LE LIORAN AND CYCLING
The last finish at Le Lioran, in 2024, was one of many episodes in the rivalry between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vinegaard. The Slovenian managed to break away from the peloton on the climb up Puy Mary, before being caught by the Dane on the climb up to the Col de Pertus. The two men arrived wheel to wheel at Le Lioran, where Vingegaard won the sprint for his only stage victory in this edition. The first Tour de France finish at Lioran in 1975 (then known as Super-Lioran, as superlatives were all the rage in ski resorts) was gruelling. Exhausted by the heat and the rigours of the first twelve stages of the race, several favourites faltered during the long 260-km ride from Albi. Luis Ocana, suffering from tendonitis, did not start. Three of his teammates also went home. Italy's Giovanni Battaglin, 7th overall, also withdrew from the race with a cracked kneecap. During the stage, Portugal's Joachim Agostinho was hit by a car, but it took more than that to knock him down. Suffering from bronchitis, Raymond Poulidor lost 30 seconds in the final stretch. Under those conditions, the leaders who were still in contention neutralised each other, and Eddy Merckx, lacking teammates, contented himself with controlling his rivals. He took the lead on the day's main climb, Plomb du Cantal, and let Michel Pollentier go, as he posed no threat in the overall standings. The Belgian won solo, ahead of his compatriots Merckx and Lucien Van Impe. It was another Belgian, Greg Van Avermaet, who won in the resort during the 2016 Tour. The future Olympic champion, who had one of his best seasons that year, also took the Yellow Jersey which he kept for three days before wearing it again two years later.
LE LIORAN
Plomb du Cantal (1,855 m)
The highest point in the department and an iconic site in the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Nature Park. Accessible by hiking along the GR 4 trail or by cable car, it offers an exceptional panorama of the peaks of the Massif Central: Puy Griou, Puy Mary, Puy de Sancy, etc. From the summit, there are enduro and mountain bike trails, a launch site for paragliders and various hiking trails.
Auvergne Agricultural Museum The Auvergne Agricultural Museum is housed in a 17th-century farmhouse in the heart of the pretty village of Coltines. Six exhibition rooms offer a fun and educational visit. "Winter" serves as an introduction, presenting the local architectural heritage and magnificent snow-covered landscapes. Visitors can then explore the interior of the Ostal de la Marissou (the house of little Marie), named after the last inhabitant of the premises, with its cantou fireplace and various objects found in farms of yesteryear. The tour continues with spring, then summer and autumn. Several tools, evidence of the know-how of yesteryear, are on display. At the end of the tour, films and a slideshow retracing peasant life are shown.
Maison du Buronnier
Pastoralism is an ancestral practice in these mountains, and the buron is the place where, during the summer, the buronniers live and make Cantal cheese. The Buron de Belles Aigues, which was in operation until the 1960s, has preserved all the rooms and tools that today enable this Cantal know-how to be passed on. Guided tours throughout the summer.
Saint-Pierre Church in Bredons
Construction: 11th century.
Characteristics: fortified, listed as a historic monument and boasting one of the most beautiful Romanesque porches, it has Italian-influenced stalls and woodwork, rich Baroque-style furnishings, including the high altar, which is one of the most majestic in the whole of Upper Auvergne.
History: the priory was founded in 1067 by Durand de Bredon, abbot of Moissac from 1048 to 1071. The first church was consecrated in 1095. The church has been the victim of numerous thefts, the most recent in 2002, when around fifty objects were stolen, including ten statues and a painting. They are believed to be in the hands of unscrupulous collectors. Distinguishing features: one of the few well-preserved Romanesque wooden reliquary statues still existing in France, from the rich treasure of the priory of Bredons, is kept at the Haute-Auvergne Museum in Saint-Flour (the statue was found in 1954 by a child from Bredons behind the high altar of the church, where it had been hidden several centuries earlier): a walnut reliquary statue, covered with polychrome decoration and metal plates in places, dating from the first half of the 12th century. It depicts St. Peter seated on a throne and dressed in a pleated tunic, blessing the faithful with his left hand, with two fingers raised.
Current destination: the church has been undergoing restoration work since 2021.
La Roche Percée
La Roche Percée is a cave and medieval troglodyte dwelling located on the cliffside above the hamlet of Fraisse-Haut (commune of Laveissière) in the Alagnon valley in Haute-Auvergne. This medieval troglodyte dwelling is divided into three levels, carved out of the rock and connected by staircases. Near the entrance is a hoodoo (a type of rock formation). The cave has been made safe by the municipality with iron railings, making it easier to explore the whole cave. It can be accessed either from the yellow PR trail starting from Fraisse-Haut (250 metres elevation gain) or from the GR 400 trail passing above and continuing on to the Way of St James. No documents have been found about it, but there are indications that it has been occupied since ancient times. It served as a hermitage during the Middle Ages, notably for St. Calupan. Finally, it served as a pastoral shelter for shepherds until the early 20th century, when two women occupied it.
