Ballon d'Alsace
| Ballon d'Alsace | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,247 m (4,091 ft) |
| Prominence | [citation needed] |
| Geography | |
  Ballon d'Alsace | |
| Parent range | Vosges |
The Ballon d'Alsace Template:Lang-de (el. 1247 m.), or Alsatian Belchen, is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the Vosges, the Rhine valley, the Black Forest, and the Alps.
A road leads over a pass near the peak at the Col du Ballon d'Alsace, 1,171 m (3,842 ft). The pass 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.
Ballon d'Alsace features Alpine and Cross Country skiing tracks.
The mountain is part of the so-called Belchen System, a group of mountains with the name "Belchen" (in German) that may have been part of a Celtic sun calendar.
See also
References
- ^ "L'HISTOIRE 1903-2008" (PDF) (in French). Archived from the original (pdf) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
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External links
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| National | |
