tour from Megeve to Morzine.

The route starts with a slight downhill section for about 6.5km, followed by a small climb of about 600 metres to get the legs warmed up and then a small descent into the village of Flumet, which stands at 936 metres, after 9.5km. Flumet only has a population of 900 people and is a tiny village but is well known as a crossroads to three big climbs often used by the Tour de France or the Dauphiné (the other two passes for trivia fans are the Col des Saisies and the Cormet de Roselend). The one Etape riders will be attempting is the climb up the Col des Aravis, a 551 metre climb out of Flumet. The Aravis pass has been used frequently by the Tour - this is the 40th time - and is famous for its steep sections.

COL DES ARAVIS

From the top of the Col des Aravis there is a 12km descent down to Le Grand-Bornand with a 587 metre vertical drop. The road is surprisingly wide and with a decent surface so I would expect this to be a fun descent at speed, especially as it is not highly technical. I would expect the first feed station of the day to be located in Le Grand-Bornand, a pretty skiing village that dates back to at least the 16th century. Trivia fans will be pleased to know the locals are called Bornandins.

COL DE LA COLOMBIERE

From here there is a 11.7km climb up the Col de la Colombière. This is a nice climb until the final kilometre. The first 10.7km go at an average gradient of 5.9%, slowly ramping up to 7.5% from 8.7km to 10.7km but the final kilometre is at 9% and is a bit of a slog. It is a very pretty route through Alpine pastures, followed by some lovely rockfaces towards the top. At the summit there will definitely be a feed station as there is a big car park and a restaurant (useful to know about for toilet facilities if you want something a bit better than the disgusting portable loos that are normally on offer). At this stage you will have done 45.5km of the ride and should still be enjoying it!

Off the top of the Colombière you descend for 15.5km, with a vertical drop of 1,081 metres, to Scionzier. The first 7.5km of the descent is steep and quite technical, followed by a lovely, gentle flowing run of 10km into the village. You will need to be careful on the top section, although thanks to the Tour coming through it will have been resurfaced and the tarmac will be clean; it's a tricky descent when it is not!

From Scionzier there is a 17km run along the valley to Mieussy with 68 metres of ascending which should give riders a good chance to get into a bunch and share some work while also having something of a rest before the third climb of the day. I'd expect there to be some sort of stop at Mieussy, possibly just a place to fill bottles and maybe some very basic food such as bananas. The ride should be very pretty as the whole area is a protected nature reserve. Mieussy is just beyond the half way point of the Etape and is also the place where paragliding was invented in 1978.

COL DE LA RAMAZ

The third climb of the day is the Col de la Ramaz which sees Etape riders climb 1,014 metres over 15.5km to the 1,619 metres summit. It has an average of 6.1% slope but that doesn't really tell the full story. The initial 6km goes at roughly 5%, followed by one kilometre of flat, before another kilometre at 8% and then two kilometres at a leg sapping 10.4%. After that you have a kilometre at 8.6%, then two kilometres at around 6.5%. The good news is that the final 500 metres of the climb is almost totally flat. For most Etape riders this will be a tough climb in the heat of the day - you will need to take this steadily and ensure that you are drinking plenty of water because if it is a hot day (and it very often is at this time of year) then the Ramaz will take a lot of energy out of you. For an average Etape rider the total climb is probably around 75 minutes and you should not think of this simply as the warm up to the Col de Joux Plane. The scenery is beautiful - plenty of hairpin bends at the start of the climb, followed by Alpine pastures and then the snow tunnels on the upper reaches. The surface will have been replaced for the Tour, removing one of the main complaints about the ride currently.

Off the top of the Ramaz (we think there will be a feed station at the top but it is possible ASO will decide there is not enough space for anything other than a water station) there is a nice long descent of 16km with a vertical drop of 960 metres. At the top it is a quite narrow road and you will need to be careful if you are surrounded by other riders; fortunately by this stage of an Etape the groups have usually sorted themselves out and you should be riding with people roughly the same speed as you. Towards the bottom of the descent as you get nearer Taninges the road gets wider and it should be a rapid and enjoyable ride. The town itself is not unpretty - it has Roman origins - and we expect there to be a feed station somewhere on the outskirts of the 3,000 population location.

From Taninges there is then a 13km drag along to Samoëns. We imagine you will be routed along the D907, which is mildly uphill (just 78 metres ascent over 13km) but will probably feel like somewhat hard work in the midday sun. You will ideally want to get yourself into a group on this section.

