-
Ski resort in French Alps to close due to lack of snow and funding cuts
Local officials have announced the closure of the Alpe du Grand Serre station in Isère, halting plans to keep it open year-round
-
Good news for Occitanie residents as ‘in demand’ flight route to run all year
Domestic flight will connect Perpignan and Lille twice per week
-
French weekend weather forecast June 28 - 29: ‘historic’ heatwave begins in south
Temperatures close to 40C are expected as 13 departments set for heightened heatwave alerts on Saturday
Chris Froome shares joke after French reporter fails to recognise him
The four-time Tour de France winner unexpectedly appeared in a TV news clip on forest fires with the reporter referring to a ‘holiday cyclist’ blocked from passing. Froome later shared the ‘holiday cyclist’s’ ride details

Chris Froome surprised a local news reporter in the Var last week when he cropped up unexpectedly in a TV news report for France 2 about forest fires in the Esterel massif.
The clip shows a firefighter blocking a cyclist from continuing his ride on roads that have been closed due to the risk of fire.
“No one can come through, not even this holiday cyclist,” says the reporter in the voiceover.
Little did they know at the time that under the helmet and sunglasses, this ‘holiday cyclist’ was none other than the British road racing cyclist Chris Froome, four-time winner of the Tour de France.
The clip has since racked up over 1million views.
In fact, the cyclist went on to complete a bike ride of 180km in the space of 6 hours 34 minutes, as part of his training that day.
Froome, who lives in Monaco, later responded on social media by sharing a map of his 'holiday bike ride' via the activity tracking app Strava and referencing the gaff, alongside a winky face.
Earlier this summer, Froome was one of nine cyclists injured in stage one of the Tour de France 2021 when a spectator with a sign caused a pile-up.
Related articles
France in top 5 for cycling in the world, Google Maps data shows
7 French expressions to talk about the Tour de France