L'étape du Tour: The Tour de France 2019 race for everyone - Tour feeling for everyone

As a participant in the "Étape du Tour", you could only vaguely imagine what awaited the professional cyclists on the final mountain stage of the Tour de France on 27 July 2019: The Tarentaise region was already celebrating cycling and cyclists at the amateur race, which took the route from Albertville to the mountain finish in Val Thorens around a week before the pros arrived.

According to organiser ASO, around 12,800 participants set off on the 135-kilometre distance, on which around 4,300 metres of altitude had to be climbed. From the 1992 Olympic city of Albertville, the route led over the Cormet de Roselend and the Cote de Longefoy to the Val Thorens ski station. The 33.5 kilometre mountain road to the finish line demanded everything from the more than participants. But good weather and a great atmosphere made the exertions bearable: thanks to a few clouds, the heat was more or less contained - and anyone who thought about giving up on the seemingly endless ascent was driven further uphill by samba drummers or the ringing of cowbells and the Allez-allez-allez shouts of the many fans - until the finish was reached after a short gravel ramp at an altitude of 2,365 metres. 10,234 cyclists completed the endurance test within the time limit. The fastest man needed 4:47 hours to complete the distance, the fastest woman crossed the finish line after 5:25 hours.

The final climb is exceptionally difficult, even by the standards of professional cycling. The professional teams were also told that this final climb of the 2019 Tour de France could once again turn the overall classification upside down. The heat and demanding descents will take additional energy.