Samoëns is a pretty town, famed for its stonemasonry which were supplied by the numerous limestone quarries in the area. The town is dominated by a pretty (traffic free) square with a huge lime tree and nearby is an Alpine botanical garden. If you want to get your family to come and support you then Samoëns would be an excellent base, especially as it has a reputation for excellent Savoyard food.

COL DE JOUX PLANE

To be totally honest, we were quite surprised to see this stage chosen because of the toughness of the Col de Joux Plan. At 11.6km long with an average slope of 8.5% it is unrelenting. And at the end of a long ride it will be challenging for even the most race fit rider. If you haven't trained enough this will be a climb that finds you out. It starts with about 750 metres at 8.5%, followed by a 12% ramp for 300 metres, followed by a short section at 5% and then two kilometres at 8.5%. A short 'break' of 500 metres at 5% allows a little recovery but then you have 2km at 7%, 600 metres at 10.8% and then follows the last 5km at an average of just over 9% along exposed slopes with absolutely no shelter. Most people who have ridden this will admit that while it is not one of the 'iconic' climbs, the Joux Plane is one of the toughest in the northern Alps. Pantani ascended this climb in 33 minutes - if you manage to do this in double that time then 'chapeau' to you! Personally I rate this as a harder climb than Alpe d'Huez.

From the Ranfolly down to Morzine it should be pure joy and relief but you do need to be wary. The 11km descent is at an average of 6.5% with a maximum slope of 11.1% and while it is steep and technical at the top it is also fun. However when you are tired after a long day riding it is something that will test your reflexes and you should not relax and think this is just the final run in to the finish line. There are plenty of tight hairpin bends with steep slopes to keep you occupied. There is a small ascent on the ride into the centre of Morzine to tackle in the final kilometre but if you have got this far the adrenaline will keep you going and the thought of a refreshing beer (or about 16 hours in bed) should take your mind off the pain.

Gerry Patterson of 44|5 Cycling Tours - one of our recommended tour operators for the Etape - told us after the route was announced: "I'm really looking forward to having the tour in this region. It's outstandingly lovely. The route looks fantastic."

Our feeling is that this is a really proper Etape and one that will test most riders, some to the limit. After a few years in which the ASO seem to have gone a bit easy on Etape riders, this is definitely not the case in 2016. Good luck to all those who are riding and let us know how it goes...

Read  Paul Hunt's 2015 Etape du Tour ride report Read  Alex Voake's 2014 Etape du Tour ride report Read  James Andrew's 2014 Etape du Tour ride report Read  Chris Walker's 2014 Etape du Tour ride report

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Tour de France 2016 : classement de l'étape Megève - Morzine (147kms)

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  • Stage 20. Megève - Morzine

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103rd edition 146 km, 23 July 2016

tour de france 2016 morzine

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Start, finish: Stage 20. Megève - Morzine

Race Type: Mountain stage

Distance: 146 km

Date: 23 July 2016

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Chris Froome

Chris Froome on the verge of winning his third Tour de France

Jon Izaguirre wins final mountain stage to Morzine Briton 4min 11sec clear heading into Paris for final stage

As the finish line on Place de l’Office du Tourisme beckoned, Chris Froome’s face broke into a broad grin of relief.

Like the other survivors of this relatively short but extremely tough Alpine stage, he was soaked to the skin, and like many others he was carrying abrasions and bruises from a recent crash to remind him of the risks he had to run on the four major descents.

The Kenyan‑born Briton’s relief was understandable: after negotiating the 20th stage, his third Tour win in four years was in the bag.

Froome can expect to join a very small elite group of cyclists on Sunday evening on the Champs Élysées. Apart from the five‑time winners Hinault, Merckx, Indurain and Anquetil, only three men can boast three victories in the world’s toughest bike race: Greg LeMond, Louison Bobet and, back in the heroic era, Philippe Thys of Belgium.

There were no attacks on the yellow jersey during the 146 kilometres, merely a little jockeying for the minor placings – the Spaniard Joaquim Rodríguez moved from 11th to seventh after a late attack – but for most mere survival in the hellish conditions down the final nerve‑racking descent of the Col de Joux Plane was more than sufficient.

After his crash the previous day Froome looked nervous and stiff on his bike, but all he had to do was remain upright.

The little circle of top-10 contenders who have clung on to the coat-tails of Froome and his Sky team-mates remained largely the same behind a constantly evolving contest for the stage win, which eventually went to the Basque Jon Izaguirre, who gave Nairo Quintana’s Movistar team some reward in a Tour where they had largely disappointed.

