Cycling in Yorkshire
Cycling in Yorkshire
Stage
13 | Stage
14 | Stage
15
Stage 14 of the Tour de France 2023 is a 152km mountain stage from Annemasse to the Morzine-Les Portes du Soleil.
The climbs gradually ramp up, building from the Col de Cou and the Col du Feu to the Col de la Ramaz and the Col de Joux Plane. There's a descent to the finish in Morzine.
It's a climber's stage, but also a descender's stage. Ion Izagirre is now riding for Cofidis, but it seems unlikely he will repeat his 2016 win in Morzine. Probably Pogacar and Vingegaard are favourites, with a number of outsiders like Romain Bardet or Simon Yates in with a shot.
These are video highlights of Stage 14 Tour de France 2023.
This is the Stage 14 TDF 2023 Blog.
Race Details | Poll | Map & Profile | Timings | Videos | Food & Drink | Route Notes | Favourites
| Date | Saturday 15th July 2023 |
|---|---|
| Stage classification | Mountain |
| Distance | 151.8km |
| Intermediate sprint | Col de Jambaz |
| Climbs | Col de Saxel (Cat. 3) Col de Cou (Cat. 1) Col du Feu (Cat. 1) Col de la Ramaz (Cat. 1) Col de Joux Plane (HC) |
This is a poll where you can vote for one of the main contenders to win Stage 14.
This is a map of the route of Stage 14, Tour de France 2023.
This is a zoom-able map of the route of Stage 14 of the 2023 Tour de France.
This is the profile of Stage 14 Tour de France 2023.
| Caravan | Fast Schedule | Slow Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start Time (départ fictif) | 1105 |
1305 |
1305 |
| Start Time (départ réel) | 1120 |
1320 |
1320 |
| Col de la Ramaz | 1419 |
1606 |
1629 |
| Col de Joux Plane | 1527 |
1706 |
1738 |
| Finish Line Morzine (152km) | 1548 |
1718 |
1751 |
This is an overview video of the route of Stage 14.
Stage 14 is the route of the mass participation Etape du Tour in 2023, and this is a video reconnaissance of the stage.
The second half of Stage 14 of the 2023 Tour de France is an exact replica of Stage 20 of the 2016 edition. After Mieussy, in 2023 as in 2016 there are ascents of the Col de la Ramaz and the Col de Joux Plane, before a descent to Morzine.
In 2016, the descent to Morzine took place in heavy rain, and Ion Izaguirre was the bravest and fastest.
Stage 14 is an Alpine stage to Morzine, in Haute Savoie, and therefore this race should be accompanied by Savoyarde specialities. These include fondue, raclette and pierrade.
Vin de Savoie is usually drunk with a traditional Savoyarde meal.
Savoie wines are generally quite light with relatively high acidity. The reds are often made from Gamay grapes, and the whites from Chasselas, Altesse, Chardonnay, Roussanne or other varieties.
Apremont is one of the areas that makes vin de Savoie, generally white wine. The soil is chalky, the result of a landslide from Mont Granier in the 1200s. The slopes enable the vines to catch the morning sun. The main grape variety for Apremont is Jacquère, and the resulting wines are light and dry with floral, mineral character.
Stage 14 starts in Annemasse (départ fictif).
Annemasse is in Haute-Savoie in France, but part of the Grand-Genève trans-border agglomeration.
A lot of people live and/or shop in Annemasse because prices are cheaper in France, but work in Geneva because salaries are higher in Switzerland.
The area was inhabited by the Allobroges people from around 300BC. Archaeologists have found traces of one of their settlements on Mont Salève.
In the Middle Ages Annemasse belonged to the Dukes of Savoie. It was taken by the French Revolutionary army in 1792, and remained French until the defeat of Napoléon in 1815. Then it returned to Savoie until 1860, when Savoie became part of France under Napoléon III.
The Grand Casino is an important venue in modern Annemasse, catering for slot machine addicts and roulette players.
Aurélien and Valentin Paret-Peintre are from Annemasse. Aurélien won the local Annemasse-Bellegarde-Annemasse cycle race in 2018.
The neutralised section begins along Rue Marc Courriard and Rue du Clos Fleury, heading to the Parc Montessuit.
Then it's on Rue de Genève, Rue de la Gare, Rue du Chablais and Avenue Florissant. It continues on Rue des Glières, Route des Vallées and Route du Livron, which leads out of town and over the Ménoge river.
The riders now take the D1205, and the départ réel is just after passing the Château de Baudry.
The race heads for Nangy. The riders then take the D9 to Fillinges to pick up the D20 alongside the Ménoge to Boëge.
The route continues to the Col de Saxel.
The Col de Saxel is 4.2km at an average 4.6% to a height of 944m after 18.7km raced.
There's a descent to Fessy, then a steep ascent on the D235 to the Col de Cou.
The Col du Cou is 7km at an average 7.4% to a height of 1,116m after
35.3km raced.
The route continues to Draillant and Orcier, before another steep, winding ascent, this time to the Col du Feu.
The Col du Feu climb is 5.8km at an average 7.8% to a height of 1,117m after 52.7km raced.
Next there's a descent to Lullin. The peloton continues to Bellevaux, then pops over the Col de Jambaz.
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The Col de Jambaz (1,029m) is the location of the intermediate sprint.
Now the race route is down the Risse valley, with the Montagne d'Hirmentaz up to the riders' right.
Hirmentaz-Bellevaux is a small, family ski resort.
After passing through Mégevette, Onnion and the Gorges du Risse, the race reaches Saint-Jeoire.
Saint-Jeoire was established around the year 1,000 by Benedictine monks. The village is dominated by the Château de Beauregard.
