Arriving in Nice the day before, the flame travels the roads of Vaucluse this Wednesday, June 19. In total, 124 torchbearers will follow one another during this day. It will begin its journey in
Rustrel
(8:30 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.), in the Far West setting of Provençal Colorado, through old open-air ocher quarries that look like canyons. Please note, however, that Colorado will not be accessible to the public or the media.
Then,
Apt
, capital of Lubéron, will in turn receive a visit from the flame (from 9 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.). The departure will be at the leisure center and the arrival in the town, Place Lauze de Perret, after passing in front of the town hall.
The Giant of Provence in the spotlight
After which will come the visit to
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
(from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.), known as “Comtadine Venice” and the capital of bargain hunters. The relay will start from the Sorguette campsite towards the Bouïgas basin, after a wide tour of the city, from the west.
Intrepid, the flame and its bearers will then climb to the summit of the enigmatic
Mont Ventoux
, known as Mont Chauve, or the Giant of Provence, a climb among the most legendary of the Tour de France and very popular with cycle tourists (from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ). The start will take place at the Tom Simpson Memorial and will end at the summit, favored by a collective relay of 24 FFC licensees, led by Anne-Caroline Chausson, 1st BMX gold medal at the Beijing Olympics (2008) .
The procession will then descend to
Orange
(from 3:10 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.) where it will set off from the Charles Costa stadium, go to the Arc de Triomphe before reaching the ancient theater.
The Olympic cauldron lit in Avignon
In
Sorgues
(from 5:05 p.m. to 5:35 p.m.), the flame will take the Himalayan footbridge, inaugurated in 2023, before taking a few meanders, notably via the Francis Bonneau Boulodrome, and reaching the old Town Hall.
It will then be time to return to
Avignon
for the final festivities and the lighting ceremony of the Olympic cauldron (from 5:45 p.m. to 7:20 p.m.). The relay will leave from the Plaine des sports and take the ramparts (the city being one of the few in France to have preserved its entirety). Then, it will move to the Place de l'Horloge, the nerve center of the theater and performing arts festival each year. The flame will then travel to the Palais des Papes, and in front of Notre-Dame-des-Doms Cathedral. Then, head to the famous Avignon bridge.
It is nearby, on Boulevard de la Ligne, that the day will end in style. The celebration site is free and open to all from 3:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Entertainment will be organized before and after the arrival of the last torchbearer and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
