Today, Chalon-sur-Saône is the stopover town of the Tour de France, the most famous cycling race in the world. Syngenta Flowers and Chalon-surSaône celebrate the Tour de France by making emblematic shirts with flowers. The Sunfinity sunflower, the Ipomoea Sidekick Heart Lime, the Begonias Tophat Red and White, the Impatiens Imara White impatiens made this great achievement possible.
For the 2019 Tour de France, an original partnership has emerged between the city of Chalon-sur-Saône and Syngenta Flowers.
The idea first sprouted in the head of a passionate, Bruno Cottier, head of the embellishment unit of the city. "We wanted to stage the Tour de France and the flowers," he explains. While chatting with Cyrille Vassault Ets Degemard, Syngenta Flowers distributor on the sector, the idea has made its way and the project was born. "The association of shirts and flowers quickly appeared to us as an original project, audacious, never seen". Cyrille adds, "Syngenta Flowers answered right away and with Arnaud de Mortain, Technical Specialist at Syngenta Flowers, we traded to see which flowers would be best suited for this project." The plants were therefore delivered free of charge in the greenhouses of the city to be produced.
For the yellow shirt, Sunfinity sunflower was chosen for a guaranteed luminous effect. The large flowers but also the number of flowers, allowed a flawless rendering. The Ipomoea Sidekick Heart Lime perfectly illustrated the green shirt of the best sprinter. For the polka dot jersey of the best climber, Begonias Tophat Red and White were chosen. And finally Impatiens Imara White has made it possible to shine the shirt of the best young.
At the beginning of the week, the whole team got active on the sports ground at the Mathias high school, at the entrance of the city: sweeping and marking the sites. The ground ready to welcome the flowers very early this morning. "On the plan, it seemed simple: a fresco of 35 m by 32 m, with shirts of 8 m by 10 m. But once there, it's not as easy”. "It's really great what we did," exclaimed one of the municipal employees. After a start in Belfort and 230 kilometers of fierce racing, the best cyclists in the world contested the victory of the 7th stage. "At the entrance to the city, it was the perfect location for everyone to see, especially from the sky," says Bruno Cottier.
Tomorrow, all the plants will find the path of the greenhouses waiting to be distributed during the festivities of July 14. Residents and visitors alike will be able to benefit from a free distribution on the Place du Port Villiers. We bet that the gardens and balconies will be adorned with the colors of the Tour de France throughout the summer.
We thank all the team of Chalon-sur-Saône and Cyrille Vassault without whom this incredible project could not have seen the day.
