THE TOUR DE FRANCE.
Bagnères de Luchon and the Tour de France, a long history...
This story has been going on since 1910, in fact since the creation of the Tour in 1903 it was in 1910 that the Pyrenees hosted their first stage which linked Luchon to Bayonne.
It must be said that Luchon is the fourth city after Paris, Bordeaux and Pau to have hosted the Tour de France the most times.
This event has a very important media impact because it is seen by nearly 3 billion people and is the3rd most watched sports event of the year.
A significant showcase that shows all the panoramas of our beautiful thermal city of Luchon.
THE LUCHON ANETO TRAIL.
Nice to meet you Gérard, you are a member of the organization of the LUCHON ANETO TRAIL PYRENEES. Can you tell us more about it ?
"Present within this organization since its creation, I am today the race commissioner.
The Luchon Aneto Trail is above all the story of a group of friends who love sports. Our common desire is especially to make discover our Pyrenees Haut-Garonnaises through this event gathering sportsmen coming to challenge the summits.
The Luchon Anéto Trail is a weekend of celebration open to all, runner or not runner, in honor of our mountain.
It is while walking our shoes on the side of the Posets-Maladetta Park that the idea of organizing a trail came to us quite naturally. To follow in the footsteps of the precursors who first climbed the Pico de Aneto, the highest peak in the Pyrenees.
It was in July 1842 that its summit was conquered for the first time by Messrs. Tchihatcheff, De Franqueville and Sanio, all three accompanied by 3 guides from Luchon, Redonnet, Sors and Arrazau. They reached the Aneto Peak together, but not without some adventures... Starting from Luchon!
As soon as we came back, in front of a good beer, we talked about this idea between friends: the Luchon Aneto Trail Pyrenees was born.
Today, it has become a great reference in the world of Trail. Famous runners come to participate in the different races that we propose every year at the beginning of July."
THE FLOWER FESTIVAL.
The flower festival in Luchon is an institution. In the town of Haute-Garonne, in the heart of the Pyrenees, the event takes place every year at the end of August, to mark the end of the summer. On average, 12,000 visitors come to admire the flower parade, the parade of floats, with the tunes of the bandas.
Follow the parade of floats adorned with 500 000 Indian roses, daisy queens and other flowers that parade through the streets of Luchon.
The origin of this festival goes back to 1888 when Maurice Froyez, a friend of Edmond Rostand, while visiting Luchon, had the idea of importing the Provencal tradition of cavalcades to the spa town. One Sunday at the exit of the racecourse, he proposed to the owners of carriages to put flowers on their cars before going back to the alleys of Etigny. The flower festival was born. Thus, each year, 500,000 Indian roses, queen daisies and other flowers adorn the floats that parade through the city. The traditional corso will gradually be accompanied by musicians and dancers.
The Luchon Film Festival.
The Festival of Television Creations of Luchon - Pays de Comminges-Pyrénées - has for main object to promote the French Television Creation. Foreign creations can be presented out of competition if they illustrate the television wealth of their country.
The Festival is aimed at both the general public and professionals:
- the public discovers, in preview, the productions of the major national channels and meets the actors, film crews...
- audiovisual professionals meet and work together thanks to the events organized for them (round tables, professional meetings...).
For the 2020 poster, the Festival has entrusted the realization of its poster to a well-known artist from Occitania: Mr. Bernard Cadene in his particular style with rich and flamboyant colors.