9 first time stages: Fromentine, Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile, Les Essarts, La Châtaigneraie, Chambord, Gérardmer, Miramas, Agde et Lézat-sur-Lèze.
Fromentine
It is the residential and tourist area of La Barre de Monts (2,000 inhabitants). The “Gateway to the Islands”. Port of embarkation for the Ile d'Yeu and access point for the Noirmoutier Bridge. A region of oyster farming.
• Web site of the town:
www.ville-labarredemonts.fr
• Special web site of the Conseil Général :
http://tour-de-france.vendee.fr
Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile
District town of the Vendée. 5,000 inhabitants.
This fishing and sailing resort houses a shipbuilding museum. The Island of Noirmoutier, linked to the mainland by a bridge, has 9,000 inhabitants. Its salt marshes alternate with polders and cultivated areas of land, which produce a highly appreciated variety of potatoes.
• Web site of the town:
www.ile-noirmoutier.com
• Special web site of the Conseil Général :
http://tour-de-france.vendee.fr
Les Essarts
District town of the Vendée. 5,100 inhabitants.
Former fortress whose name remains associated with the violent battles of the Vendée Wars during the French Revolution.
• Web site of the town:
www.ville-les-essarts85.fr
• Web site of the tourist office:
www.ot-paysdesessarts.fr
• Special web site of the Conseil Général :
http://tour-de-france.vendee.fr
La Châtaigneraie
District town of the Vendée. 2,840 inhabitants. An important market town in the heart of the wooded Vendée landscape. Home of the former French champion, Roland Berland.
• Web site of the town :
www.paysdelachataigneraie.org
• Special web site of the Conseil Général :
http://tour-de-france.vendee.fr
Chambord
A small town in the Loir-et-Cher region. 204 inhabitants. Its imposing castle, built at the request of François I, symbolises its power. It is a model Renaissance masterpiece and the biggest castle in the Loire region.
• Web site of Domaine of Chambord:
www.chambord.org
Gérardmer
Pronounced Gerardme.
District town and Vosges Summer resort. 9,573 inhabitants. Touring centre situated near to the Col de la Schlucht, renowned for its environment (a lake in wooded mountain scenery). Textile industry. The Gerardmer Tourist Office, founded in 1875, is the oldest in France.
• Web site of the town:
www.ville-gerardmer.fr
• Web site of the tourist office:
www.gerardmer.net
Miramas
A town in the Bouches-du-Rhône region. 22,000 inhabitants.
Situated at the entrance to the Crau and near to l'étang de Berre, this town developed in the XIXth Century with the construction of the railway line and became a large marshalling yard. It houses the remains of a XIIth Century castle.
• Web site of the town:
www.miramas.org
Agde
Cap d'Agde hosted a stage in 1998 (winner: Steels).
District town of the Hérault, at the crossroads of the Méditerranée, the river Hérault and the Canal du Midi. 20,300 inhabitants.
Founded by the ancient Greeks 2,500 years earlier, Agde is built with the volcanic stones of the Mont Saint-Loup. Nearby (5 km), Le Cap d'Agde, seaside resort of international reputation / renowned.
• Web site of the town:
www.ville-agde.fr
• Web site of the tourist office:
www.ot-herault.com/agde.html
Lézat-sur-Lèze
2 200 Lézatois.
Pleasant town in the Ariège region with beautifully preserved half-timbered medieval houses. Birthplace of the former Olympic and French champion, Jacques Dupont.
• Web site of the town:
www.lezat.fr
• Web site of Portail des communes de l'Ariège:
portaildescommunes.cg09.fr
• Web site of Conseil Général:
www.cg09.fr
Choose a zone on the map: North or South