Izaguirre was a member of the day’s early escape group; in more propitious times he would have been there to act as support when Quintana or Alejandro Valverde attacked behind, but Movistar’s hopes of victory had evaporated on Wednesday.

On the final Alpine stage, the big loser was last year’s Vuelta a España winner Fabio Aru, who slipped back relatively early on the Joux Plane, lost almost 18 minutes and dropped down from sixth to 12th.

Great Britain’s Adam Yates hung on to his fourth place overall behind Froome, Romain Bardet and Quintana, and with it the white jersey of best young rider. The 23-year-old from Bury had just one relatively minor off-day – Friday’s stage to Saint Gervais – in the three weeks which looks to have cost him a place on the podium in only his second Tour de France .

The old saying at the Tour used to be that the riders could see Paris from l’Alpe d’Huez, as the Alpe was so frequently the final climb of the race. On Saturday barely a single chalet in Morzine was visible from the top of the Joux Plane, so thick was the cloud as the rain poured down, leaving the tarmac inch-deep in water and rivulets running off the fields.

But Sunday’s Tour finish on the Champs Élysées could be sensed, adding an extra frisson to the final descent to the ski resort. One slip and all would be lost.

This was a stage with a constantly evolving scenario as a lead group of a dozen fought out the lead between them, with the ascendancy changing as often as the weather, which switched every few minutes from chilly rain to warm sun as thunder rumbled around the Alps and the cloud cover moved up and down the mountain slopes.

Descending in the mountains calls for quick reactions and split‑second changes of trajectory at the best of times; doing so in a cloud of spray is nightmarish, with every white line or join in the tarmac a possible pitfall.

On the descents, at times Froome and his Sky team-mates could be seen taking the hairpins at walking pace with their brakes locked. The British team controlled the race to perfection, with Geraint Thomas putting in a massive day at the coalface, leading the yellow jersey group up the Joux Plane and negotiating the descent with Froome firmly tucked in his wake.

As the organisers had hoped, the destiny of the stage and the yellow jersey came down to the final climb and the last nine downhill kilometres. Uphill, the Joux Plane is one of the toughest Alpine cols, because of the unremitting nature of the gradient; barely a few metres respite in all its 12 kilometres, beginning in the town of Samoëns, and ending up on a mountain ledge with glimpses of the houses looking like toys 1300 metres below.

The descent is worse, however, winding like a child’s Scalextric track laid out over a steep hillside – down to the over and under loop in the final kilometre – with no decent camber on the tightly packed hairpins.

The surface varies from old and bumpy, with the tarmac cracked by winter snow, to new and smooth, with pine-trees casting shadow, trees, barbed wire and concrete barriers to fall into if the tyres lose grip.

The descent did play a key role, but not in the fight for the overall standings. Izaguirre had timed his effort up the climb to perfection, catching the leading duo of Jarlinson Pantano, the Culoz stage winner, and the 2014 Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali, who had gone ahead in the same support role as the Spaniard, and had made his bid for the stage win once he had been told that Aru was history.

On one of the first hairpins, Pantano came close to grief, being forced to take his foot out of the pedal to remain upright as his tyres lost adhesion; Nibali was behind him, Izaguirre in front, and so it stayed to the finish.

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Morzine and the Col de Joux Plane

A fitting finale for the 2016 Tour de France

So here we are then. It comes down to this. One last day in the Alps . You'd be hard-pressed to design a better stage for a thrilling finale to a Tour de France – the only problem is the fight for the yellow jersey has long since lacked any real suspense.

Dauphine: Wiggins and Sky dominate the Joux Plane

Quintana continues Colombian tradition at Morzine

  • Tour de France 2016 Stage 20 preview: Megève - Morzine, 146 km
  • Quintana, Morzine and the echoes of 'Lucho and Parra'

Or has it? Chris Froome crashed in the rain yesterday and had to dig in deep on the final climb having taken a bash to his knee. With more climbs, more descents and more downpour on the menu this afternoon, it might not, after all, be over until it's all over. Up until yesterday, it had become increasingly clear that this Tour has been ridden 'à deux vitesses'. Froome, as Eddy Merckx noted on Thursday, has been in a league of his own – the strongest man in the race and the man with the strongest team in the race.

