Évita Muzic has just returned from a lengthy training ride in France. The Olympics is on
‘because I was really looking forward to it
I didn’t race any Classics and apparently the selection was done there
Missing selection for her home Olympics has been a blow for the FDJ-Suez rider
at the foot of the Jura Massif in eastern France
which shaped her into the cyclist she is today
‘I think that’s why I really love the ten-minute climbs in a race
Where I was born is so peaceful with lots of climbs that don’t go on for too long.’
That punchy climbing ability helped her to victory at the French National Championships Road Race in 2021 and stage wins at the La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro Rosa
She only needs a stage of the Tour de France Femmes to complete the ‘triple’
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Muzic was introduced to cycling through her parents
Perhaps it was inevitable that she would find her way to the bike at almost three years of age and take to the start lines of competitions at five
she recalls being one of three riders in the leading group
she accidentally rode straight and missed the turn
the 25-year-old tries to spend as much time as possible with her family and boyfriend Eddy Finé
as it’s hard to see each other often throughout the season
The paws of Pablito (or ‘Toto’) and Trésor (‘treasure’) have decorated the frame of her bike since winning the national road race title in 2021
one that Muzic is most proud of was beating Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) on Stage 6 of La Vuelta Femenina earlier this year
The day ended with the La Laguna Negra climb
which at 6.5km long suited Muzic perfectly
someone asked me before the race how I could beat Vollering
Especially a stage like this with a hard climb
I have beaten her once so I can do it again.’
Gravel is another area where Muzic feels she could aim for stage victories, having come second on the gravel stage at the inaugural Tour de France Femmes in 2022
You need to be good on the day and have the ability to deal with punctures
With the Tour de France Femmes starting on 12th August
Muzic knows that as a French rider on a French team in a French race
‘If I had to choose between the Olympics or the Tour de France
A stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes would complete the iconic Grand Tour triple
and there are two hilly stages at this year’s Tour that look perfect for Muzic
especially the one that finishes in Liège and which incorporates some of the short and punchy climbs that normally make up Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège
However it’s not only in the stage races that she looks to win
One-day Classics races are on her mind too
such as Strade Bianche – one of her most anticipated races on the calendar – as well as La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège
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Élodie Chavret puts bread on shelves early in the morning before her bakery opens
She has managed L’Épi de Blé for 18 years and is now struggling with the rising cost of its electricity bills
CNN Photographs by Nicolas Liponne/Hans Lucas/Redux for CNNPublished March 31
Élodie Chavret runs a bakery to make a living for herself and her two daughters
The 39-year-old is also a part-time firefighter but
Not being able to pay the bakery’s electricity bill at the end of the month
The bill skyrocketed from €900 ($978) in December to €7,500 ($8,146) in January as Chavret renewed her contract
her bill would drop to €4,500 ($4,888) per month
The new rate is “unbearable,” Chavret told CNN
already squeezed by rising raw material and gasoline costs
the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
designated the French baguette as part of “intangible cultural heritage,” owing to the specific knowledge and techniques needed to produce it
as well as the central role it plays in French daily life
But, despite their cherished status, many bakeries are struggling — and some are on the brink of closure — as energy prices and the costs of their ingredients have spiked
“Everything has gone up,” said Nicolas Amaté
who owns a bakery in eastern France with his wife Nadège
French industrial producer prices — the prices suppliers of home-grown goods and services charge businesses — rocketed 13% year-over-year in February
although inflation has slowed since hitting an 11-year high in April last year
according to PMI surveys compiled by S&P Global
Flour prices have risen three times in one year
milk and cream are also much more expensive
But it’s inflation in energy prices that’s been particularly painful for many businesses due to the speed of cost increases when electricity contracts are renewed
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent European natural gas prices zooming to record levels last year
Energy prices were also driven higher in France by a shutdown of nearly half of its nuclear power plants in 2022 for maintenance work
which cut off the source of up to 70% of the country’s electricity supply
French power prices have fallen back from the record high reached in August but are still nearly three times their average pre-invasion levels for March
according to data from the European Energy Exchange
And following a December spike in power prices to €465 ($505) per megawatt hour
energy contracts late last year are smarting
but many say the measures fall short of what’s needed
A “shock absorber” payment was introduced on January 1 to cover up to 20% of the annual electricity costs of a bakery if it employs between 10 and 250 people
Bakeries with fewer than 10 staff can access a “tariff shield” that limits the increase in their annual electricity bill to 15%
Some of these smaller businesses are also eligible for an average €280 ($304) per megawatt hour cap on their annual electricity contract
who owns a bakery northwest of Paris with his wife Catherine
points out that a 20% reduction from the “shock absorber” would not have been enough to cover the 500% increase in his electricity costs he was facing
Maillard is trying to negotiate a contract with a different supplier
though he still expects his electricity costs to almost double
he co-founded a campaign group for bakers on Facebook
They staged their first street protest in Paris in January
demanding increases to the 20% bill subsidy
and that the “tariff shield” cover more bakeries
Raising their own prices is another way for bakers to deal with spiralling costs and it is one of the steps recommended by Dominique Anract
president of the National Confederation of French Bakeries
which represents the country’s 33,000 artisanal bakeries
“If [bakers] have followed our guidance on energy moderation
But hiking prices is easier said than done
she sold baguettes for €1.05 ($1.14) apiece
She would have to increase the prices of many of her products to make any profit
The price of a classic baguette would need to roughly triple
“Let me tell you that French people are not ready to pay €3 a baguette,” Chavret said
Fellow baker Maillard makes the same point
He has upped the price of his baguettes twice in the past year from €1.10 ($1.19) to €1.30 ($1.41)
But the price rises have so far helped cover only the higher costs of raw materials like eggs and butter
and raising prices further is not feasible as customers would balk
As for conserving energy, Chavret and her staff are constantly switching off lights and keeping the heating off unless it’s bitterly cold, but the bakery’s bills are still by far the highest they’ve ever been
thousands of French bakers have joined online campaign groups that push for more government support — such as that co-founded by Roy in Nice — and some have taken part in street protests
very critical situation” in energy costs that prompted Roy to act
“I’ve been in the business for 35 years now
I have never demonstrated in my life,” Roy said
“Many of my fellow bakers have had to lay off staff because they can't pay for everything,” he added
noting that some bakeries “have closed permanently.”
there is more than bakers’ livelihoods that’s at stake
France’s bakeries are the lifeblood of many of its towns and villages
serving as rare public spaces where neighbors regularly cross paths
The incidental chit-chat that often comes with it keeps people connected
“It’s not in department stores that people take the time to talk.”
the other businesses around will disappear… [It would be] the death of villages and certain districts,” he said
“The bakery is the life of the neighborhood
from france to russia, iran to indonesia, the laughing cow cheese is sold all over the world. while the name may change from country to country, the jovial red cow on the packaging remains, and it’s this image of the laughing cow that studio 5•5 sought to express throughout the entire anniversary exhibition
the designers utilized recyclable cardboard discs that were made from the production tools of the factory located 500m from the exhibition venue
the little round box permeates throughout the room
resulting in a fun and playful experience for visitors to lons-le-saunier.
‘what an honor to be invited by the laughing cow on the occasion of its 100th anniversary,’ says studio 5•5
‘humor has been an integral part of our work since the creation of the studio and to participate in the anniversary of the laughing cow is an obvious choice!’
the factory of the laughing cow for her century
design: studio 5•5
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function
but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style
School students – one in a ‘life-threatening condition’ and the other serious – airlifted from crash site on A39 near Swiss border
one described as in a life-threatening condition and the other in a serious condition
were airlifted to hospital from the crash site on the A39 motorway at Lons-le-Saunier
A further 10 students and one member of staff from Cheltenham Bournside School received minor injuries and were treated in hospital before being discharged
A statement from the school confirmed that 40 pupils as well as staff would be returning home by Eurostar on Sunday
arriving back at the school in the early hours of Monday
It said: “Our thoughts continue to be with the two students and their close family, who are seriously injured in hospital in France and will not be returning to the UK for now
We are pleased to be able to confirm that the parents of both students are now with their children and are being supported by the school and other relevant agencies.”
