tour reporter
The 9th stage of the Tour de France ends on the Puy de Dome. The volcano is back on the program for the first time in 35 years. The return to the location of legendary tour moments is subject to strict conditions.
Childhood memories, summer in the Haute Venne: As a child, Mathieu van der Poel spent a lot of time in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, the starting point of the 9th stage of the Tour de France. His famous grandfather lived there. “I have many fond memories of it”, says van der Poel. But the destination is also closely linked to the name of his grandfather – Raymond Poulidor.
There’s an iconic photo that Poulidour took in 1964 on the ascent of the Puy de Dome shoulder to shoulder with his great adversary Jaques Anquetil. Anquetil wears the yellow jersey, which was knitted from wool at the time and which Poulidor never wore a single day.
Famous names recorded as stage winners
Maybe it’s this picture and the fact that “Poupou” – as the French affectionately called van der Poel’s grandfather – never came as close to the yellow jersey as on that day, which den Puy de Dome has become one of those legendary climbs of the Tour de France. took 42 seconds Poulidour his rival that day but missed yellow by 14 seconds.
Perhaps it is also the sonorous names that are recorded as stage winners on the 1,465 meter high volcano: Fausto Coppi, Federico Bahmontes, Felice Gimondi, Luis Ocana, Lucien van Impe or Joop Zoetemelk. All riders who have extra long chapters in the history book of cycling.
And then of course there is Eddy Merckx, who is on the Puy de Dome Although he didn’t win, he was probably deprived of his sixth tour win when a spectator punched him in the kidneys there. A blow from which the Belgian did not recover in the coming days.
The tour is too big for the Puy de Dôme
That’s a lot of stories considering the tour only came here 13 times. The last winner so far on the Puy de Dome was the Dane Johnny Weltz. He won ahead of German professional cyclist Rolf Gölz – that was in 1988. After that, the Tour de France never returned to the volcano – and many were sure it would stay that way.
The globalization of the sport has allowed the convoy of the Tour de France to grow steadily: the 176 riders are now accompanied by an entourage of 500 people. 2,000 media professionals report in 190 nations, plus technicians, security forces and employees of the tour operator ASO. Too many people for too little space at the top of the Puy de Dome.
In addition to the narrow road, which winds its way up the mountain like a spiral, a cog railway was built in 2012. Which made the lane, which is closed to car traffic and cyclists, even narrower. It’s far too dangerous for masses of fans on a final climb. And since 2018, the area around the Puy de Dome also a UNESCO natural heritage, which entails strict environmental regulations.
Last four kilometers without spectators
The fact that the Tour de France is now returning to the volcano after 35 years is due Christian Prudhomme. The tour director has modernized the Tour of France since the beginning of his work, especially with regard to the route. But Prudhomme is also a traditionalist when it comes to touring – and he Puy de Dome was reportedly on his list since his first day on the job in 2006. “It’s a return with a lot of emotions. This mountain is one of the roots of the Tour de France, here the great riders made France vibrate”says Prudhomme. “I’m so grateful that we can go back here.”
Now it’s time, and Prudhomme has accepted strict conditions for this. No spectators are allowed on the last four kilometers of the 13.3-kilometer climb. Little technology is set up at the summit. The broadcasting vans of the TV stations, team buses and media representatives stay below. “Apart from the drivers and the officials, nobody gets up there”explained Prudhomme. To ensure that all of this actually succeeds, eco-volunteers were trained to sensitize frustrated fans and explain why they shouldn’t shake the volcano.
Exchange of blows between Vingegaard and Pogacar
The drive up to the Puy de Dome result in another exchange of blows between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. The two top favorites are likely to attack each other, especially in the last four kilometers, where the incline does not drop below eleven percent.
“It’s going to be very, very difficult”suspects Pogacar. “And the race will probably explode again.” A fitting image for the return of the Tour de France on the volcano.