Leading the way to greener and smarter mobility Our ambition is to accompany all transportation stakeholders in meeting tomorrow’s mobility challenges We strive to provide them with the most efficient and digital mobility systems while further improving the environmental friendliness of our solutions We offer products from the broadest portfolio range in the rail industry Our innovation focus is on green and smart solutions Our state-of-the-art signalling solutions allow operators to ensure the highest standards in safe seamless travel with urban and mainline solutions that meet the specific needs of each operation environment With the widest components portfolio in the rail industry Alstom offers the best solution available to original equipment manufacturers for increasingly safe and environmentally-friendly travel We offer a complete range of sustainable solutions for tracklaying electrification and the supply and installation of electromechanical material along the entire track We provide solutions to deliver security and fluidity to passengers and operations by optimising real-time performance in signalling and multimodality by offering connectivity and automating driving We offer a complete range of customised services including maintenance All of which ensure operators the highest level of availability for their fleets Drawing on our complementary business lines we offer bundled and fully integrated systems that include rolling stock This turnkey approach optimises project execution and transport system performance Find the latest Alstom press releases and news The one stop shop for all relevant information for investors and shareholders Access our financial & share information shareholders' meetings and investors' contacts & presentations Select the agenda platform you whish to add the event on : Alstom Equity Story Universal Registration Document 2023/24 including the annual financial report we value curious and innovative people who are passionate about working together to reinvent mobility where diverse people are offered opportunities to learn with options across functions and geographies 15 June 2023 - The first hybrid electric-diesel-battery regional train underwent its first tests at the beginning of April on the Toulouse-Mazamet and Toulouse-Rodez lines (in the South of France) The aim was to observe how the hybrid train performs on real line profiles and in real conditions (according to the timetable of a commercial service) this innovative train was presented at the Occitanie Technicentre by Jean-Luc Gibelin Vice-President of the Occitanie Region with responsibility for Mobility and Transport Infrastructure Regional Director of SNCF Voyageurs Occitanie Director of the Régiolis Hybrid and Hydrogen Projects at Alstom Commercial service will begin in a few months as soon as the Etablissement Public de Sécurité Ferroviaire (EPSF) has issued the necessary authorisations for passenger transport This electric-diesel-battery regional train is the first hybridisation project for a Régiolis[1] train in France It was launched in 2018 by the SNCF Group and Alstom with the mobilisation and financial participation of 4 French Regions (Occitanie and the provision by the Occitanie Region of a trainset from its liO fleet The objectives are to reduce energy consumption and cut greenhouse gas emissions thanks to a solution that allows the existing thermal fleet to be modified without having to modify the existing infrastructure Along with the battery-powered train and the hydrogen train the hybrid train is one of the three decarbonisation technologies that the SNCF Group is developing with its partners Alstom and the French Regions for passenger transport on non-electrified (or partially electrified) regional lines Hybridization of the Régiolis trainset involved replacing half of the thermal engines with energy storage systems consisting of lithium-ion batteries. This operation was carried out at the beginning of 2021 at the CAF site in Reichshoffen[2] following an initial validation phase for the new energy storage systems at the end of 2020 at the Alstom site in Tarbes centre of excellence for “green traction” systems One car of the train has also been temporarily fitted with a laboratory and multiple sensors to measure the train’s energy flows Equipped with its two energy storage systems and its laboratory car the trainset has started its tests in the second half of 2021 A static and dynamic fine-tuning phase at up to 60 km/h took place at Reichshoffen to check the train’s operation and test the hybrid traction mode Tests then continued on the Vélim test track (in the Czech Republic) with validation and certification tests at up to 160 km/h This enabled all the train’s new traction modes to be tested at their operating speed and the route simulation models to be validated The tests showed that the train performed as expected The zero-emission battery-powered mode is designed to power the train for a few kilometres without the need to use internal combustion engines a feature that could be useful for low-carbon journeys in built-up areas the hybrid regional train retains the range of the initial model for up to 1,000 kilometres With the final tests on the national rail network having taken place in April SNCF Voyageurs has now to submit the admission file to the Etablissement public de sécurité ferroviaire (EPSF) with a view to obtaining the necessary authorisations for its commercial operation SNCF Voyageurs will also use this period to prepare for the launch of the trainset in the various regions (traffic plan The start of the experimental commercial service is scheduled for the end of 2023 in Occitanie particularly on the Mazamet – Toulouse and Rodez – Toulouse lines The modified trainset will then run throughout 2024 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine The industrial deployment of the hybridisation solution on other dual-mode Régiolis trainsets still needs to be specified the organising authorities for regional passenger transport giving a total budget of 16,85 million euro “In the battle we are waging on behalf of the Regions to decarbonise Regional Trains which are a useful solution for reducing CO2 emissions quickly and effectively hybrid trains are a key part of the range of technologies we are investing in as part of our PLANETER programme to move away from diesel” “We are very proud to welcome to Occitanie the first hybrid train from the liO fleet to run on the Toulouse-Mazamet and Toulouse-Rodez lines The skills of the SNCF and Alstom technical teams have made it possible to meet the challenge of integrating an innovative traction system into an existing rolling stock thus paving the way for the