Ballon d'Alsace
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| Ballon d'Alsace | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Elevation | 1,247 m (4,091 ft) |
| Prominence | 211 m (692 ft) [citation needed] |
| Location | |
 Ballon d'Alsace
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| Range | Vosges |
| Coordinates | 47°49′20″N 6°50′43″E / 47.82222°N 6.84528°ECoordinates: 47°49′20″N 6°50′43″E / 47.82222°N 6.84528°E |
Ballon d'Alsace German: Elsässer Belchen (el. 1247 m.) is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the Vosges, the Rhine valley, and the Black Forest.
A road leads over a pass near the peak at 1,171 m (3,842 ft).
Ballon d'Alsace is noted as the site of the first official mountain climb in the Tour de France on 11 July 1905[1], the first rider to the top of the climb being René Pottier and the stage being won by Hippolyte Aucouturier. Stage 9 of the 2005 Tour crossed this pass on the centenary of the original climb.
[edit] References
- ^ "L'HISTOIRE 1903-2008" (in French) (pdf). http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/COURSE/docs/histo2009_02.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
