The Tour de France (aka TdF) is underway - today sees the third stage up there in North-westish France. Leaving the D-Day landing areas and heading deeper into France.

The 16th stage of this year's race, 18th July, is a 209 kilometer long stretch that takes the riders across the border into Switzerland, and through some of this land finishing here in my home town of Bern. The finish line is almost exactly 1 kilometer from my home.

HOWEVER, there is a great fuss being generated by the 'cheaper' Press here.

The final 500 meters of the stage are along a wide street. But that street has tram lines and low (two to three inch high) islands down the middle of it. Rather than just having the finish line 500 meters earlier, the powers that be have decided to remove those little low islands and to fill in the tram lines with rubber fillers so that the cyclists have a flat surface upon which to sprint.

The islands have already been removed,

The tram lines shall be filled in next week.

According to the Press report, the cost for doing that shall be borne out of my taxes.

Including the closing of streets in the Canton, the policing and this changing of the road surface etc etc etc, the total costs are estimated at

*roll of drums*

2.125 million Francs, which is roughly the same in Euros!

Roughly half of which is for flattening that last 500 meters of street.

For anyone who can read German, here is the report.

http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/strassenbau-posse-wegen-tou...

And some might think that cycling is a cheap and cheerful pastime!

At least they shall be using the same stretch of road for the next stage on July 20th when the riders head out of Bern onto a tough climbing roughly 180 kilometers finishing high up in the mountains close to the French border in the Chamonix region.

Some photos of the great day(s) might be posted here in a blog or two.

Enjoy the day.

Julia