Tour de France: the 16th stage will criss-cross Biterrois!

Le tracé de l'étape 16 dans le Biterrois. Midi Libre – Sophie Wauquier

On July 16, the Tour de France will give pride of place to the Béziers region. The 16th stage (Gruissan-Nîmes, 188.6 km) will cross municipalities excluded from the route for several decades.

Cycling enthusiasts will have a smile on July 16. The Biterrois have been waiting for their cycling moment since 2006, when the Tour last stopped in Béziers. During this 16th day (Gruissan-Nîmes, 188.6 km), the famous caravan and its lot of gifts will also have something to delight them and will perhaps give the   quot;light sock" to the local cycling world. 

This year, no stop in the oldest city in France but a beautiful route including the city center. The Tour will also pass through Lespignan – a first since 1981 – Lieuran-lès -Béziers, Espondeilhan, Coulobres, Abeilhan, Alignan-du-Vent, Pézenas and Montagnac, before heading into the Gard. 

Runners pumped up

The runners will be fully revved up after the rest day, the day after their arrival on the Plateau de Beille (Pyrenees), on July 14. Especially since the route is not known to be difficult. It has little elevation gain. But the peloton will have to be careful, warns cyclist Gauthier Navarro, 24, a former elite runner, licensed at BMC Béziers. "It's a transitional stage but it won't be peaceful. There may be edges, so it can be tricky." 

Tricky stage also according to Serge Boix, president of the Vélo-Club-Cheminots-Biterrois (VCCB), because "the wind can surprise unaccustomed runners".

Local impact

In short, on a sporting level, Gauthier Navarro is looking forward to following a "super interesting" stage. Especially since he knows by heart the roads on which the 218 riders from the 22 teams will race. "It's really cool to see the Tour in the areas where I train", rejoices whoever always participates in national competitions. 

On the club side, Serge Boix is ​​waiting for the start of the school year in September to measure the impact of the Tour, but he is already anticipating positive effects. "There will be an impact& ;nbsp;like during the football World Cups, which give a boost to the kids and clubs in the region, he assures.

As part of the project "Let’s give them to the bike" which highlights women's cycling, around thirty VCCB licensees will ride on part of the route, between Lespignan and Pézenas. Just to warm up before the big party the next day, which will take an entire territory with it.