The Olympic torch pays tribute to nature, heritage and illustrious champions in Doubs!

Today, the Olympic torched shined a light on the Doubs department to showcase this verdant corner of the world, the ideal destination for a break from routine, but also to recognise athletes, men and women who work hard day in, day out to keep the department on the move. The highlights of the stage were a para-triathlon team relay and the over a hundred torchbearers who took turns carrying the Olympic torch, from the first one, the race driver Sébastien Loeb, to the last, the biathlete Anaïs Bescond, who ignited the celebration cauldron in Besançon.

A romp blending nature, heritage and tradition

Rest day over, relay rolls on! Following an emotion-packed Sunday in Haute-Savoie on Olympic Day, the Olympic torch resumed its journey in Doubs, a department nestled in the heart of the Jura mountains. From its fir forests to its caves and plateaus, Doubs has no shortage of sites to entice naturephiles, but the department has much more going for it. Its industrial fabric and 100 km border with Switzerland are major assets. Moreover, watchmaking know-how has been passed down from one generation to the next and makes locals swell with pride.

The Olympic torch got under way from the Parc du Grand Cours in Pontarlier, known as the capital of absinthe, with 20-odd distilleries within town limits. After that, it unveiled a new characteristic of Doubs with each new town or city it visited. The Olympic torch headed to the ski jumping stadium in Chaux-Neuve, roamed around Maîche, the cradle of the Comtois horse, and visited the Gouffre de Poudrey in Étalans, the most expansive pit cave in Europe, for a breathtaking sequence.

It then set course for Montbéliard, famous for its kaleidoscopic façades and its Romantic château, and advanced to the charming town centre of Baume-les-Dames. From there, it was on to the terminus of the stage, Besançon. It has a lot going on for it, from the Fortifications of Vauban, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to its stint as the French biodiversity capital in 2019. The Olympic torched blazed past Léo Lagrange Stadium, Victor Hugo's house, the Museum of Time and the riverbank. The celebration venue was set up in Parc de la Gare d'Eau, a sprawling green space that used to house a goods harbour and marina.

Over a hundred torchbearers throughout the stage

A total of 113 relay runners got this new week of the Torch Relay under way. Inaugurating the proceedings was Sébastien Loeb, the most prolific French race driver ever. The nine-time world rally champion from Alsace handed over the torch to Bernard Perrin, a key figure of the local sports scene and former president of the Jura Handball Committee.
A whole constellation of celebrities who have made locals proud also showed up for the occasion.

Among them was the cyclist Thibaut Pinot, a darling of French sports fans who brought his long and storied career to a close last season. Joining him were the 400 metres hurdles specialist Aurélie Chaboudez, the biathlete and five-time Olympic medallist Quentin Fillon Maillet, and Awa Sene, a 100 metres hurdles ace fighting for a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

There were also representatives of the Olympic movement. Éric Monnin, a former top-tier judoka who serves as the vice-president in charge of Olympism at the University of Franche-Comté and set up the first University Olympic Studies and Research Centre, carried the torch. Also there were Jean-Pierre Mougin, a former secretary-general and vice-president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), and Nicolas Doyen, the Terre de Jeux 2024 contact in Haguenau.

Sports journalists who do their bit to spread the passion for Olympism also took part, including Alexandre Pasteur, a cycling and athletics commentator for France Télévisions, and Aurélie Bresson, who founded Les Sportives, a media group that focuses on women's sports. She also chairs the Alice Milliat Foundation, which fights for gender equality in sport.

Women's sports were front and centre, epitomised by the last runner of the day, Anaïs Bescond. The biathlete put her name on the map with a three medal haul at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. She took bronze in the women's relay and the pursuit and claimed gold in the mixed relay together with Marie Dorin-Habert, Martin Fourcade and Simon Desthieux. She lit the cauldron to wrap up the end-of-day celebrations.

Para-triathlon tops the bill

Another day, another team relay. The French Triathlon Federation, whose previous team relay had already lit up Drôme, came back for seconds today. The team relay of the day celebrated para-triathlon, which marks its eighth year as a Paralympic sport, having debuted at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

For this team relay, the federation worked together with a local club that fights for inclusivity within this "Terre de Jeux" department. The club has a three-star triathlon school and organises events such as a leg of the Para-triathlon World Cup. 24 enthusiasts took part in this relay, including the visually impaired para-triathlete Lilou Bonnot, the president of Montbéliard Triathlon, Marina Bel, and Emmanuelle Legain, who competes for Besançon Triathlon. Sylvain Soyard, one of the organisers of the most recent para-triathlon, captained this team relay.

The Olympic torch will continue due north tomorrow, heading to the European Collectivity of Alsace, blessed with an exuberance of heritage, flavours and culture. Stretching from Mulhouse to Strasbourg, the upcoming stage will reveal gorgeous landscapes and meet extraordinary people in a festive atmosphere that brings people together.