It arrives on Sunday and preparations are in full swing for the biggest sporting event the Swiss resort has ever seen.
It is impossible not to know Le Tour is coming.
Posters are plastered all over town, the road up the mountain has been re-surfaced in places, the valley is adorned with advertising hoardings and even the flower beds have been re-arranged to welcome the cyclists and the huge entourage that escorts them.
The town is a buzz with excitement and pretty much all the accommodation is full. Many shops, bars and restaurants that are usually closed at this time of year have opened for business.
Even the resort’s most famous night-club, The Farm, will be open, it’s thought to be the first time it has ever opened in the summer.
“Everybody in Verbier is really excited with the arrival of the Tour de France. There will be a big party where everybody is going to celebrate the champions of this very thorough race, which is at the same time a big show,” says Pierre-Yves Deleze who is deputy director of Tourism and on the organising committee.
“I hope the weather will play the game, so that magnificent pictures of Verbier can be broadcasted all over the world. For me, as for the whole organising committee, this will be the culmination of one year of very hard work. We hope the result will match our expectations!”
It’s estimated around 150,000 people will line the route along the valley floor from Martigny to Le Chable, before the riders tackle the 8.5km up to the resort.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment