Stage 6 - The Vosges Mountains

Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles

The hardest stage of Le Tour so far: a combination of medium distance (160.5km) and seven categorised climbs making this the first stage to be officially classified as mountainous. Not content with the first category 1 climb, there are three in total, including one to the finish.

That climb to the finish (La Planche des Belles Filles) is particularly brutal, being 7km with an average gradient of 8.7%. That, however, hides the fact that in places (including during the last km) the gradient reaches over 20%. At least the countryside is beautiful.

Two other quite interesting facts about this stage:

• Tony will pass over Le Grand Ballon, the highest mountain in the Vosges from where he will be able to see another of the category 1 climbs – Le Ballon d’Alsace
• Alsace is often thought of as the church organ capital of the world (over 1350 in the region alone) and a particularly impressive one can be found in the St Alphonse catholic church in Bitschwiller-les-Thann, the town Tony will pass through after descending Le Grand Ballon.

Drink of the day – We can’t leave Alsace without having a glass of a great dry Riesling – the classic Trimbach Riesling.

Song of the day - River Deep, Mountain High. Ike & Tina Turner