French police are investigating whether the coach driver fell asleep behind the wheel of the vehicle
which had 42 students aged between 14 and 17
six staff and two drivers on board at the time of the crash on Saturday
Operated by Caernarfon-based Express Motors
the coach had left the UK on Friday and was making its way to Italy for a week’s camping trip
a river in northern Italy that rises near Mont Blanc and joins the Po near Turin
It is popular for white-water rafting and kayaking
A school spokesman said: “Two of the students were airlifted to hospital
one in a life-threatening condition and another in a serious condition
The school have met with the parents of these two students
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are providing support to a group of British nationals following a coach crash in France
We are in contact with the relevant local authorities.”
the Pavilhão Cidade de Viseu in central Portugal hosted the third edition of the ‘International Vida Trophy’ (Troféu Internacional Vida)
round-robin tournament predominantly featuring the Spain vs Portugal national team match-up
who followed it up with another win in 2023
This year saw three teams compete with French all-star club side USL Lons-le-Saunier joining the two national sides
with World and European champions Portugal again looking strong as they won both their matches
The opening game saw the classic neighbour derby between Portugal and Spain with the host nation taking a 2-0 (6:5
started slowly but worked their way towards a 4:2 lead
forcing Spain to take a time out five minutes in
and the Spanish team came back but the host nation did just enough to take the first set 6:5
The second period saw Portugal race to a 5:2 lead after just five minutes
a lead they extended to six by the end (10:4)
On the second day Spain saw off USL Lons-le-Saunier via shoot-out after two tight sets
the first won by the French side (6:7) and the second won by the Spanish (8:7)
The shoot-out saw the national team take a 3:2 win for the over result
The third and final day saw Portugal take on the French club team
Portugal went on a 5:0 run to lead 6:1 and ease comfortably to a 9:3 first set win
providing a much-needed test for the Portuguese
who are preparing for the IHF World Championship next month
The second set was all-square after eight minutes (4:4) and 10 minutes (7:7)
but the home side did just enough to squeeze one more point to take a 10:9 victory and overall win
with Portugal’s Ricardo Queirós scoring 11 goals in total
“This preparation stage for the IHF World Championship is positive
as it was the first time that we seriously worked on the four-a-side aspect
because we are going to have an important competition,” said coach Ferreira to fpa.pt
“I was pleased with the performance of the athletes
some of whom normally play less but came on in the two games we played and performed well
it’s time to continue the work moving forward
I would also like to mention the work that has been done since the beginning of this project by the Portuguese Handball Federation
athletes and all the medical staff who have collaborated and tried to contribute
“We are now at a point where we either stagnate
running the risk of regressing in the future
or we continue to want to be at the top of the sport and we continue to work and look for new answers so that it is possible for us to continue to be a reference
I leave this challenge to everyone involved.”
Portugal will travel to Egypt next month for the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship which takes place from 16 to 21 September
Chile and hosts Egypt for the event which will be held in Cairo
The Vida Internacional Trophy ran alongside a friendly tournament of seven-a-side handball featuring the men’s sides of FC Porto, MT Melsungen, Marítimo Madeira Handball SAD, SL Benfica, CB Ademar León and Sporting CP. All games from Viseu were broadcast live on AndebolTV
Portugal and Spain had faced off in June (20 to 22)
at the third edition of the Euro Hand 4 All tournament in Écully
six-a-side matches were held over three days
while Spain overcame Portugal 22:21 in the final
It marked the first time Portuguese had lost the tournament after taking the first one in 2022 and winning the second
“Switching to six-a-side handball allowed us to test new systems,” said France coach Fabien Convers whose team played that format for the first time
“We need to be as prepared as possible to face the start of the IHF World Championship,” added the coach about switching back to the four-a-side version of the game at a training camp in Besançon at the end of this month
“This last training camp is also an opportunity to refine the game plan and arrive with confidence in Egypt.”
