Tour de France fever strikes Switzerland

They came, they saw, they cycled. Stage 16 of the Tour de France has arrived in Switzerland, and the crowds have tued out in their droves to cheer on the riders and give some special attention to Swiss pro cyclist, Fabian Cancellara.

The Swiss capital was in full-on Tour mode from Monday moing, with stalls out on the streets, public transport diverted and a summery party-atmosphere, although the race didn’t cross over the Swiss border with France until the afteoon.

Neuchâtel was the first Swiss city on the 209km (129.9 miles) route from the west of the country to Be, almost in the centre.

Temperatures were high and thousands of people were out on the streets to meet the race in Be, as the world’s biggest cycling race snaked its way through the country and then the city's streets.

Be's cobbles attracted some attention in the inteational media, as overall race leader and yellow-jersey holder, Chris Froome told British TV chael ITV4, “The last few kilometres was pretty sketchy."

He added, "there was lots of road fuiture, lefts and rights, and then there were the cobbles – we were just trying to stay out of trouble”.

The Swiss Fabian Cancellara, who finished 6th in this stage, had tweeted earlier in the day about how he was feeling to be taking part in the race in his last year as a pro rider.

As you might expect, there was a lot of support for the Beese sportsman Cancellara, as he raced into his hometown. Afterwards, he told the Associated Press he was “missing a little bit of strength”, adding, “It's special to ride in your own streets but, for now, I'm more tired than anything else.”

Here's that moment when the riders crossed the finish line.

Peter Sagan won the stage, and the spectators were keen to get close to the sports star at the Stade de Suisse stadium in Wankdorf, Be.

After today's efforts the riders will have a rest day in Be on Tuesday, before setting off again on Wednesday.

Where are they headed next? Take a look at their route.

What did you think of stage 16 and the route so far through Switzerland? Tell us in the Idea below, or get in touch with the author of this article on Facebook or via twitter @jofahy.

swissinfo.ch