decarbonisation of regional trains SNCF Voyageurs and the Occitanie Region have set themselves the ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by 40% Occitanie is the only region involved in all the trials of innovative rolling stock to reduce CO2 emissions “The tests on the first Régiolis hybrid train show that hybridisation of diesel trains is a realistic solution for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions Alstom is particularly proud to see the hybrid train in the Occitanie region since the traction system was designed in Tarbes knowing that this is the greatest innovation of this train" “The results of these initial tests of the hybrid version of the Régiolis are the fruit of joint work between the Alstom teams and those at the CAF site in Reichshoffen We are proud to be taking part in the development of a hybrid version of the Régiolis trains which represents a solution to the challenge of decarbonising rail transport” “We’re very proud to host the latest phase of the hybrid train trials in the Occitanie region It’s the highlight of a fantastic partnership involving 4 French Regions alongside Alstom and SNCF we are taking another decisive step towards commercial service Making Occitanie a pioneering and exemplary region in terms of innovation and low-carbon transport naturally involves the train which offers real perspectives in terms of energy savings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as Montréjeau – Luchon will be the first line to run entirely on hydrogen-powered trains by 2025/26 And through our new agreement adopted this year we are pursuing our objective of achieving a 40% reduction in carbon emissions on the liO regional train network by 2032 I am convinced that the train remains our best asset in the battle to reduce the carbon footprint of our journeys That’s what our Green Pact for Occitanie is all about” President of the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region “The greening of the TER train fleet is one of the major ambitions set out in Néo Terra the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region’s roadmap for accelerating the ecological transition one of the objectives being to decarbonise transport and get regional trains off diesel by 2030 several technologies and innovations are being considered in the Region: rechargeable batteries and I can assure you that we can’t wait to see this train running on Nouvelle-Aquitaine rail lines in 2023 A hybrid TER will very soon be on the rails Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region “To make a success of the energy transition the Grand Est Region has a duty to develop carbon-free mass transport Already a pioneer with Strasbourg’s Réseau Express Métropolitain Européen (REME) it is determined to go even further by greening the trains it currently operates Successful test of the hybrid train is the first step towards achieving the objectives of this strategy currently being developed by the Region and SPL Grand Est Mobilités will be based on a range of solutions based on the electrification of lines which the Region has already been taking for several years with the acquisition of electric or dual-mode rolling stock are being continued with the ongoing electrification of the Paris – Troyes line the trials of battery-powered light trains and the introduction of hydrogen trains which will run on green hydrogen developed by the Grand Est region and its partners “The issue of mobility throughout the Centre-Val de Loire region is our priority It involves saving and renovating local lines to which we have made a major commitment with the French government as well as the vital issue of renewing rolling stock That’s why we’ve decided to work alongside other regions to promote the hybridisation of existing rolling stock We will therefore be proud to welcome this prototype trainset very soon particularly on the Bourges – Montluçon line The subsequent transition to the production phase of this hybridisation programme demonstrates the relevance of this multi-partner project of cleaner trains that are as close as possible to the regions and their inhabitants” President of the Centre Val de Loire Region [1] The Régiolis train is part of the Coradia Polyvalent range of regional trains developed and assembled by CAF at its Reichshoffen site (formerly owned by Alstom) More than 300 Régiolis trains currently operate in France The trainset involved in the hybridisation project is a so-called 'dual-mode' trainset (electric and diesel) [2] The Reichshoffen site (formerly owned by Alstom) became part of the CAF group in August 2022 two days after The Black Mountain News’ June 15 story about the Swannanoa in New Zealand we received an email from Peter Friend asking us if we’d like a story about Montagne Noire the “Black Mountains” in which he lives in France “We’ve have been looking for places that share this name around the world,” he said never tire of gazing out of our windows towards the Montagne Noire a stunningly beautiful mountain range in southwest France that divides the furthest reaches of the Massif Central from the Carcassonne plains and reaches a peak of 3,970 feet from where the snow-capped Pyrenees stand like shark’s teeth in the distance It was 2005 when we first discovered this beautiful area of France when property hunting to open a luxury B&B which nestles at the foot of the Montagne Noire and provides it with a majestic backdrop Tapering out at either end from close to the Mediterranean towards the city of Toulouse the mountain range is forested with a mixture of deciduous trees more akin to the forests of England with elm as well as typical mountain evergreens of pine and cedar medieval villages (some dating to the 5th century) and even vineyards the Montagne Noire has been a frontier against invasion from Spain the home to the 12th century Cathar movement a place of hiding for the French resistance and one of the earliest settlements of the mountains is the village of Hautpoul established in 413 by the Visigoths and later became an important part of the Cathar history until its famous siege in 1212 One can only begin to imagine how its early settlers physically constructed the homes churches and defences and lived through harsh winters and stifling summers a reminder of years gone by in the region when crusades and religious wars raged on year after year from community to community and the mountains themselves could do nothing to stop the onset of the horrors that beset those who had made it their home As the (now modern) road meanders from Hautpoul further up the valley the highest peak which gives a commanding view back to Mazamet over the Lac de Montagnes and beyond to the Mediterranean