the Côte de Mûr, “recognizable among all”

In 2025, the Tour de France will once again mark the year of cycling. For actu.fr, Christian Prudhommeits director for almost 20 years, returned in detail to the journey and the importance of the transmission of cycling.

And it's impossible not to address the legendary “Côte de Mûr”.

In July 2025, note that it will be the 5^e times in 15 years since the Tour arrived in Mûr-de-Bretagnenot counting 8 more passages in recent years.

Responding to a big challenge

“The great challenge, 15 years agoit was to take care of the first week of the Tour de France. To ensure that the Tour favorite does not wake up at the end of the eighth stepafter the litany of the sprint” recalls Christian Prudhomme.

The team therefore looked for hills: “We wanted to go near Châtelain, on a climb called the Menez Quelc'hdont Bernard Hinault was the record holder for a long time. And then there was a last minute problem, and we no longer had this climb.

“Except that I absolutely wanted a significant finish on the plain, on a severe hill. And the teams on the ground did not find. »

And then suddenly, it was Mûr-de-Bretagne…

At the time, I called the president of the Brittany region, former minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, an absolute fan of cycling and the Tour. I said “We’re going to get to Mur-de-Bretagne”. He said to me: “Mature, we understand that it’s hard. Brittany, Brittany, is my home.” Mûr-de-Bretagne, like the Board of Beautiful Girls, is a name that rings true.

“A very hard foot”

The boss of the Tour sees this “Côte de Mûr” as being recognizable among all“since it is almost straight, with a very hard foot, and so the last few times, we made a loop, etc., to pass twice”.

And then, she was born extremely well. The first time the fight between Contador who raises his hand who thought he had won and Cadel Evans who wins at Mûr-de-Bretagne…

It was the first time since 30 ans at that time on the Tour de France that in a first week of the Tour de France the future winner of the Tour of the year won a stage which was not a time trial.

We had to go back to Bernard Hinault. And then last time, I didn't draw you a drawing: exceptional, Mathieu Van Der Poel…

By Maxime T'sjoen and Edgar Chaumond

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