Chemin de Baroville, chemin de Loches-sur-Ource à Chacenay, chemin des Verrières… On Sunday July 7, 2024, the 9th stage of the Tour de France will take 14 white paths through Aube: 32 of the 199 km of this stage traced around of Troyes will crisscross these whitish “roads” on this clay-limestone soil which gives Champagne all its flavor. The Tour de France likes to explore new territories and get off the beaten track. As he did a few years ago in Haute-Saône with the Planche-des-Belles-Filles and this arrival at the summit, with dizzying percentages, in a dead end. The curiosity of this 111th Grande Boucle will therefore be these white paths that the competitors of the Women’s Tour took on July 24, 2022 between Troyes and Bar-sur-Aube.
An extremely rare loop around Troyes
Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, was keen on this journey through the vineyards. The best way to do this was to loop around Troyes. “It’s extremely rare in the Tour de France,” he emphasized at the end of October during the presentation of this stage in Aube. We sometimes do loops during the Grand Départ or for a 25 km time trial but there will be almost 200 there.”
François Baroin, mayor of Troyes, has never hidden the fact that the city is a regular candidate to host the Tour de France. The last time was in 2017 when the German Marcel Kittel won in the sprint before the peloton left the departmental capital the next day. “When Christian Prudhomme wanted us to be present for the first Tour de France women, we responded,” said the chief magistrate. The organizers have discovered something remarkable and want to put it to use in their competitions. »
These white paths which have been talked about so much in recent weeks are first and foremost a work tool. “These are distribution routes for farmers and wine growers in the sector,” indicates François Baroin. “This is why they are so well maintained and of excellent quality,” adds the boss of the Tour de France. The landscapes are magnificent and, from a sporting point of view, it will be a very interesting stage to follow. »
Beyond the telegeny of the place which escapes no one, this Sunday July 7 will perhaps be one of the turning points of the 2024 Tour, like what regularly happens on the cobbles. “The Tour favorites must not neglect this stage. There may be a breakaway but the leaders will have to stay with their teammates all day. This smells like a trap,” warns Christian Prudhomme.
“It’s not a stage I would have liked to run! »
Former Aube pro Pascal Simon
Wearer of the yellow jersey for seven days on the 1983 Tour before a fractured shoulder blade forced him to retire one week from the arrival in Paris and left the field open to Laurent Fignon, Aubois Pascal Simon sees this passage through the white paths with a good eye. “It’s going to be spectacular!” We always think of cobblestones but with the rise of gravel, cycling is changing direction. Major events like the Tour de France must get up to date if they want to remain relevant. »
The former pro is convinced that Tadej Pogacar, winner of the Grande Boucle in 2020 and 2021, can shine on the white paths of Aube. In 2022, the Slovenian won the Strade Bianche, an Italian race which takes the white paths of Tuscany at the beginning of March. “It will be nervous to position yourself well at the entrance to the paths. We must not slip, believes Pascal Simon. If it rains, the runners will be unrecognizable at the finish. This is not a stage I would have liked to run! »
Having closely followed everything that the Tour de France has brought to Haute-Saône with its regular climbs of the Planche-des-Belles-Filles in recent years, François Baroin dreams of the same destiny for Troyes and Aube. “This will perhaps last a long time and in a few years, we will talk about the white paths of the Côte des Bar as we talk about the cobblestones of Roubaix. »
