One of the most awaited competitions of the cyclism world comes back to Andorra after 8 years. At the hotel El Tarter, we tell you the origins of the Tour of France and how its passage in Andorra will take place.
The beginning
The Tour of France began in 1903, being the first cyclist competition in History to be organized in stages. The director of the french journal L’Auto and cyclist, Henri Desgrange, was the one in charge of creating this competition and manage it between 1903 and 1939. It’s in his honor that you can see the letters H and D near the logo on the emblematic yellow t-shirt of the participants. More than 110 years later, The Tour is considered a classic event that all the cyclism fans await every year.
The races in Andorra
On July 10th, the cyclist will participate on the 9th stage of the Tour, between VIelha d’Aran and Arcalís. This 184 km stage, will follow parts of the path designed for last year’s La Vuelta of Spain. After a resting day on the Principality, the Tour will start again in front of Caldea. This stage will take the cyclist to the village of Revel, on the South of France. It’s during this stage that the Tour will reach its highest point at the Port of Envalira, located at 2.407 m above the sea level., and will pass in front of our hotel.
The best cyclist
Like in every edition, the Tour of France reunite the best cyclist of the world. THis year, the person to beat, and the favorite of all the experts is the british Chris Froome, the last champion. Perico Delgado, excyclist and winner of the Tour on 88, thinks that they will be a Titan duel between Froome and Alberto Contador, but he remarks that Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde can also reach the pódium.