Col de l’Iseran

There’s a philosophical quandary attributed to 18th century thinker George Berkeley that asks, ‘If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ Similarly, if a rider crosses a finish line that they don’t realise they’re crossing, is it actually a finish line? And if there is no stage winner then did the stage even take place?

These and many other questions arose on Stage 19 of the 2019 Tour de France, when the Col de l’Iseran became the summit finish that nobody knew was a summit finish.

This col is the highest pass in the Alps (despite some protestations from those who live near the Col de