and the Spanish border The steep climb is frequented by local cyclists keen to follow in the footsteps of Mazamet’s famous Tour de France son With an assent of over 2,000 feet from Mazamet it certainly is a challenging climb (even by car) you first stumble across the picturesque village of Pradelles-Cabardes which was a farming and forestry community The beautiful bell tower of the 14th century Saint-Jean-Baptiste church stands proud on the skyline The village itself stands at 2,950 feet altitude one of the highest communities throughout the Montagne Noire the scenery and terrain change dramatically – the pine forests give way to grazing pastures for sheep and cattle; vineyards of the Cabardes wine region start to appear around at around 1,000 feet and then further still on the ascent much more arid lands with Mediterranean-style scrub olives and roads lined with plane trees draw you further towards Carcassonne Crossing the world-famous UNESCO-listed Canal du Midi your journey over the Montagne Noire is complete and you have arrived at the gates of La Cite – Carcassonne’s spectacular medieval walled city Just three years prior to the aforementioned siege in Hautpoul La Cite too was under the dark cloud of the crusade to drive out its Cathar inhabitants The siege of Carcassonne lasted 14 long days and nights and ended on Aug in fear that their fate would match that of the city of Beziers where its entire population of around 8,000 were killed only days before La Cite is now France’s second most-visited attraction outside of Paris and it remains the largest city in Europe with its walls still intact being classified by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 1997 we hope that you may come and discover our “Black Mountains.” Soak up the atmosphere of nearly two millennia of history in this most magical and dramatic corner of France Peter Friend, from the United Kingdom, runs La Villa de Mazamet (villademazamet.com) Tuesday World Subscribers only In Zurich the leaf blower war or the anti-'woke' backlash World Subscribers only Germany's Friedrich Merz is embracing pragmatism World Subscribers only Trump-Carney meeting: Canada seeks reconciliation World Subscribers only Friedrich Merz bets on two private sector converts to revive the German economy and reform the state World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an 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'It is pointless to imagine a significant wave of American academics leaving' Magazine Subscribers only Tracking down the pianos taken from French Jews during the Nazi Occupation Magazine Subscribers only Eve Rodsky the American helping couples balance the mental load Magazine Subscribers only Desecration or more glory Joan Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris Lucien Mias – nicknamed 'Doctor Pack' thanks to his other career – led France to their first Five Nations win in 1959 Lucien Mias pictured on February 27 1959 in London - / AFP Lucien Mias who captained France to their first Five Nations rugby championship title in 1959 Selected 29 times for the French national team because of his other role as a general practitioner Mias captained Les Bleus on their historic winning tour of South Africa in 1958 and closed his international career after leading them to their Five Nations triumph the following year He also helped France to their first wins at Twickenham in 1951 and Cardiff seven years later as well as a monumental first victory over the All Blacks in 1954 a hard-fought 3-0 win at the Stade Colombes in Paris "Rugby mourns a great man who left his mark on our history," wrote French Rugby Federation (FFR) president Florian Grill on X (formerly Twitter) Lucien Mias will be remembered as a generous humble man respected by all," added the FFR in a statement 1930 in the small village of Saint-Germain-de-Calberte 80 kilometres north-west of Nimes in southern France Mias began his rugby career with Narbonne before moving to Mazamet although Mazamet did make it to the final of the French championship in 1958 Mias made his international debut against Scotland in the 1951 Five Nations and he played another 16 times to 1954 when France shared the title with England and Wales Mias's career was then put on hold but he returned in 1957 winning another 12 caps in the next two years These were among the most memorable in the history of French rugby nothing could happen to us because we were convinced we were the best," he told La Depeche du Midi newspaper in 1999 he led the team to South Africa where no touring side had won a series since 1896 After drawing the first Test 3-3 in Cape Town France won the second Test 9-5 in Johannesburg to claim the two-match series In the Five Nations that followed at the start of 1959 the French recorded wins over Scotland and Wales a game which Mias missed due to a knee injury They lost their final match to Ireland in Dublin but still ended top of the table Mias became a trailblazer in the medical field adopting a "humanist" approach in his specialty Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial How to buy a bed and breakfast9 March 2014ShareSaveAlina DizikFeatures correspondentShareSaveMark Barber and Peter Friend turned a 1930s home in southern France into a guesthouse (La Villa de Mazamet)Just before Peter Friend and Mark Barber both turned 40 they decided it was time to make a radical lifestyle change The British expats — Friend an expert in marketing and Barber with years of experience in hospitality — used their life savings and purchased a property in the south of France for about 390,000 euro ($503,776) planning to turn the regal 1930s family home into a posh bed and breakfast The pair had fallen in love with the area on a previous visit Friend and Barber continued to work in London for two years to finance the renovations which cost about 400,000 euro ($555,720) for new plumbing rewiring electricity and adding an outdoor pool La Villa de Mazamet opened for business in 2009 in Mazamet Owning a bed and breakfast is a dream of city-weary professionals attracted to the idea of tossing aside the 9-to-5 life The price tag and the day-to-day work and expenses of running a meal-serving inn might seem steep but there are plenty of people turning the dream into reality but enjoy the solitude of running the business side,” said Friend adding that the freedom of time and space — something impossible when he had a corporate job — is gratifying to Friend “I can stand and chat with guests for 30 minutes.” Small hotel or pension (Japanese for B&B) owners say business is booming now because in-the-know travellers crave a one-of-a-kind experience that comes with staying in someone’s home Visitors value