Saint- Jean- de- Maurienne Tignes
The 2019 Tour hits its highest point, the 2,770m Col de l’Iseran, en route to its first Alpine summit finish
The history of Tignes runs like a parable for modern times. The village, nestled in the Isère valley, was deemed to be expendable when demand for electricity in France was growing exponentially in the post-war years. A vast dam was built to harness the flow of the river, creating the Lac du Chevril where the original Tignes had once been. It’s a pretty lake, though the Tour de France, more than any other sporting event, understands that an attractive or compelling surface often conceals more uncomfortable truths beneath.
Every decade or so, the lake is drained for dam maintenance, and the ghostly remains of a once thriving village are rendered visible. According to the predictions of scientists, this won’t be the last time that human population centres are sacrificed to rising waters caused by increased energy demands.
When the non-climbers of the Tour this year contemplate the 7.4km long climb to the ski station at the top that throughout the start of the year is covered in snow, they might also find pause to regret the community being lifted out of the valley and on to the mountain. Tignes is no Alpe d’Huez, but the fact that it comes hard on the heels of the highest climb of the
whole Tour, the 2,770m high Col de l’Iseran, means this is still a tough finish to the day.
The stage is close to being the last-chance saloon for anybody who still wants to win the yellow jersey. Stage 19 will also be a proper legsapper before the real climbing begins. The altitude and sheer presence of the Iseran casts the rest of the stage into deep shadow, but if the riders squint enough, they’ll see that the first 75km of the stage, to the foot of the Iseran, are almost all uphill, and incorporate three categorised climbs.
The climb to Tignes also offers a chance to the optimistic, however. The top of the climb comes two flat kilometres from the finish line – not enough to make good on big gaps, but a small chance at redemption for anyone who may have been dropped.