Stage 2
Champagnole
Septmoncel
15 August 2020
Start
Champagnole
Finish
Septmoncel
8 racing highlights
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KM 12.1GPM - Côte de Châtelneuf (Cat. 4)
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KM 24.5GPM - Côte de Frasnois (Cat. 4)
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KM 38.7Sprint - Saint-Maurice-Crillat
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KM 44.4GPM - Col de la Joux (Cat. 3)
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KM1er Passage sur la ligne d'arrivée - Septmoncel
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KM 92.2GPM - Côte de la Combe du Lac (Cat. 3)
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KM2nd Passage sur la ligne d'arrivée - Septmoncel
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KM 119GPM - Côte de la Combe du Lac (Cat. 3)
The map
Champagnole
The town of Champagnole, gateway to the Haut-Jura, is ideally situated, by its central geographical position, between vineyards, the region of lakes and waterfalls and the first reliefs of the mountain range.
Champagnole, crossed by the river Ain, surrounded by forests, dominated by the Mont-Rivel (812 m), is truly in a privileged environment. The town is also characterized by its pleasant living environment and its commercial, economic and associative dynamism.
A sporty, attractive, lively town, Champagnole knows how to create the event but also how to welcome it.
Champagnole loves cycling: after the stage starts of the Tour de l’Avenir in 2011, 2013 and 2015, the riders will set off again from the Jura town, one month before the finish of the Tour de France.
Welcome to the riders of the Tour de l’Avenir, in the heart of the Jura.
The Jura Department.
Naturally hilly, the Jura department is a real paradise for cycling and more generally for nature activities in summer and winter. The diversity of its landscapes, from the wetlands of the Bresse Jurassienne to the wide open spaces of the Haut-Jura at an altitude of more than 1200 m, via the remote vineyards and the emerald lakes of the Pays des Lacs, make it a must-see destination for all lovers of nature and freshness.
The second stage of the Tour de l’Avenir will start from the town of Champagnole, a real link between the Lake District, the Haut-Jura and the vineyards. Through the pastures, forests and typical valleys of the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park, the emblematic sites of the region can be admired, such as the Billaude waterfall, the 7 Lakes plateau and the Hérisson Valley (Grand Site de France in the making), or the Bonlieu Lake. After the ascent of the Col de la Joux, the Haut-Jura unveils its most beautiful landscapes, the valley of the Bienne, Saint-Claude, the laces of Septmoncel and its Gendarme’s Hat or the Lake of Lamoura and the Hautes-Combes offering a breathtaking view of the Jura Mountains.
All of which is enough to fully appreciate this beautiful stopover, a true compendium of preserved nature, panoramas, authenticity and delicacies offered by the cheese and fruit dairies of Comté du Jura! All the more reason to climb a little higher and appreciate the Jura as we like it…
Septmoncel les Molunes is a mountain commune of 853 inhabitants in the heart of the southern Haut Jura, located 10 km above Saint Claude and 50 km from Geneva.
Home of Désiré DALLOZ, famous jurisconsult, the village is part of the Regional Natural Park of the Haut Jura and of the community of communes “Haut Jura Saint Claude”.
Offering picturesque landscapes, a classified site of the Flumen valley and the famous anticline “Le Chapeau de gendarme”, this vast territory of more than 4000 hectares with strong decline (from 448 m to 1330 m of altitude) is very frequented by the hikers who come to take advantage of the thematic paths of the 7 belevédères . In winter, the Nordic area of the Hautes Combes is ideal for cross-country skiing.
The lapidary, i.e. the cutting and polishing of coloured stones, is part of the industrial history of the municipality.
This mountainous territory, with not very fertile soil and a harsh climate is also the origin of the “Bleu”, “Le Septmoncel”, very well known under the name of “Bleu de Gex” but whose AOC is “Bleu de Gex – Haut Jura – Septmoncel”.
