As someone immune to competitive sports, the result of yesterday’s apparently thrilling stage of the Tour de France was rather lost on me. However, the carnival atmosphere created by thousands of visitors lining the route was a fantastic experience.

The streets were full of cycling enthusiasts, bedecked in their national flags and/or team colours. It seemed the entire population of Luxembourg had descended on Alpe d’Huez, creating a new national capital in the chalets opposite the ‘O’Bar.