He still has a lead of more than four minutes, and this is still ostensibly a race for the podium, but it is nevertheless uncertain how the hangover will be after the mini ordeal yesterday. In any case, the action in the shadow of Mont Blanc seemed to reawaken a Tour that had been in danger of sleepwalking its way to Paris after the second rest day.

An open contest, a dash of tension, and a sense that anything could happen are certainly ingredients the race directors had in mind when drawing up the parcours for today's climax.

It's a short and potentially explosive mountain stage – as seems to be the fashion these days – with a descent to the finish. 146.5 kilometres linking Megève and Morzine, it takes on some pretty serious mountain passes in the form of the Aravis, the Colombière, and the Ramaz. But it's the final hors-catégorie climb of the Col de Joux Plane and the subsequent white-knuckle descent into Morzine that's the centrepiece here.

The Joux Plane-Morzine combination is something of a classic, despite only having featured in the Tour 11 times. It made its debut in 1978 but wouldn't really be seen until two years later, as the weather closed in and prevented the television images from being transmitted. Christian Seznec won that day but a 23-year-old Bernard Hinault was on his way to the first of five Tour de France titles – two more of which would see him cover the same roads.

More on this article:

  • Tour de France: Chris Froome survives crash, finishes on Thomas' bike

Many more memorable storylines have followed. Marco Pantani skipped away from Jan Ullrich in 1997 to set the record time for the climb – a scarcely believable 33 minutes – and raise his arms in Morzine, though he would have to wait another year to get his hands on the yellow jersey.

In 2000, French housewives' favourite Richard Virenque pulled off the same feat, hurtling down the mountain while the climb was playing host to a rare sight of that era – Lance Armstrong cracking.

There are nothing but unhappy memories for Pedro Delgado, who lost 25 minutes suffering from stomach problems in his first-ever Tour in 1983, and broke his collarbone on the descent the following year. In 1987, wearing the maillot jaune, he was dropped on the descent, losing 18 seconds to Stephen Roche in what was a portent of the swinging balance of the race. The Spaniard would win the Tour for the first and only time the following year and, though there was a finish in Morzine, there was, mercifully, no Joux Plane.

The treacherous descent was unhappier still for Carlo Tonon, who crashed and spent two months in a coma, suffering permanent brain damage and taking his own life 12 years later.

But one episode stands out above all others: Floyd Landis in 2006.

It's 10 years since the American produced one of the most staggering performances the Tour has ever seen – that's the longest the race has ever gone without the Joux Plane-Morzine combo since its debut, and perhaps it has needed that space to recover from the scarring impact of what proved to be a farcical, drug-fuelled day in the Alps. 

Landis' race was in tatters; he had started the previous day in yellow but cracked in dramatic fashion on La Toussuire and lost over 11 minutes. His race was over. What he did next defied logic.

Going solo from some 120km out, he picked off the breakaway riders as he furiously made his way over four Alpine climbs. By the time he hit the Joux Plane, there was real panic in the eyes of race leader Oscar Pereiro, but it wasn't just the dithering of the yellow jersey group that made the feat possible; Landis had nearly four times the permitted testosterone levels coursing through his blood stream and he tackled the Joux Plane as if it wasn't there. He hit the line in Morzine several minutes ahead of the favourites: Back from the brink.

The resurgence paved the way for Landis to take yellow in the time trial and top the podium in Paris, although one of cycling's most memorable comeback fairytales was proved to be just that – nothing more than a fiction – as the American was exposed just four days later.

10 years since one of the episodes most emblematic of cycling's ills – there may not be any significance to the round number, but it's about time the Joux Plane and Morzine were purged in some way of the association.

Up and down

Col de Joux Plane: 11.6 kilometres at an average gradient of 8.5%

Although the Tour has its climbs of greater fame and legend, Daniel Friebe, in his book Mountain High , discusses whether the Joux Plane is among the toughest, and he quotes Peter Winnen, who won in Morzine when the climb was used in 1982, as saying it's "the nastiest climb in the Alps".

The southern ascent starts out from the Savoyarde town of Samoens and immediately signals its intent with pitches that enter the double digits.

The roads are narrow, cut into the meadow as they wind up through the mountainside. Besides a brief respite after the early sting, there's no real let-up to speak of, and it's not as if the riders can settle in for a steady grind because the gradients change regularly.

The second half of the climb is the hardest, with a five-kilometre stretch where the average gradient is nearly 10 per cent. This is where the road enters the trees, through which glimpses of Mont Blanc begin to appear on a clear day.

There's a lake at the summit and the road begins to dip down, but it actually kicks back up again before the start of the descent proper, with riders having to get out of the saddle once more to hit the Col de Ranfolly.

