Two stages in a row feature non asphalted roads. After stage 9 including the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix and a rest day in between, the first Alpine stage goes through the Plateau des Glières using a 1.8km carriage way with no tarmac. It might not impact the overall result of the Tour de France as it’s still far away from the finish in Le Grand-Bornand but it surely has an historical dimension with the national monument to the Resistance. It’s a tribute to the 121 members of the Resistance who were killed by the Germans in March 1944. On a sporting point of view, the col de Romme and col de la Colombière at the end of the race make a frightening double before the downhill to Le Grand-Bornand. The climbers can now show up.