the close attention from proprietors and eating gourmet meals while staying in a well-appointed There’s certainly money to be made — even if buying a bed and breakfast isn’t always inexpensive at the start Bed and breakfasts are seeing more guests than ever with an average room price of $160 per night — $50 more than the average nightly cost of a hotel room according to a 2012 survey from the US-based Professional Association of Innkeepers International Many visitors want to explore locales not served by a large hotel chain “Travellers want to go off the beaten path a bit,” he said Owners get to live in a beautiful location of their choice while schmoozing with guests and charging rates that cover their mortgage and living expenses But be aware: the lifestyle takes plenty of effort who in 2006 opened La Palazzetta del Vescovo but took their time with renovations and kept working their former jobs for several years before opening the guesthouse we are living in a sort of golden jail without the possibility to take some time just for us,” he said Being busy makes the bed and breakfast profitable Owners tend to take time to rest in long holidays use quiet time over the winter to reinvest in the property and take a month-long vacation location and the extent of renovations or retrofitting needed an operational bed and breakfast could cost as little as $200,000 in rural or lesser-travelled locales and upwards of $600,000 or more in parts of Europe or in historic towns A common strategy is to convert a residential home into a guesthouse that can accommodate visitors but retrofitting and renovations can more than double the purchase price The first question to ask: Will buying be a lifestyle change (that is you plan to operate the inn yourself) or purely an investment (you’ll pay others to do a chunk of the work and reap profits) The answer will help you determine the size of property to purchase Real estate agents specialising in holiday properties can help would-be owners find a property that’s viable for conversion or already operating as a bed and breakfast most banks only provide financing based on your current income and won’t consider the potential income from the bed and breakfast a real estate agent and co-founder at the B&B Team Existing bed and breakfasts are typically sold as commercial properties and that allows owners to get a commercial mortgage in many countries an average bed and breakfast has 9 rooms and between $200,000 and $500,000 in annual revenues More than 30% of that is profit post-expenses (such as food utilities and maintenance of the guesthouse) according to Professional Association of Innkeepers International survey Bed and breakfast businesses can be a solid long-term investment — or a money loser Wendy Snodgrass purchased the Bellavista Bed & Breakfast after a major hurricane Snodgrass said the purchase price was about 30% of current market rates  “We live pretty simply on the side and put the money back into the house,” she said said a “constant demand for beachfront rooms” has made her choice of locale a smart one She is adding two more rooms to her six-bedroom bed and breakfast later this year “The location helps us a lot,” Warburton said Hiring a staff of six has allowed her year-old business to flourish without the need for her to be on site all of the time pays her staff between $500 and $1,000 per month but it’s also risky as it can be hard to find good staff Figuring out the right place to buy can take several years Snodgrass purchased her bed and breakfast after she had lived on St Thomas for five years The Zocchis saw more 50 properties in the Tuscany area in Southern Italy over two years before stumbling upon La Palazetta with their real estate agent The property had been abandoned for 40 years and needed two years of renovation running a bed and breakfast yourself might be more work than the day job you left Days can run from the break of dawn until well after dinner and include preparing meals Online review sites including TripAdvisor and Yelp can make a dramatic difference in boosting visitor rates so business owners must constantly work to improve feedback from guests and battle the competition Proprietors use Facebook fan pages to keep in touch with former guests and spending time on online marketing is critical there’s a seven-day workweek and zero personal time but bonding with guests has been rewarding said Zocchi — some 40% are now repeat customers and have turned into lifelong friendships “We can go to almost every country in the world pick up the phone up and call somebody,” he said If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. 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There is greater competition among mortgage firms but no guarantee that rates will keep falling, brokers say. written 82 years ago at the beginning of World War II was recently found in the bottom of a drawer of a piece of furniture in France from the town of Mazamet in Tarn (southern France) Laura, the daughter of the new owners of the house, turned to social media to find Pierre and return his letter addressed to Jesus to him According to a report on the French Catholic website Famille Chretienne Laura had little information to help her find the writer All she knew was the date and place of the letter as well as the first name of the boy who had written it because Pierre mentioned him in the letter the family sought out the previous owner of the house to try to find out who had owned that furniture They also sought information from the diocese and the town school That's when Laura took her search to Facebook Her message was shared more than 7,000 times A few days later she got in touch with Pierre's daughter Laura then learned that Pierre was 7 years old when he wrote the letter the family has found several other documents that show that he is the author of the message including the records of his first communion and his confirmation The sensitivity of soul with which the children were prepared for their First Holy Communion is striking Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news 'Chicken' Michael Rasmussen proved his fighting abilities while taking a huge step towards wining.. sometimes too close for comfort.(Image credit: AFP Photo)Antonio Colom (Astana) had more fun in the break(Image credit: AFP Photo)Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) bites into a sandwich before the doping control The dude in the background is hopefully making sure Rasmussen doesn't trick anybody.(Image credit: AFP Photo)Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) gets a bottle But one wasn't enough and he should have gotten the second one as well He lost almost two minutes on the day.