From there they'll peel off and head down what in the winter is a leisurely blue ski slope through the trees, called 'Le Choucas' (The Jackdaw') – read into that whatever metaphor you will.

On a bike and on the tarmac, It's a white-knuckle ride, not your run-of-the-mill hairpinned descent, but a fast and technical affair, full of irregular bends – some swooping, some tight, some blind – and long straight sections where you really pick up speed. One story – fact or urban myth? – has it that Sean Kelly once clocked 124km/h.

The road dips down even more vertiginously as it nears the town centre and no sooner than it levels out has it kicked up again for a leg-sapping dash up to the finish line at Morzine's tourist office.

There are multiple points on every Tour route that adopt the adage of being places where a rider might not be able to win the race, but can certainly lose it. Joux Plane-Morzine is one such example. If ever there was a descent that warranted a reconnaissance, coming as the final act in the Tour, it is this one. Indeed, Froome and most of the other GC contenders took the time to check it out ahead of July and Nairo Quintana will have very clear memories having taken his first WorldTour win here at the Dauphiné in 2012 .

But will there be enough pressure on Froome to make a spectacle of it?

You sense that to get the best out of Joux Plane-Morzine you'd ideally have a race that was balanced on a knife-edge, with high stakes and much to gain. If Froome crests the climb with everyone else then he'll be able to approach the descent with a relative sense of calm. Over to the others, then, to take the race to Sky and test Froome well in advance.

It may seem unlikely that the maillot jaune can be wrestled from Froome's skeletal frame, but stranger things have happened, and let's not forget that the last two Grand Tours have seen victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.

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Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.

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l'Etape du Tour 2016

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Etape du Tour 2016 Review

11,158 cyclists complete this year’s Etape in Morzine

They came and they conquered… Despite temperatures close to 40 degrees, 11,158 cyclists completed this year’s Etape du Tour which ended in Morzine.

Almost 16 thousand people entered this year’s Etape du Tour, one of the world’s most famous amateur cycling races. The 122km race from Megeve to Morzine allows people like you and me to ride in the footsteps of our cycling heroes just weeks before the Tour de France attempts the same route.

It was unbearably hot, hugely busy, at times completely petrifying but all in all one of the best days of my life. 11,158 riders crossed the finish line after a race that saw us battle temperatures of almost 40 degrees.

It’s safe to say that the Etape du Tour is a massive event. Even collecting your bib is a day out in itself. An entire village was created in the mountains above Megeve to welcome the thousands of people who had signed up. There was disappointment in the weeks before the event as the route was changed due to safety concerns on the Col de la Ramaz. However this didn’t seem to dampen spirits as we neared the race start.

On race day itself we were segregated into pens according to our numbers at the start line in Megeve. People started arriving in their droves as early as 04:00 in the morning on Sunday. The first riders set off at around 07:00 with the last of us between 08:30 and 09:00. The nerves were palpable but the music, energy and enthusiasm of the supporters who had turned out to cheer us on helped to ease us towards the start line. The race began with a gentle descent from Megeve to Flumet, which allowed the pack to spread out a bit, but it was still pretty challenging to navigate your way around so many other people.

The first climb of the day took us over the Col des Aravis. It’s a level 2 pass lasting about 12km with an average gradient of 5 percent. This is when it became clear we were going to be facing a very hot day indeed. However the atmosphere continued to be lively, energised and fun with riders from around the world talking to each other, supporting each other and most importantly thoroughly enjoying the event. There were regular cries of “left” or “a gauche” as people tried to overtake and “moto” every time a support bike wanted to pass. From here we descended down into La Clusaz and the first of 3 food stations. The route then took us to Le Grand-Bornand and the base of the Col de la Columbiere where the temperature began to rise.

One of the best parts of the day was the hundreds of people who lined the streets from Megeve all the way to Morzine to cheer the riders on. From the very start to the very end there was a person pretty much every 5 metres which helped keep us motivated to reach the end. A massive thanks to all of these people! I doubt we could have done it without you. Only 5 percent of the riders who took part were women and this was recognised with the consistent cheers of “Allez fille! Allez!” (go girl go!) all along the way!

From the top of the Col de la Colombière there is a huge descent all the way down to Sconzier and Cluses. This was perhaps one of the most difficult parts of the day and unfortunately the hot-spot for accidents. Police lined the road to slow riders down after a number of cyclists lost control on the bends. It was a challenge to ride down safely with so many people tackling the descent at different speeds. However, it was incredibly well supported with each incident being seen to speedily and efficiently.