For more information about Euro Hand 4 All
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Artlyst
Lost Ingres Masterpiece Discovered In A Hospital Attic In France
The chance discovery of a painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
was made during an inventory conducted by Emmanuel Buselin
curator and advisor of historical monuments of the region
the work was found in the attic of the chapel of the former hospital Hôtel-Dieu
An intrigued Buselin saw a large canvas rolled up and covered in dust – and sat down to unroll it
As the curator and advisor unrolled the work
a large Ingres masterpiece – measuring 4.30 meters wide by 3.40 meters high – depicting a Madonna with child and kneeling king
The painting is thought to have been gifted to the town by the artist shortly after the completion of the work which dates to 1826
It hung in the local church of Saint-Désiré
in 1936 the church was refurbished and the painting stored in the former hospital
and was completely forgotten until its recent discovery
The work by Ingres is considered to be priceless
and is thought to be the long-lost second version of Ingres’s Le Vœu de Louis XIII (The vow of Louis XIII)
which King Charles X of France originally commissioned from the Neoclassical master in 1820
Buselin’s chance discovery of the work took place last autumn
but on order to protect the painting the chance find was kept a secret until this week
as the work could not be safely removed from the old hospital immediately
The painting is expected to go on display once it has been repaired in the conservation area of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lons-le-Saunier
Intermarché notified the Autorité de la concurrence of its plan to acquire 61 food retail stores operated under the Casino group banner
To take account of the stores’ difficult economic situations
the Autorité granted the Intermarché group
a derogation from the suspensive effect of merger control[1]
which enabled Intermarché to complete the transaction without waiting for the Autorité to issue its decision
is without prejudice to the final decision of the Autorité
at the end of its investigation and competitive analysis
could call into question certain acquisitions by considering that remedies would be necessary
Intermarché completed the transaction in September 2023
the Autorité has cleared the acquisition of the target stores
subject to commitments presented by Intermarché
Intermarché operates various banners in the food retail sector
Netto (hard discount) and Les Comptoirs de la Bio
Intermarché and the target stores are active in the downstream food retail markets
notably through its subsidiary Agromousquetaires
and as a buyer in the markets for the supply of everyday consumer goods
where the target stores are also present as buyers
The Autorité considered that the transaction was not likely to significantly strengthen Intermarché’s purchasing power in the upstream markets for the supply of everyday consumer goods
given the low purchasing share of the 61 target stores
The Autorité also found that the transaction was not likely to place the parties’ suppliers in a situation of economic dependency
The Autorité also examined the vertical effects[2] of the transaction
given the link created between Intermarché’s everyday consumer goods production business and the target stores’ food retailing business
Any risk was ruled out given Intermarché’s market shares and the purchasing shares of the 61 target stores
the Autorité concluded that the transaction was likely to hinder competition in the catchment areas surrounding the target stores in Lons-le-Saunier (39)
The Autorité considered that in these areas
where Intermarché would significantly strengthen its market power following the transaction
there would be no credible and sufficient alternatives to Intermarché
This situation risked leading to price rises and a reduction in the diversity of the offering
to the detriment of consumers in the areas concerned
To address these competition-related concerns
Intermarché has undertaken to divest the former Casino stores in Lons-le-Saunier (39)
Plouaret (22) and Vals-près-le-Puy (43) to one or more competitors
These commitments will ensure that a sufficient level of competition is maintained and that the interests of consumers are safeguarded in the relevant markets
The proposed buyers will need to be approved by the Autorité
which will ensure that they are able to provide a credible food retailing alternative in each of these areas
The Autorité will ensure that the buyers have the skills and financial capacities to operate and develop the target stores on a long-term basis
The divestitures must include all the components required to maintain the viability of the business and include the staff employed in the stores concerned prior to their takeover by Intermarché
