Le Tour de France Morzine 2022
Every year we get asked "Does the Tour de France come to Morzine?" The Tour de France is the pinnacle of road racing and this year Morzine will host a stage of this iconic race for the 21st time since 1975. Morzine is a large mountain village in the Hauts Savoie region of the French Alps and is a cycling Mecca. Steeped in cycling history and home to a plethora of incredible cycling routes, Morzine and the Portes du Soleil should be on every cyclist's hit list! Endless mountain passes and challenging cols is what attracts thousands of cyclists to the area every summer and the reason why the Tour is a frequent visitor. The Tour de France stage for 2022 will depart from Morzine on the 12th July and will see riders tackling a new 148km route ending in Megeve.
Steeped in Tour de France History
The fact that the tour is returning for its 21st visit to Morzine tells you everything you need to know about the quality and scale of the cycling in the area. It truly is epic!! The Tour first discovered Morzine in 1975, and has been an infamous mountain stage ever since. Climbers from each generation have shone here, from Lucien Van Impe to Andy Schleck, not forgetting Marco Pantani and Richard Virenque. The most recent was Ion Izagirre, winner in 2016.
The infamous Col de Joux Plane is the most famous of the Morzine Cols and has been known to make or break riders during the tour over the years. The climb is classified as a “Hors Categorie” or beyond category by the UCI and is one of the toughest challenges a cyclist can take on. The climb from Samoens to the summit is 11.6kms with an average gradient of 8.5% (the steepest part is 12.5%). There is an overall altitude gain of 998m and riders know about every single one of them by the time they reach the col at a dizzying 1691m above sea level.
The Col’s difficulty became very apparent during the Tour in 2000 when it pushed Lance Armstrong to his limits, nearly costing him the overall win when he bonked on the climb and lost the lead. In 2006 controversial American rider Floyd Landis managed to make up a 7 minute deficit by attacking the Col at full pace. He was however later disqualified for the use of performance enhancing drugs thus proving the Col requires almost super human strength and endurance to tame.
The Tour de France has taken many routes through Morzine and the surrounding mountains over the years and the Col de Joux Plane has not always featured, as it wont in 2022. Other epic climbs such as the Col de Joux Verte, the Montee d’Avoriaz and the Col de Encrenaz have taken its place and kept riders on their toes during their visit to Morzine
The race last came to Morzine in 2016 and what a race it was! The stage began 146.5kms away in Megeve and as the riders battled their way up the insanely difficult Col de Joux Plane, the heavens opened and the high speed descent into Morzine was absolutely treacherous! Ion Izaagirre managed to tame the conditions perfectly and took the stage win as the rain fell and thunder echoed around the valley.
The 2022 Tour de France Route - Morzine to Megeve (Stage 10)
The interesting thing about this year's Morzine stage of the tour is that it is not a mountain stage! This year the route is classified only as a hilly stage and avoids the gruelling high altitude mountain climbs that Morzine is famous for.
For 2022 the riders will arrive in Morzine on Monday 11th July after a transer from Chatel where stage 9 of the race ends. The riders will enjoy a well deserved rest day in Morzine and the village will become a Disneyland for cyclists as the team trucks and cavalcade of event sponsors set up camp in Morzine. The village is sure to be full of fans and media and there will be a real buzz about the place.
The Morzine stage is the 10th stage of the tour and will begin on the morning of Tuesday 12th July 2022. Traditionally the riders would be facing a challenging mountain climb straight off the bat, however this year the riders will head north along a gradual descent towards Lake Geneva. The riders will leave the main road down the valley by turning right and winding their way through the hills alongside the Dranse d’Abondance river before tackling the first real climb of the stage. The riders will then continue on through the lakeside town of Thonon before embarking on the steady 17km climb up towards Vailly. This climb has an altitude gain of 372m with an average gradient of 2.2%. From here the riders continue to climb up towards the town of Bellevaux and the summit just beyond before embarking on the long descent down towards the village of Tanninges. From here the route climbs gradually as the riders head through Cluses and Sallanches before embarking on a gruelling climb up towards Saint -Gervais-Les Bains. From here the riders will weave their way through the surrounding ski resorts up to Megeve before taking on the final challenge of the stage in the form of a 7.7km climb up to the Altiport at an average gradient of 4.4% just to finish those tired legs off!
Other Cols and Routes to Enjoy In Morzine
If you’re thinking of heading out to France to watch the tour and would like to get some miles in at the same time then Morzine is the perfect place to do so. There are literally endless rides straight out of the village taking in incredible roads through beautiful alpine scenery. From high altitude mountain climbs with high speed descents to casual spins along valley floors surrounded by stunning peaks, Morzine literally has it all.
Some of our favourite routes include the Col de Joux Verte, Col de Joux Plane and the Col de Encrenaz. The Col de Joux Verte is a must do if you're in Morzine on two wheels and is an awesome loop on the outskirts of Morzine that can be done in either direction. The route has amazing scenery and gives you the opportunity to stop off at Lake Montriond, Morzine’s very own alpine lake. It’s the perfect spot for a swim to soothe those muscles after taking on the Montee d’Avoriaz - another Tour de France classic climb with a 14km climb which weaves up the mountain via 19 hairpin turns.
Stay With Bike Morzine
It's not all mountain bikes with us at Bike Morzine. We are the cycling specialists and being riders ourselves and know exactly what you need for that cycling holiday of a lifetime. From bike storage, workshop space, tools and pumps to bike friendly airport transfers, we provide the lot. We have accommodation options to suit all group sizes, duration of stays and budget requirements. We can also help with where to ride and where's good for a beer afterwards, so What are you waiting for…… Check out our range of bike friendly accommodation options in Morzine here