Next Stage 14 heads for Mieussy.
The first 'parachute de pente' flights took place at Mieussy in 1978. 'Parachute de pente' was abbreviated to 'parapente', which is how the sport is known now. Mieussy hosted a World Cup parapente event in 2000.
From Mieussy the route is the same as that of Stage 20 of the 2016 Tour de France. The ascent of the Col de la Ramaz start here.
The Col de la Ramaz is known for being the ascent which ended Lance Armstrong's hopes of winning the 2010 Tour.
The road, the D308, passes through the hamlets of Messy and Chez Besson, and heads for the ski resort of Praz-de-Lys-Sommand. The steepest part is immediately before Sommand, in a recently built tunnel section.
The Col comes after Sommand and before le Praz-de-Lys. There are views of Mont Blanc from the top.
The official Tour de France climb profile shows Mieussy at an altitude of 633m, and the top of the Col de la Ramaz at 1619m, making a height gain of 986m over a distance of 13.9km. This gives an average gradient of 7.1%.
The descent is via a series of hairpin bends after La Savolière, which brings the riders to Fry. The D902 then takes them down to Taninges.
Taninges is a town on the river Giffre which dates back to Roman times. On the southern edge of the town is the old Carthusian Abbey of Mélan, now devoted to contemporary art. There are 40 or 50 bells (le carillon de Taninges) in the clock tower at the church in Taninges, the first such carillon in Haute-Savoie.
From Taninges, there's the respite of a flat valley road (the D907) to Samoëns.
From Samoëns the riders begin the final climb, the Col de Joux Plane.
Joux is a local word for a wooded mountainside; plane might indicate 'flat', but that seems illogical. Alpine Cols (apparently no longer online) described it as 'probably the toughest climb in the Haute Savoie'.
On the lower slopes the road climbs through pasture and woods. It reaches the wooden Chalets de Mapellet la Bourgeoise, where there was still snow in the middle of May 2016.
The top of the Joux Plane is at 1691m according to the Tour de France graphic, or 1700m according to the road sign.
The climb of Col de la Joux Plane goes from 688m in Samoens to 1691m at the top, a height gain of 1003m, over a distance of 11.6km. This gives an average gradient of 8.5%.
Time bonuses are available at the top of the Joux Plane, of 8, 5 and 2 seconds.
The stage continues to Morzine. According to Alpinecols, from Joux Plane, 'after a short descent around the lake [Lac de Joux Plane] one must climb another 70m to cross the Col de Ranfolly before beginning the steep, exhilarating descent to Morzine.'
After passing the Col du Ranfolly (1656m), there are 8km of descent to the finish at Morzine. This video shows a cyclist going down the route in July 2015:
The riders arrive in Morzine on the D354. They go over the D28 on a bridge, then join it, crossing the river, the Dranse de la Manche.
Next they are on Route de la Manche alongside the river. At the church, they turn left, cross the river again, and take Rue du Bourg to the finish line in front of Morzine tourist office.
Morzine is a resort in the Portes du Soleil ski area. It's at an altitude of 1000m (Wikipedia).
From 1181, Morzine was a grange (farm) of Aulps Abbey, a nearby Cistercian monastery. In the 1700s, slate quarries opened here. Winter tourism took over from around 1930.
As well as skiing in the Winter, Morzine is known for mountain biking in the Summer.
The last time the Tour de France finished in Morzine was on Stage 20 of the 2016 edition of the race, won in the rain by Ion Izaguirre of Movistar.
Stage 14 of the Tour de France 2023 is a race for climbers and descenders.
The GC contenders could compete for the stage win - Pogacar, Vingegaard, Bernal, and possibly Bardet. Outside the yellow jersey contenders, maybe Alaphilippe could win from a breakaway.
Who do you think will win Stage 14?
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Beaujolais is a wine made with Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region. The region gets its name from the town and Lords of Beaujeu.
Gamay grapes are thin-skinned and low in tannins. They make light wines with relatively high acidity.
The Romans were the first to plant vines here, along their trading route up the Saône valley. Later, Benedictine monks did much of the wine-making.
Beaujolais Nouveau became very popular in the 1980s, with easy-drinking, fruity wines. In the late 1990s that popularity faded, and Beaujolais producers are now concentrating on more complex wines that are aged longer in oak barrels.
Fleurie is called the Queen of Beaujolais. It has floral notes, and aromas of blueberries and red fruits.
It doesn't get its name from flowers, though, but from a Roman General, Floricum.
Fleurie vineyards are on the west side of the Saône valley, facing south or south east. The soil is on pink granite, and is sandy higher up, with more clay content lower down.
La Madone is one of the best-known Fleurie wines, taking its name from a chapel on top of the hill.
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Bike Rides in Harrogate and Nidderdale is a book of family, mountain and road bike rides.
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Samoëns is a village on the river Giffre at an altitude of 704m. The highest point of the commune of Samoëns is the pointe des Avoudrues, at 2666m. The rock here is limestone, and there are deep caves and potholes such as le gouffre Mirolda.
The name Samoëns may come from Franco-Provencal, and mean seven mountains or Alpine pastures, referring to seven mountains around the village. Inhabitants of Samoëns are called Septimontains.
In the Middle Ages (C14th to C19th), stonemasons from Samoëns plied their trade across France and Europe. They built the town halls at Annecy and Bonneville, and many of Vauban's forts.
Today, tourism is the mainstay of the local economy, with skiing in the winter. Samoëns is part of the Grand Massif ski area, with Sixt, Morillon, Les Carroz, d'Araches, and Flaine. In the summer, activities include climbing, caving, and mountain biking.
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