Saint-Etienne and Lyon, last stages before Grenoble and the Alps
Some steps are classics: 18 times Pau-Bordeaux, 17 times Pau-Bagnères-de-Luchon or Bagnères-de-Luchon-Perpignan. It must be said that sometimes the geography and the relief leave no alternative… Out of 25 participations, Saint Etienne was 5 times the start of a stage towards Grenobleand it has welcomed runners from Bourg-d’Oisans (Isere). Out of 17 participations, Lyons has also been 6 times the departure to Grenobleand it has welcomed runners from Belfort. On four occasions, a time trial was organized in the streets of the Loire prefecture (the record is 6, in Luxembourg, followed by 5 for Paris, Nice, Bordeaux and Futuroscope).