The commitments are intended to safeguard adequate local competition
The aim is to allow a competitor to take over the stores and their activities in order to safeguard competition in the area concerned
thereby ensuring that consumers have a diversified offering in terms of prices and products
The store divestiture process is closely monitored by the Autorité in the months following the decision to clear the transaction
The party cleared to carry out the transaction must present to the Autorité buyers capable of ensuring a valid takeover and then providing effective competition
which will clear the effective divestiture of the store in question
The divestitures do not therefore entail the closure of the stores
If the effective conclusion of a merger is subject to approval from the Autorité de la concurrence
the Autorité may grant a derogation enabling them to finalise part or all of the transaction without waiting for the approval decision
in order to allow for the continuation of the business activities
The granting of such a derogation is exceptional
A derogation may be granted in cases where the target is experiencing significant difficulties
the granting of a derogation by the Autorité is without prejudice to the final decision taken at the end of the investigation
divestitures) or even prohibit the transaction if it is detrimental to competition
430-4 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) by letter dated 9 August 2023
[2] Vertical effects are studied when a transaction brings together players present at different levels of the value chain
The Autorité examines whether the transaction could enable the entity to exclude competitors or penalise them by increasing costs
mountain ranges and untouched forests of this region of eastern France are packed with wonderful places to eat
If it is still possible for France to have an undiscovered region
lakes and mountains of this rural landscape are still very much off the beaten track
I should know – my wife comes from around there
After many years spending the sacred month of August on family holidays
I can highly recommend it as a destination to enjoy both the great French pursuits of eating and drinking
no famous sights and an economy that essentially revolves around producing outstanding cheese and wine
The market towns of Arbois and Poligny are the foodie capitals
and here you can visit a traditional fruitière – nothing to do with fruit
but a co-operative for making wine and cheese
The Jura is tiny, compared with many of France’s better-known regions, and its countryside rapidly transforms from rural medieval hamlets, surrounded by grazing cows and rolling vineyards, to dramatic Alpine scenery and family ski stations, such as Les Rousses. And for those who come to spend more than just a lazy weekend, there is even the Grandes Traversées du Jura
300km of trails that can be followed on foot
horseback and mountain bike in spring and summer
a riotous festival celebrated by 35,000 people to unveil the new vintage of straw-yellow local tipple – vin jaune
A SCHOOLGIRL seriously injured in a horror coach crash in France awoke from a three-day coma and asked 'How's the bus driver?'
Caring Sophie Herbert, 15, suffered life-threatening injuries in the shocking accident near the Swiss border last Saturday.
Sophie was one of two pupils seriously injured after their bus careered into a ditch on the busy A39 motorway at Lons-le-Saunier.
But despite her own injuries, compassionate Sophie was more concerned with the welfare of the driver when she finally woke up.
Her sister Emily said she immediately asked about him when she came out of the coma.
Amazingly the driver had escaped injury in the accident
was not so lucky and is still in hospital suffering serious injuries
The coach was carrying 38 pupils and six members of staff and was returning to Bournside School in Cheltenham
Gloucestershire last Sunday night when the accident happened
Ten students and one member of staff had to be treated for injuries at a nearby hospital
The road was closed for several hours as French authorities worked to free passengers from the wreckage of the coach which was owned by Express Motors
Sophie and the injured boy were quickly airlifted to the University Hospital of Besançon
The driver of the coach later told investigators he was looking for his sunglasses when he lost control
The two drivers of the Express Motors vehicle have been questioned by French police after the horror smash, reports the Mirror
reportedly told investigators he lost control while looking for his sunglasses but authorities believe he may have fallen asleep
Local prosecutor Jean-Luc Lennon told broadcaster France 3 he did not accept the driver’s explanation as it did not fit with the circumstances of the crash
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