La Mercan'Tour is a new sportive for 2016, but already looks well placed for instant notoriety with organisers claiming it to be "Europe's highest cyclosportive". Taking place on 19 June, the 180km route rivals La Marmotte with 4500 metres of climbing, including an ascent of Col de la Bonette (2802m).
A collaboration between Club Alpes Azur and French clothing brand Café du Cycliste, La Mercan'Tour is the first sportive permitted access to the Mercantour National Park. Nestling in the Alpes-Maritimes near France's border with Italy, the park covers almost eighteen thousand acres of unspoilt natural landscapes.
The park is also home to la Bonette. One of the highest paved roads in Europe, la Bonette has featured four times in the Tour de France, most recently in 2008. The time before that, in 1993, Britain's Robert Millar was first to the summit on stage 11 - you can watch video footage of his effort here.
Starting in the town of Guillaume, riders will have the choice of the short route (119km) set around both slopes of the hors categorie Col de Cayolle, or the long route (180km) which takes in the 'holy trinity' of the cols Cayolle, Couillole and la Bonette.
"It's become something of a tradition for us to ride the Bonette every year as soon as the snow ploughs open the road so it has a special resonance" said Café du Cycliste co-founder Remi Clermont. "With privileged access to the Mercantour Park and its incredible backdrop, we're very excited to be involved."
Heading the peloton will be the event's ambassador, Nicolas Fritsch, a former pro who enjoyed an eight year professional career with World Tour teams such La Francaise des Jeux and Saunier Duval.
To ensure the integrity of the park, the event has been designed to have minimal impact on the surroundings: just 499 places will be available for the first edition. In addition, and in association with Reforest'Action, a tree will be planted for each participant to ensure an environmental legacy is left.
With its stunning scenery and iconic signature climb, La Mercan'tour Café du Cycliste promises to be a worthy addition to the European sportive calendar. The gauntlet has been thrown: to accept the challenge, visit www.lamercantourcyclo.com.
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