(Image credit: AFP Photo)Christophe Moreau (Ag2r Prévoyance) has shoe troubles again but today it didn't matter to stop and sort it out lone attack.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Soler rode great and is within two points of Rasmussen in the mountains classification.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) rode a great race and is up to fourth.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Leipheimer passed Klöden in the overall.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) moved up one place in the overall but lost time to Rasmussen.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Evans and Klöden come in a bit beaten and battered.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) was hoping to stay in touch with Rasmussen today but lost almost two minutes.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Colom leads in team-mate Kashechkin after the Spaniard spent most of the day in a break and even lead the race solo for a while.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Andrey Kashechkin (Astana) and his bandages are testimony for the Astana struggles these days Tour.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)David Millar (Saunier Duval-Prodir) worked hard again for the team.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The Scot is fighting a skin allergy and his legs don't look particularly like cyclist's legs these days But it doesn't affect his work ethics.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The whole Saunier Duval team was put to work early but the result was not as desired.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Andreas Klöden (Astana) with the jersey unzipped and the bandages revealing he is still handicapped.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) rode his heart out for the team today caught up in the flats and put himself on the front before his job was done prior to the final climb.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Michael Rasmussen was doing fine today and even if he couldn't or wouldn't win today he extended his overall lead.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The main contenders early on the final climb of course.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Hincapie worked for the team like crazy today.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The fans came in masses and saw a great battle the former mountain biker can also handle the downhills.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) on the downhill He added more red points to his jersey.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) when the world was still ok.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Andreas Klöden (Astana) did not have problems with crashing today.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne) attacked at a downhill puts on a hat and won't let a cold interfere with his ambitions.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Rasmussen on the podium.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)And yet another toy(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The scenery was stunning in stage 14.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The Pyrénées offer incredible landscape a common sight today.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)Rasmussen attacked a few times before finally getting away with Contador(Image credit: Bettini Photo)Geraint Thomas recieves some mechanical help from the team car.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)The peloton making its way along this beautiful river.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)Kid Contador strengthens GC position with stage win 'Chicken' Michael Rasmussen proved his fighting abilities while taking a huge step towards wining the 94th Tour de France The 33 year-old Dane escaped with Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) with 5.5 kilometres to go in stage 14 on Plateau de Beille to distance Australian Cadel Evans by 1'52" Contador came through to win his first ever Tour stage with 100 metres to go and now sits 2'23" behind Rasmussen on the general classification "Contador and Discovery Channel were the ones making the race hard in the end," explained Rasmussen Eventually Alberto Contador and I became isolated and we had a common interest to take as much time from our competitors as possible In the end he was better and he passed me in the sprint for the win." The 24 year-old stayed locked on the Rabobank rider's wheel for the final metres before he shot clear to take his first stage win in his second ever Grand Tour "It is a dream come true," stated a pleased Contador "This was so impressive with all the fans along the road I thought of my family and everyone who has supported me not only in the good moments but also in the hard moments "It was a very important result but there are still three very difficult stages to come: two in the mountains and one time trial." Thinking of the overall Rasmussen moved into the maillot jaune on stage eight to Tignes but his lead never seemed so secure as it did at the end of the 197-kilometre run today He started the day with only one minute to Evans and 2'31" to Spaniard Contador but by the end of the day the gap to Evans was stretched by two minutes The gap is significant for the wafer-thin climber considering the 55.5-kilometre final time trial that comes on the Tour's penultimate day Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) and Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) when the final shake up started to develop Contador delivered a punch at 5.8 kilometres to go that was initially let go Evans forced Rasmussen to chase but as he did the pace became too much and the fighting Aussie faded on the nine percent gradients Rasmussen and Contador were stronger," said an exhausted Evans "Maybe they did [take more time in the GC] but I can still gain time against the clock on them." who glanced at each other to confirm their task ahead set about in a two-up mountain time trial to ditch Evans At five kilometres to go they were 25 seconds back on Colom who was the only rider left of the day's major escape that once contained Rubén Pérez Colom was caught with 3.4 kilometres remaining while Evans was chasing but fading fast He was further jettisoned and he found himself with Klöden around the 2.5 kilometres to go mark with the German taking sixth and Evans seventh who had tried a couple of digs just before Contador stomped clear finally broke lose of his companions just prior to the sprint for mountain points at 500 metres to go in the maillot à pois rouges on loan from Rasmussen American Leipheimer may not have lit up the stage