After this the ride heads to Mieussy and the base of the Col de la Ramaz, which sadly had to be eliminated from this year’s Etape. It may however still feature in the Tour de France if officials can get it ready in time. It was then a long flat ride to Taninges and on to Samoens and the base of the Col de Joux Plane. Most riders reached this point at lunch time so really when the temperatures were at their highest.

The Joux Plane is relentless. It’s a climb of around 12km but with an average gradient of 9 percent. This is when I began to realise the true enormity of what we were doing. People struggled with the heat and the intensity of the climb, many stopping to walk, take shelter in the shade or recover before attempting again to reach the top. Again, the support of local people and the organisers was amazing. Many people came out from local houses and farms to throw cold water on to the backs of those riders who wanted it and the inspirational signs along the roadside gave you an extra bit of incentive. One even made me smile with 2 kilometres to go… “Even Froomey’s legs are hurting at this point”. Riders were also encouraging each other, which, at this point, really made the difference.

Sadly, after months of training, not everybody made it to the top of the Joux Plane. The heat got too much, meaning only 11,158 of the near 16,000 finished the race. For those who did reach the top it was a 8km descent into Morzine and to the finish line at the Palais des Sports in the centre of town. The last 200 metres was something quite special. People lined the edge of the last stretch cheering on friends and family and there was an amazing party atmosphere at the finish line. The winner of this year’s race was Tao Quemere who completed the race in a mere 3 hours and 33 minutes. The oldest to take part and complete the race, from what we could hear over the tanoy, was an 80-year-old man.

As I sit here writing this, a day after the race (with heavy legs), I have to say - I had expected the race to be tough but it was far tougher than I had ever imagined. It was amazing to ride with so many like-minded people in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Everyone was there to achieve one thing: to conquer the Etape du Tour. And whether you finished or not, that’s exactly what we did!

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Tour de France 2016 Stage 20 Preview

What you should know about the Tour's 20th stage, which takes riders from Megève to Morzine on July 23

stage 20 tour de france 2016

Of course, four major climbs come before it, including the Hors Categorie Col de Joux Plane. But it’s the 12km descent into Morzine and the final uphill rise to the finish line that will make the difference for the men fighting to join Team Sky’s Chris Froome on the final podium in Paris.

     Discover the fastest bike color in Tour de France history with  this custom graphic print !

Why It Matters Froome is definitely battered and bruised after today’s crash. He was visibly sore on the podium after the stage, with a large bandage on his right knee. With thunderstorms expected tomorrow afternoon and a tough descent from the top of the Joux Plane to the finish in Morzine, Froome will not have an easy ride. That said, with more than four minutes of an advantage, his lead in the 2016 Tour de France is still fairly secure.

Behind Froome, five riders sit within 1:49 of one another and most of them appear to be getting stronger each day. Tomorrow’s finale should see more aggressive racing from men like Ag2r-La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet, Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, BMC’s Richie Porte, and Astana’s Fabio Aru.

For Movistar and Astana, two teams that have not yet won a stage in this year’s Tour, Stage 20 is their riders' last chance to shine before the race ends Sunday. Anticipate that Quintana and Aru will be extra-motivated on the final climb—and the technical descent to the finish.

     RELATED:  The Totally Awesome Road Bikes of the 2016 Tour de France

When to Tune In Tomorrow’s stage will be fast start from the start, but it’s the long, hard climb of the Col de Joux Plane and the steep, technical descent to the finish in Morzine that will matter most during Stage 20. By the fastest estimate, the riders should start the climb at about 10:00 a.m. EST. Synchronize your watches accordingly.

Orica-BikeExchange adam yates

Fighting valiantly over the past two weeks, the Orica-BikeExchange rider held onto his high placing and the jersey—until Stage 19 when he fell to fourth-place overall, just nine seconds behind Nairo Quintana. With essentially only one stage left, it’s going to take everything Yates has to claw his way back onto the podium and defend his lead in the white jersey competition.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Aiglon Morzine

Tour de France 2016 in Morzine

by Aiglon Morzine | May 30, 2016 | Biking News , Events , News , Summer | 0 comments

Tour de France 2016 Morzine

This year on  Saturday July 23rd , the 20th stage of the legendary Tour de France will be fought from Megève to Morzine, a stage of 146km.

The tour first entered Morzine in 1975, and it has appeared on the stages a few times since.

