Evenepoel sees Tour victory over Pogacar immortalised on Plateau de Solaison

Amateur riders on the Plateau de Solaison now have a Tour de France stage winner’s time to aim for. The Haute-Savoie department has installed markers at the bottom and the top of the climb showing Remco Evenepoel’s name and his time from stage 15 in July, when he became the first rider to win a Tour stage there.

Evenepoel, Pogačar and Isaac del Toro left the rest of the GC riders on the 11.3km climb, which averages 9 per cent, and Evenepoel then beat Pogačar in the sprint at the summit. It was his first road stage win at the Tour after two time trial victories, and Belgium’s 500th stage win in the race’s history. Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour earlier on the same stage.

Two days later Evenepoel won the time trial from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, the department’s other stage, with Pogačar second again. Pogačar had been riding for Del Toro on Solaison, but said afterwards that he had not let Evenepoel win.

Two days later Evenepoel won the time trial from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, the department’s other stage, with Pogačar second again. Pogačar had been riding for Del Toro on Solaison, but said afterwards that he had not let Evenepoel win.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme attended Saturday’s unveiling. Haute-Savoie says it has hosted more Tour stages than any other French department since 2022, and the markers are part of its push to bring in cycling tourists.

“This gives cycling fans the opportunity to measure themselves against Evenepoel’s performances,” the department said, according to Sporza.

Haute-Savoie will be the centre of the sport again next summer. The 2027 Tour returns to the department after its rest day, before the combined UCI World Championships run from 24 August to 5 September. The road races will be held around Sallanches and the Côte de Domancy, where Bernard Hinault attacked to win his only world title in 1980.

Solaison is the first climb to get markers, but similar ones may follow elsewhere in Haute-Savoie. Departmental council president Martial Saddier is a keen amateur cyclist.

“We want to place a memorial on the spectacular climbs, on the final mountain passes,” Saddier said.