but his team sure did allowing him to sneak into fourth for the day and fourth overall Johan Bruyneel must be happy with his charges who took one step towards achieving his three race goals; a stage (accomplished today) the white jersey of young rider (Contador leads by 9'08") and a podium spot for Leipheimer (he is only 1'25" out) Sastre looked laboured on the demanding 15.9-kilometre climb While Contador and Rasmussen were storming up the road the Spaniard was steadily marching his way through France's Montagne de Tabe with Leipheimer eventually finishing fifth and is now 5'50" back on the overall Colom held on to take eighth over Andrey Kashechkin (Astana) and Yaroslav Popovych (Discovery Channel) Vinokourov and Moreau slid further out of contention Valverde was popped at 12.2 kilometres to go and had the help of teammate Pereiro and then Arroyo to pace him up the climb The 27 year-old 'Green Bullet' ended his day at 3'45" back and is now in 9'45" out of the running in a race he has yet to finish in his career Vinokourov crashed on the Port de Pailhères when a fan's flag became caught in Astana teammate's Serguei Ivanov wheel The Kazakh is reported with bruises but he lost his chance of winning the race overall; he is at 34'12" "I had no legs today," said 'Vino' after the hard day of riding finished in the sprinters' gruppetto and is 48'13" back in the GC Sunday's first stage in the Pyrénées began in Mazamet The route climbed out of town via the second category nine kilometre Côte de Saint-Sarraille across the Montagne Noir massif and then across the flats past the medieval walled city of Carcassonne It continued through the pays de l'Aude before ascending the steep 17km of the hors catégorie Port de Pailhères and then the final ascent that finishes atop the similarly ranked steep 16 kilometre Plateau de Beille climb missing just one - Saunier Duval's sprinter Francisco Ventoso wasn't there thanks to the hard final kilometre crash he had endured two days earlier in Montpellier The weather was beautiful; sunny and temperatures in the mid-twenties which was a welcomed break from the hot days of the previous week There was a light headwind from the east-southeast which meant the Tour riders would have the wind in their face as they approached the Pyrenean climbs Just outside of Mazamet was the first ascent of the day 5.3 percent second category climb of the côte de Saint-Sarraille The first ramps inspired an attack from Euskaltel's Ruben Perez and he was quickly joined by Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) David de la Fuente (Saunier Duval - Prodir) and Barloworld's Felix Cardenas Schumacher touched a wheel and fell as the peloton surged after the attackers and absorbed them after three kilometres of climbing Immediately there was a new attack by Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel - Euskadi) with Barredo and de la Fuente also going again Nicolas Jalabert and Cyril Dessel were already in trouble The peloton was close behind and by the summit of the Saint-Saraille climb it was De la Fuente who led Juan Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) Juan Manuel Garate (Quick.Step – Innergetic) and Laurent Lefèvre (Bouygues Telecom) This surge provoked a small gap off the front Haimar Zubeldia (Euskaltel – Euskadi) Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel – Euskadi) Kanstantsin Siutsou (Barloworld) and his team-mate Soler twenty seconds ahead of the group maillot jaune as the long descent began The peloton was a further twenty seconds behind Christophe Le Mével (Crédit Agricole) Pierrick Fédrigo (Bouygues Telecom) Benoit Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux) and Daniel Navarro (Astana) for company This big group caught the break to make it 27 up front and they had almost a minute after some twenty kilometres of racing Cadel Evans' Predictor Lotto team were not going to let Rasmussen go anywhere and they worked hard to bring the break back fifteen kilometres later This was the perfect moment for a counterattack and 6 riders managed to extricate themselves from the general confusion It was the right move at the right moment and after a half-hearted chase by the bunch this sextet began to gain ground fast on the unmotivated peloton Kuschynski took the points in the sprint in the beautiful medieval walled city of Carcassonne [46.5km] As the escape worked hard and the peloton awaited the upcoming assault by Astana deep in the pays de l'Aude after some 63 kilometres of racing They were no immediate threat to Rasmussen's jersey; the best placed rider in the escape was Spanish TT champ Gutiérrez Saunier Duval was hoping to launch their climber Iban Mayo on the upcoming slopes so they came to the front and lent the orange men of Rabobank a hand in the chase at the day's second intermediate sprint in Campagne sur Aude with lunch waiting at the feed zone just ahead There was still 37 kilometres to race to Usson-les-Bains at the base of the penultimate climb of Stage 14 the 16.8 km ascent of the Port de Pailhères the cloud cover increased and temperatures began to drop to the mid-teens The downslope headwind had increased to 15km/hr As the Tour De France threaded its way through the narrow defile of the Gorges du Saints Georges to confront the Port de Pailhères for the third time in its history Saunier Duval was still riding hard on the front The gap to the break was starting to fall as a result two Castilian and one Belorussian rider were working well together and with 77 kilometres to race who needed to attack to get back into the race while the two Euskaltel riders were looking to help their teammate Astarloza Barredo and Kuschynski were opportunists looking for Tour glory After 129 kilometres of racing in Usson-les-Bains at the base of the Port de Pailhères the cooler weather and strong winds had rendered the asphalt less sticky than usual on the rough While Barredo and Guti cranked up the pace in the break Saunier Duval's Christophe Rinero and David Canada were hammering hard in the peloton The 17 kilometre ascent of the Port de Pailhères was divided in two parts; the first six kilometres are relatively easy The final five kilometres average 8 percent Already wearing the red dossard of most combative rider sophomore pro Txurruka was putting the hurt on the break He was awaiting the eventual arrival of Vino & Co Saunier Duval were still riding hard for Mayo in the peloton where their intense rhythm had dropped French champion Moreau He was having another bad day and had been shelled from what was left of the main bunch As the road steepened with 6 kilometres to go the Euskaltel boys were pulling away from Gutiérrez and Barredo The Saunier Duval led peloton was now