Mr. Christian Estrosi “congratulates and thanks the organizers of the Tour de France for choosing the Alpes-Maritimes for a mountain stage in the Alps, often decisive in the final ranking of the event.” The President of the General Council is not the only one to rejoice. The “Little Queen” passes through the Azure department all too rarely. Nice hosted the prologue of the Tour of Italy in 1999. There is, of course, the Paris-Nice that kicks off the Pro-Tour season, but for the Tour de France, one has to go back to 1981 with a start in Nice (Prologue won by Bernard Hinault and stage by Freddy Maertens). In 1993, there were two stages with Serre-Chevalier/Isola 2000 (victory by Tony Rominger) and Isola 2000/Marseille (victory by Fabio Roscioli).
On Tuesday, July 22, 2008, during the 16th stage, between Cuneo and Jausiers, the cyclists will climb the highest road in Europe, the Col de la Bonette (2,802 meters). This summit has been crossed only three times, the last time dating back to 1993. Beforehand, the peloton, having departed from Cuneo, will have crossed the Col de la Lombarde (2,350 meters) bordering Italy and passed through the towns of Isola and Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée. This stage will allow, besides the sporting aspect, for the discovery or rediscovery of one of the most beautiful sites in France.
It is not yet confirmed, but it is likely that in 2009 the Tour de France will pass through the region again since the start is expected to take place in Monaco.
