Puy de Dome - never again ?

[Ed]

Will Le Tour never again finish a stage up the Puy de Dome?
I know it's a toll road now and if you want to ride up it
you have a brief window starting at 7am in which to do it,
otherwise bikes are banned. I found this out the hard way
during a trip through France, so I never did have the
"pleasure" of grunting up its hallowed 15% slopes (where
Eddy Merckx was famously assaulted by a spectator). I would
have thought Jean-Marie had the clout have the rules bent,
or is there another reason it's been neglected as a
spectacular mountain-top stage finish in recent decades?

Nice photo:

perso.club-internet.fr/decobed/Pariou.html

 

[Peter]

Ed, Do you know if it is possible to ride the Puy de Dome
every day before
7:00, or just some days?

 

[Jg]

Isn't one of the reasons (maybe the major reason, I don't
know) that the region is not financially advanced as other
regions to campaign to host a Tour stage.

"Peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ed, Do you know if it is possible to ride the Puy de Dome
> every day before
> 7:00, or just some days?

 

[Ed]

That was 1998, so worth checking with a local tourist
office. But I think it was 7am - 8.30 or 9am weekdays. Have
fun in your little chainring.