Taste of the Tour: Berner Platte, gold lager in Switzerland

BERN, Switzerland (AP) A gastronomical, sporting and cultural glance at Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Monday:

REGION: Stage 16 took the peloton from Moirans-en-Montagne in the Jura to the Swiss capital of Bern on a rolling 209-kilometer (130-mile) trek.

BAGUETTE AND BUTTER: Peter Sagan showed off his world champion qualities, timing his sprint perfectly to win the stage in a photo finish as the race crossed into Switzerland. Sagan, a Slovakian with the Tinkoff team, edged Alexander Kristoff of Norway at the line. Kristoff thought he won and pumped his fist in celebration, only to learn seconds later he hadn't. Chris Froome held on to the yellow jersey entering the second and final rest day.

PLAT DU JOUR: The Berner Platte. Very similar to the French choucroute, this local dish is a feast of meat featuring ham, bacon, beef, pork tongue and knuckle served with potatoes and beans. It was first conceived on March 5, 1798 after the Bernese celebrated a victory over the French army with an improvised culinary party.

CULTURE: Founded in the 12th century, the medieval city of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage site offering stunning views of snow-capped Alpine mountains. Built on a peninsula inside a curve of the Aare River, the city's main attractions are an impressive gothic cathedral, a rose garden that is home to 220 different types of roses, and an intricate clock tower.

HISTORY: A country with a strong cycling culture, Switzerland hosts two major bike races, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie. The country has also been visited 23 times by the Tour and saw prestigious winners on its soil: Andre Darrigade claimed a stage win in Zurich in 1955 while Laurent Fignon triumphed in the ski resort of Crans-Montana in 1984.

VIN DU JOUR: More than 200 types of wines are produced in Switzerland. The most common grapes are Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder), white chasselas and Riesling-Silvaner, also known as Mueller-Thurgau. In the small town of Vetroz in the Valais region, Jean-Rene Germanier and Gilles Besse have created a complex and aromatic red wine made with Syrah grapes, Cayas, which is regarded as one of the country's best. For beer lovers, the light and clear gold lager from the Felsenau brewery has a fine bitterness.

STAT OF THE DAY: 65.6. In kilometers per hour, the average speed of Peter Sagan in the final kilometer. In miles per hour, 40.76.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: ''Most people in the peloton are scared of him, just his abilities. He can do everything.'' Froome on Sagan.

DESSERT: Enjoyed by Bern locals at Christmas, the Leckerli are nutty biscuits flavored with spices and candied citrus peel. Ideal with a cup of tea.

NEXT ORDER: Tuesday is the race's second and final rest day, which will be followed by four challenging climbing stages in the Alps before Sunday's mostly ceremonial finish in Paris.