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The stage goes across the border to Fribourg, Switzeland and off the beaten track, especially with a new 18-km, 7.3% climb up the "col de la Croix." There also are two other difficulties with the "Pas de Morgin" and the "col des Mosses." This last stage in the Alps goes through the French-speaking parts of Switzerland - the "Valais" region was French under Napoleon - the country of white wine and Swiss cheese, called "gruyère," after a picturesque village. The Tour passes and stops in Fribourg, a city full of museums, animated by students and well-known for its fountains, for the first time. The perpetual peace treaty of 1515, between France and Switzerland, was signed there after the battle of Marignan.
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Stage 16