Pra Loup, is a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 ski resort in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French department in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.- History :Nord-de-Provence was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...

 in the town of Uvernet-Fours

Uvernet-Fours

Uvernet-Fours is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...

. 7 km from the town of Barcelonnette

Barcelonnette

Barcelonnette is a commune in the Ubaye Valley, in the southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, of which it is a subprefecture.-History:...

.

The ski station is divided into two separate parts, 2 km apart:

• Pra Loup 1500 (Molanès)
• Pra Loup 1600

Features
Elevation: 1,630 metres

• Departure: Barcelonnette (1,130 metres)
• Vertical drop: 500 metres
• Length: 9.4 km
• Slope: 5.3% of average (maximum 10.1%)

The resort has 53 lifts, 165 km of tracks, and its ski area is linked to that of the Foux-d'Allos through the valley of Agneliers.

Tour de France

Pra Loup was used as the finish of stage 15 in the 1975 Tour de France

1975 Tour de France

The 1975 Tour de France was the 62nd Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 20, 1975. It consisted of 22 stages over 3999 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.899 km/h. Eddy Merckx was attempting to win his sixth Tour de France, but became a victim of violence. Many Frenchmen were...

. The 217 kilometres race from Nice was win by Bernard Thévenet

Bernard Thévenet

Bernard Thévenet, born 10 January 1948, in Saint-Julien-de-Civry, Saône-et-Loire, is a retired French bicycle racer. He is a two-time winner of the Tour de France and known for ending the reign of five-time Tour champion Eddy Merckx...

 of France, and is regarded in cycling lore as the mountain climb where the career of Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx

Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...

 faltered.(See Eddy Merckx - 1975 Tour de France, Pierre Chany). The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time.
The climb is cemented into the history of French cycling by the image of a woman at the roadside, wearing a bikini

Bikini

The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...

, waving a sign that said: "Merckx is beaten. The Bastille

Bastille

The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...

has fallen."