just forty strong and 4'45" behind and closing Colom had attacked and only Txurruka could cover his move at first But as the road flattened out Perez got back with seven kilometres to go to the summit of the Port de Pailhères and with 57 kilometres left to race the hard pace up front put stage 13 winner Vinokourov in trouble He had vowed that his GC recovery would continue today but instead he quietly slipped out the back soon to be joined by Discovery Channel's Popovych The groupe maillot jaune was still 30 strong Michael Boogerd and Denis Menchov of Rabobank Cadel Evans and Chris Horner for Predictor Alberto Contador and George Hincapie for Discovery Channel Paolo Savodelli and Andrey Kashechkin for Astana maillot à pois Soler for Barloworld Triki Beltrán for Liquigas and Alejandro Valverde for Caisse d'Epargne Dekker's hard pace was reducing this group meter by meter as USPRO champ Hincapie and Langeveld went out the back with 3 kilometres still to ascend Among the huge crowds at the summit of 17-kilometre ascent the four-man break still had a lead of 2'39" as terrible Txurruka took the KOM from the break tall Soler sprinted off the front of the chasing group to take the 5th place in the battle for KOM points and at this point Iban Mayo – who had talked up his chances of a stage win - couldn't stay with the chase and dropped off in the final steep kilometre However he was sure to get back on during the long descent to Ax-les-Thermes Five minutes after the Rasmussen group had passed then another 10 kilometres of false flat to the base of the final climb of the day Caisse d'Epargne's Pereiro tried an attack on the descent but his move was quickly covered by super-descender Savodelli The leaders still had three minutes at Ax-les-Thermes with 32 kilometres to go By this point George Hincapie and ten others had gotten back on to the chasing group and this was now 30 riders strong His comeback would come in handy for Contador as the groupe maillot jaune chased the break across the valley floor towards the beginning of the ascent of Plateau de Beille The USPRO champ hit the front in his Captain America jersey leading ahead of the Rabobank teammates of Rasmussen the four man break was still working hard together while their former companion Barredo was 15” back and chasing hard to try to get back on a large chasing group containing Merckx and 18 others was at seven minutes and Vinokourov was in another group ten minutes back Barredo finally clawed his way back to the break with 23km to go as behind big George was humping hard in his 53X11 to reduce the escapees' margin Tiny Txurruka was making the pace on the steep first ramps of the Plateau de Beille ascent while behind Hincapie peeled off after pulling back a minute of the breaks' lead in ten kilometres Rabobank's Dekker then pulled hard and dropped after 300m so it was now Miki Boogerd's turn to ride the killer tempo for Rasmussen Although his nickname from mountain bike days is Chicken (not from his appearance Rasmussen was showing himself to be more fighting cock than egg-layer as he was clearly in charge of the Tour De France The Dane realized that the best defence was a strong offence and Boogerd's tough pace was taking its toll as Savodelli Zubeldia and Mayo came off the back one after the other in the group approximately twelve kilometres from the end Astana's Colom - who hadn't taken a decent pull all day - attacked and quickly got a fifty metre gap on the others Popovych had now hit the front in the 11 strong groupe maillot jaune to crank up the pace for an eventual attack by Contador Valverde had croaked with 11.5km to go and went out the back then Menchov dropped off while Klöden was just barely hanging on Miki Boogerd showed his massive character and experience as he got back to the group and immediately hit the front Klöden and Soler all along for the ride Txurruka and Guti were 55" behind the stage leader Colom The Rasmussen group was 1'50" back as Popo hit the front once again and accelerated hard Rasmussen and maillot blanc Contador were right there with Evans clearly suffering and Klödi just trying to stay close Discovery Channel had opened a big can of whup-ass on the rest of the group as Popo was having a great day on the front and Contador and Leipheimer were just behind Kashechkin and the surprising Soler were still there Popo peeled off with eight kilometres to climb who made a powerful counterattack that dusted everyone except Rasmussen and Evans Multiple attacks by Rasmussen and counters by Contador ensured that the pace yo-yoed wildly This is the worst thing that can happen to a rider with bad legs in the mountains Rasmussen leaned over to maillot à pois Soler and said something to the long Rasmussen went after him and suddenly it was too much for Evans The Australian lost the wheels of the two best climbers in the Tour De France and from that point tried to defend himself on the remaining kilometres of the climb Colom was still in the lead as Rasmussen and Contador passed the five kilometres to go banner while Klöden and Kashechkin were at one minute Rasmussen was making the pace as Contador was taking occasional pulls Sastre accelerated hard and popped Evans again the second time in one kilometre that the Aussie was blown out the back With 3.5km to race to the summit of the Plateau de Beille Astana's last chance for glory went up in smoke as Rasmussen and Contador caught Colom He then tried to hang on the front duo as long as possible but cracked Sastre was leading the chase behind with Soler and Leipheimer at 30" Evans at 55" and Klöden and Kashechkin at 1'20" As the battle of the super skinnies continued up front Contador gesturing for Rasmussen to come through He was was caught by the three chasers as the final kilometre began while Evans tried to stay with the two Astana riders Amidst the huge crazy crowds atop the Plateau de Beille Rasmussen and Contador finally got inside the race barriers and continued their mano a mano Rasmussen was riding against the left side barriers to deny the draft to Contador as there was clearly no love lost between the two riders However it was the Discovery Channel rider who took the stage in the sprint finishing just ahead of Discovery Channel's tenacious Leipheimer at 40" He had attacked them with two kilometres to go Astana's Klöden and Evans came in 1'52" back while two more Astana riders - early breakaway Colom and Kazakh rider Kashechkin - finished at 2'22" Discovery Channel's heroic Popovych was 10th with Rabobankers Boogie Boogers and Thomas Dekker at 3'07" Alejandro Valverde's group came home at 3'45" This was just six minutes and two seconds ahead of the gruppetto There was no change to the yellow jersey after