It is a unique professional cycling race in France that highlights the most beautiful Maralpine summits.
With a start and finish at the Valberg station on Monday, May 24, 2021, this road race organized by the Société MerMonts Organisation, with the support of the Alpes-Maritimes Department, will traverse the most beautiful Maralpine summits.
Covering a total distance of 173 km and approximately 4,000 meters of elevation gain, 17 teams will compete, including 4 of the world’s best teams. 113 riders from 26 nationalities will participate in this mountain classic, including renowned cyclists like the French riders Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Pierre Rolland (B&B Hôtels), and Pierre Latour (Total Energie).
Following the damage caused by storm Alex in October 2020 in the Vésubie valley, particularly affecting the road network, the organizers decided this winter, due to a lack of visibility, to work on an alternative route for the 1st edition of the professional road cycling event.
This alternative route, with a start from the village of Guillaume and a finish in Valberg, did not use the roads of the Vésubie valley, unlike the initial planned route.
Thanks to the mobilization of the Alpes-Maritimes Department and all local stakeholders, driven by the desire to re-establish normal life in the valleys, the return of the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes to its initial course is once again possible.
Villages like Roquebillière and Saint-Martin-Vésubie, marked indelibly by storm Alex, will be able to enjoy a convivial moment with the passing of the peloton for one day.