To reach Morzine, the riders will climb the punishing Col de Joux Plane, a 12km climb out of Samoëns, with a switchback descent into Morzine. With access via the Pleney lifts, why not hire a mountain bike and head cross-country to watch them descend? Col de Ranfolly has a cafe close to the road, and would be a great place to watch them at the switchback.

Tour de France chart 2

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Tour de France 2016: Route and stages

Tour de France 2016

Read about the full route , and click links in underneath scheme for detailed route descriptions on all individual stages, including route maps and height profiles.

Tour de France 2016: stages

Tour de france 2016: route maps, height profiles, and more.

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Tour de France 2016: Profile 5th stage - source: letour.fr

More about the Tour de France

Tour de france 2016: the route, tour de france 2016 route stage 1: mont saint-michel - utah beach, tour de france 2016 route stage 2: saint lô - cherbourg octeville, tour de france 2016 route stage 3: granville – angers, tour de france 2016 route stage 4: saumur – limoges.

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  • Tour de France 2016, étape 20
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Morzine Source Magazine

Morzine Source Magazine

Tour de france 2016 – rumoured route.

tour de france 2016 morzine

There’s been speculation for a couple of months now that Morzine-Avoriaz will feature on the 2016 Tour de France race route. It’ll be 6 years since the Tour de France party last rolled into town for a stage finish and a rest day. Rumours abound that the local council has bid for the same in 2016.

And then this map arrived in our inbox this morning, demonstrating the 2016 route and featuring Morzine-Avoriaz as a stage finish on 13th and 14th July 2016. This hasn’t come from an official source but it does suggest that we’ve every reason to get excited! The Tour de France has huge economic benefits for the resort and helps to raise its profile among a massive global audience.

We will, of course, keep you posted when the official race route is announced in October.

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  1. Résumé

    tour de france 2016 morzine

  2. Arrivée

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  3. Tour de France 2016

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  4. Tour de France 2016

    tour de france 2016 morzine

  5. Morzine in the French Alps is the jewel in the crown for cycling fans

    tour de france 2016 morzine

  6. 145 KM à parcourir

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COMMENTS

  1. Tour de France 2016 Stage 20 results

    Stage 20 » Megève › Morzine (146.5km) Ion Izagirre is the winner of Tour de France 2016 Stage 20, before Jarlinson Pantano and Vincenzo Nibali. Chris Froome was leader in GC.

  2. Summary

    Ion IZAGUIRRE (MOVISTAR TEAM) won the stage in (Morzine) before Jarlinson PANTANO (IAM CYCLING) and Vincenzo NIBALI (ASTANA PRO TEAM).Christopher FROOME (TEA...

  3. tour de france 2016 stage 20 morzine

    stage 20 is the last day in the alps with a downhill finish at morzine after the ascent of the col du joux planthe last time the tour came here was in 2006 w...

  4. 2016 Etape du Tour route analysis

    The 2016 Etape du Tour is a 146km ride from Megève to Morzine, taking in four climbs and around 3,335 metres of climbing, according to our calculations. Megève is a well known ski resort at 1,050 metres height in the Mont Blanc region of the Alps. It was built in the 1920s as a competitor to the Swiss resort of Saint Moritz.

  5. Tour de France 2016 20a tappa Megève-Morzine (146 km)

    1)Ion Izagirre2)Pantano a 193)Nibali a 424)Alaphilippe a 495)Kelderman a 496)Rui Costa a 1.437)Kreuziger a 1.448)Joaquim Rodríguez a 3.249)Daniel Martin a 4....

  6. Tour de France 2016: Results & News

    Follow live coverage of the 2016 Tour de France, including news, results, stage reports, photos, podcasts and expert analysis. ... • Stage 20: Megève - Morzine - 146km

  7. Cycling: stages, routes, riders and results

    We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us.

  8. Tour de France 2016 : classement de l'étape Megève

    Tour de France 2016 : classement de l'étape Megève - Morzine (147kms) accéder au live de l'étape. afficher uniquement les Français. temps / écart. 1. Ion Izagirre. Movistar Team. 04h06'45''.

  9. Results Tour de France 2016

    Results of he cycling race Tour de France Stage 20. Megève - Morzine in 2016 won by Ion Izagirre Insausti before Jarlinson Pantano Gómez and Vincenzo Nibali. CyclingRanking. Rankings . Riders. Overall 1869 - 2023; ... Tour de France 2016 | Stage 20. Megève - Morzine . 103rd edition. 146 km, 23 July 2016. Rider Team Time; 1. Ion IZAGIRRE ...

