Although the route out of Mulhouse might seem relatively level, this impression is unlikely to be with the riders for long. About nineteen kilometres into the stage, the route re-enters the Vosges and it’s up and down from there on in. En route, the riders pass the village of Sondernach. It was completely destroyed in the battle of Metzeral in 1915. At the end of today’s stage, the riders enter the ski resort of La Planche des Belles Filles. One might wonder where that name comes from – according to local legend, the name refers to an incident in the Thirty Years’ War. The young women from Plancher les Mines, a nearby village, fled into the mountains to escape the unwelcome attentions of Swedish mercenaries. Rather than surrender, they decided to commit suicide and jumped into a lake far below. One of the soldiers engraved an epitaph for the girls on a piece of wooden board. There is a wooden statue in the area, created by a local artist to mark this legend. The resort also hosts a festival dedicated to Jacques Brel, the Belgian singer who flourished in the fifties and sixties. One of his songs, Le Moribond was reworked by Terry Jacks as Seasons in the Sun in 1974. The riders have a chance to spend some time in the sun relaxing tomorrow as it’s a rest day.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 08:00:00 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015