Climb of the Puy de Dôme: the race to the summit blows out 49 candles

Without the detestable Covid, the event would have planted a 50th candle on its famous summit, this Saturday. But it will be 49, the forced break having the mnemonic advantage of making the number of editions coincide with the real age of the Montée du puy de Dôme.

Forty-nine years since the race towards the sky has made the climbers religiously gathered in Clermont-Ferrand look up. Which this time will not have the majestic vision of the giant culminating in the line of rue Blatin. Since they will not start at the foot of Vercingétorix this year…

Minor change

The appointment given by the FSGT has often adapted to the constraints. Until almost changing its nature in 2011, forgetting the asphalt which had revolved around the father of puys since the beginning (Yvan Bizet being the last road winner in 2010) for the steep bends of Chemin des Muletiers. Then began the first shovels of the future Panoramique des Dômes route.

La Foulée des Vieilles Pierres, nature race in the north-east of Creuse

This is more of a facelift. Commissioned by the preparatory network work for the InspiRe project which blocks Blatin. These push the line back to rue Jean-Baptiste Torrilhon at square Amadéo. A few meters from Clermont and, having crossed Boulevard Berthelot, the race heats up at Chamalières, avenue Joseph Claussat to begin, very quickly on the left on rue d’Assas, then on the right on avenue de Royat, i.e. the reunion with the traditional route until ‘at the top, at 1,442 m altitude.

In short, it will perhaps be 100 m short of the usual standards. Not much when we know what happens next. After the crossroads of Europe, the slope gives the first signals. The Lycée hôtelier and the centurion water porter prepare for the number one main course: the original Roman Road.

Small lull in the altitude difference around Font de l’Arbre. What follows is the train parking lot, the Gouris, the crossing of the D68, the woods before an increasingly steep climb up to the Col de Ceyssat. And there, the giant! 15 turns, 2,290 m, 400 m D+!

At the last steps there will be 1.8 km on the walkway up to the line drawn in front of the picnic room. Enough to finish sorting, if necessary. In an avant-garde which, given the first commitments, should include Romuald Bautista, Agathe Teillet-Magot or even Audrey Welzbacher.

Francis Laporte