  10. Chris Froome on the verge of winning his third Tour de France

    Jon Izaguirre won the final mountain stage of the Tour de France to Morzine on Saturday but Chris Froome maintained a strong lead of over four minutes going into Sunday's final stage

  11. Tour de France 2016 stage 20

    Tour de France 2016 stage 20 - At 146.5 kilometres and in rainy conditions, stage 20 in the 2016 Tour de France leads over four peaks to finish downhill. At the top of the last pass, the Joux-Plane, Ion Izagirre, Vincenzo Nibali and Jarlinson Pantano are on the attack. In the 12 kilometres drop to Morzine Izagirre soloes to the first Spanish victory in La Grande Boucle, while Chris Froome ...

  12. Morzine and the Col de Joux Plane

    Tour de France: Chris Froome survives crash, finishes on Thomas' bike Tour de France 2016 Stage 20 preview: Megève - Morzine, 146 km Many more memorable storylines have followed.

  13. Résumé

    Ion IZAGUIRRE (MOVISTAR TEAM) a remporté l'étape à (Morzine) devant Jarlinson PANTANO (IAM CYCLING) et Vincenzo NIBALI (ASTANA PRO TEAM).Christopher FROOME (...

  14. Etape du Tour 2016 Review

    Almost 16 thousand people entered this year's Etape du Tour, one of the world's most famous amateur cycling races. The 122km race from Megeve to Morzine allows people like you and me to ride in the footsteps of our cycling heroes just weeks before the Tour de France attempts the same route.. It was unbearably hot, hugely busy, at times completely petrifying but all in all one of the best ...

  15. Tour de France 2016: Results

    The 2016 Tour de France was won by Chris Froome with Romain Bardet finishing in second and Nairo Quintana in third. Mark Cavendish was the most successful sprinter, winning four stages, while Peter Sagan took three stages plus the green jersey. Rafal Majka did win the polka dot jersey and Adam Yates finished is fourth overall, which brought him ...

  16. Tour de France 2016 Stage 20 Preview

    Tour de France 2016 Stage 20 Preview. What you should know about the Tour's 20th stage, which takes riders from Megève to Morzine on July 23. by whit yost Published: Jul 22, 2016.

  17. 2016 Tour de France

    The 2016 Tour de France was the 103rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours.The 3,529 km (2,193 mi)-long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 2 July in Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, and concluding on 24 July with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris. A total of 198 riders from 22 teams entered the race. The overall general classification was won by Chris Froome of Team ...

  18. Tour de France 2016 in Morzine

    This year on Saturday July 23rd, the 20th stage of the legendary Tour de France will be fought from Megève to Morzine, a stage of 146km. +33 6 82 05 8112. Home; Apartments. Apartment 1 - 3 Bedroom Plus Cabin; ... Tour de France 2016 in Morzine. by Aiglon Morzine | May 30, ...

  19. Tour de France 2016: Route and stages

    The 2016 Tour de France was won by Chris Froome, while Romain Bardet finished in second and Nairo Quintana in third. Froome laid hands on the yellow jersey. ... Tour de France 2016 stage 20 Mégève - Morzine: 146,5 km: mountains: 21: Su 24-7: Tour de France 2016 stage 21 Chantilly - Paris: 113,0 km: flat:

  20. TOUR DE FRANCIA 2016 (20ª MEGÉVE

    EMISIÓN EN DIRECTO DE TVE DE LA 20ª ETAPA DEL TOUR DISPUTADA EL 23 DE JULIO ENTRE MEGÉVE Y MORZINE CON 146,5 KM DE RECORRIDO. VENCEDOR DE ETAPA ION IZAGIRRE ...

  21. File:Tour de France 2016, Stage 20

    File:Tour de France 2016, Stage 20 - Megève to Morzine-Avoriaz (28894644111).jpg cropped 8 % horizontally and 18 % vertically using CropTool with lossless mode. You cannot overwrite this file. File usage on Commons

  22. TOUR DE FRANCE 2016

    Vingtième étape du Tour de France 2016 en intégralité avec la BMC !Tu peut me soutenir en me faisant un don ici : Via YouPass : https://ws.youpass.com/box/kW...

  23. Tour de France 2016

    There's been speculation for a couple of months now that Morzine-Avoriaz will feature on the 2016 Tour de France race route. It'll be 6 years since the Tour de France […]