7,500 amateur cyclists rode an original stage of the Tour de France at the 16th edition of the l'Etape du Tour at the weekend.
7,500 amateur cyclists rode an original stage of the Tour de France at the 16th edition of l'Etape du Tour at the weekend. The race for amateur cyclists started in Pau and finished in Hautacam after 156 kilometres. The highlight of the stage is the 2115 metre high Col du Tourmalet, but the final climb to Hautacam is also classified as "Hors Categorie". The professionals will tackle the same route on the 10th stage of this year's Tour de France. Laurent Brochard, an ex-professional, was among the participants. Brochard had won a stage himself in his professional days in 1997 - this time he finished in fifth place. The winner won the stage with a time of 5:38 - the comparison with the time of the professionals will be possible on 14 July.
