From stage seven onwards, the race heads for the Jura mountains of eastern France, before going into the Alps and a punishing climb to the summit of Avoriaz.

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It said areas of the Austrian and Italian Alps were the next most vulnerable, followed by some slopes in France and Switzerland.

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And that vacation location has got France talking since previous French leaders have played along the Riviera or in the Alps.

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The cosy restaurant resembles an Alps chalet with wooden walls and tables, and stays true to its southeastern France namesake, serving red wine broth and raclette cheese fondue alongside Parma ham, duck, shrimp and roast potatoes.

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On clear days you will probably want to head straight out onto the observatory's wraparound terrace, which looks out over a rippling sea of pearly-white summits, deep into Italy, Germany and France and over the 22km-long tongue of the Aletsch Glacier, the longest of its kind in the Alps and a Unesco World Heritage site.

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