the first stage in the Pyrénées Rabobank's Maillot Jaune Rasmussen has gone from strength to strength as the final difficult mountain stages of the 2007 Tour De France commenced Thanks to his excellent time trial yesterday and his win today Discovery Channel's 24 year old rising Spanish star Alberto Contador has moved from 3rd to 2nd place on GC He is 2'23" behind the Dane and has a firm grip on the Maillot Blanc of Best Young rider Following his big blowup on the Plateau de Beille losing over two minutes to Rasmussen today However Predictor-Lotto's tough Aussie is still in the hunt while Klöden has dropped two places to fifth at 4'38" CSC's Carlos Sastre has come up one place on GC to sixth and is 5'50"back The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by Astana's Kashechkin (7th @ 6'58") Caisse d'Epargne's Valverde (9th @ 9'45") and another Discovery Channel rider Former Tour favourite and Stage 13 winner Alexandre Vinokourov moved back into the top 10 yesterday but his poor performance today pushed the Kazakh rider down to 30th on GC Stage 15: Monday 23 July Foix-Loudenvielle Le Louron / 196 km: After a difficult time trial and then a hard mountaintop finish atop Plateau de Beille Stage 15 to Foix Loudenvielle to Le Louron is the Queen stage of the 2007 Tour De France difficult Stage 15 traverses the heart of the Hautes-Pyrénées from Foix in the Ariege region with the Col de Port as the opener after just 27.5km It then rolls through the beautiful countryside around Saint-Girons before assaulting the challenging second half of the stage with the steep Cat.2 Col de Portet d'Aspet and then the steeper Cat.1 Col de Menté following The new hors catégorie ascent of the Port de Balès comes next and with the final 10 km at a steep 8,5% this should really show who is the strongest in this years Tour as the steep 10km Col de Peyresourde awaits before the technical descent to Loudenvielle Le Louron awaits Rabobank's Maillot Jaune Michael Rasmussen will battle the resurgent forces of Discovery Channel (who have taken command of the Team General Classification today from Astana) across the five cols of Stage 15 Climbs: Km 27.5: Col de Port: 11.4 km climb @ 5.3 % grade / 2nd Cat Km 98.5: Col de Portet d'Aspet: 5.7 km climb @ 6.9 % grade / 2nd Cat Km 114: Col de Menté: 7.0 km climb @ 8.1 % grade / 1st Cat Km 159.5: Port de Balès: 19.2 km climb @ 6.2 % grade / Beyond Category Km 184.5: Col de Peyresourde: 9.7 km climb @ 7.8 % grade / 1st Cat Sprint: Km 68: Saint-Girons Km 127: Marignac The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden 1,500 homes in the Haute-Garonne département did not have electricity while 1,000 were without power in the Tarn département Energy providers are working to restore power Enedis had reported fewer than 500 homes in the Tarn département were still affected by outages windy conditions were expected to continue throughout the day As of Friday morning, five French départements in the south and south-west - Tarn, Haute-Garonne, Hérault, Gard and Bouches-du-Rhône - had been placed on the orange weather warning by Météo France They were expected to remain on the alert until 6pm READ MORE: Explained: How France’s weather warning system works gusts of up to 120 km/h and 103 km/h were recorded in the towns of Saint-Félix-Lauragais (south-east of Toulouse) and Muret (south of Toulouse) Météo France also recorded winds of up to 107km/h in Castres and Mazamet in the Tarn département High winds have brought down trees and branches across the region especially in the Haute-Garonne département Local authorities announced that speed limits on autoroutes in the Haute-Garonne département had been reduced by 20km/h on Friday There has also been some disruption to regional train travel - no TER trains were running between Lavaur and Mazamet in the Tarn département Carmaux and Rodez (in the Aveyron département) or between Saint-Sulpice and Tessonières (in the Tarn département) Some outdoor markets in the affected areas have also been closed for the day Please log in here to leave a comment. It's a stage of two distinct halves. Ignoring the early climb of the Cote de St Sarraille, a 9km inconvenience which rises straight out of Mazamet, the first 12km are flat and dusty. The second part of the stage begins with the hors-category climb to the Port de Pailheres, a 2,001 metre brute. The descent leads to a gently sloping valley road dropping to the foot of the Plateau de Beille climb at Les Cabannes. From here on in, it's every man for himself. It will be a big surprise if the war for the yellow jersey didn't spill over into the battle for the stage win. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! 9, Cote de Saint Sarraille, 12:10, Climb cat 2 146.5, Port de Pailheres, 15:32, Climb hors-category Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms from good old-fashioned print to online journalism Three Romanians have been ordered to stand trial in France on charges they made off with one million euros worth of diamonds from a French jeweller and his Indian partner in an elaborate hoax resembling a Hollywood movie script thought to members of a network of gem thieves operating across Europe will go before a judge on March 3 in the southwestern city of Castres They are accused of snatching three diamonds from a jeweller based in the small town of Mazamet who was acting as a middleman for an Indian gem trader The August 2017 scam was launched four months earlier at a diamond trade fair in Monaco when two of the suspects introduced themselves to the jeweller as a wealthy Armenian couple looking to invest in precious gems before a third meeting in Mazamet in August when the supposed buyers asked to have an independent expert examine the stones owned by trader Nishit Shah the jeweller placed the gems in a sealed box while awaiting a promised bank transfer of $1.1 million (one million euros) the jeweller opened the box to discover it empty what we call a thief with golden hands -- international experts with a talent for swiping valuables," the source said The two Romanians posing as the couple were arrested a few weeks later in Nice where police seized luxury cars and watches as well as both real and fake gems and counterfeit cash a village in the French Alps on the border with Italy where he was found in possession of a fake diamond Investigators say he was to receive 50,000 euros for spiriting away the three stones in a theft orchestrated by a Serbian national based in the Paris suburb of Bondy Prosecutors have seized the Serbian's home and issued a warrant for his arrest "These are major criminal organisations with contacts across most of Europe," the source said having died of a heart attack in Mumbai in 2018.