It looks like the Tour organizers have already decided upon the first
3 stages for next year's (2005) Tour de France. It will start on the
Atlantic coast town of Fromentine, and cross the bridge over to the
island of Noirmoutier (Noirmoutier-en-L'Ile). It will be a 19
Kilometer length Prologue.
It seems to be a cute etape, especially when you consider that the
cyclist will be riding into the breeze coming off from the ocean.
Interestingly, they haven't quite decided where and when the 3rd
stage will end...
http://www.letour.fr/2005/presentationus/parcours.html
http://www.letour.fr/2005/presentationus/index.html
Thursday 30th June
Opening of the Tour Headquarters in Challans.
Friday 1st July
Opening of the Tour Headquarters and Official Team Presentation in
Challans.
Saturday 2nd July
1st stage: 19 km individual time-trial.
Fromentine > Île de Noirmoutier.
Sunday 3rd July
2nd stage: 185 km.
Challans > Les Essarts.
Monday 4th July
3rd stage: start from La Châtaigneraie.
=========================================================
Twice in recent past, the Tour de France has chosen Vendée in the west
of France for its opening line-up. On both occasions, top-flight
cycling was to keep a date with history, heritage and memories of
yesteryear, warmly hosted by the Puy du Fou site.
This was last century, in 1993 and 1999. But the events are, of
course, still fresh in our memories.
In 1993, Miguel Indurain was at the peak of his power and fame, and
his victory in the prologue was to herald his firm grip on the race
and his crowning achievement three weeks later on the Champs-Élysées.
That year, as one, Tour riders and Cinescénie actors were to put on a
superb show in a cool, pleasant night of emotion and joy which is
still engraved in many a memory.
Six years later, as shock waves from the Festina affair were
subsiding, a start was made on the process of rebuilding a sporting
ethic, as outlined by Jean-Claude Killy, President of Amaury Sport
Organisation, Hein Verbruggen, President of the International Cycling
Union and, of course, our host Philippe de Villiers, President of the
Vendée County Council. Words were spoken in earnest, but the spirit
was confident for the 99 Tour which was to see the emergence,
confirmed in later Tours, of the core figure of Lance Armstrong.
Six years will again have gone by when, on July 2, 3 and 4 2005, the
Tour de France and Vendée will once more be jointly involved. Why, how
and where?
Doubtless because, at source, lies the undeniable enthusiasm for
cycling shown by elected representatives, the economic sector and the
sporting world. We may even speak of a mutual affection on the part of
the Tour de France management team who values as second to none the
commitment and involvement of those captivating regions of France
which it visits in turn.
For this edition, there will be a novel, seaboard backcloth since,
from our Challans homebase, our first time trial stage will be fought
out on the island of Noirmoutier, a première for the Tour! Then, onto
the land of Vendée hedgerows for the second stage and the line-up for
the third.
In the land of Varnajo, Berland, Bernaudeau and all the former
champions, in a region which is a hive of dynamism, teeming with the
community spirit that is the lifeblood of sport, we know that we can
rely on all the inhabitants of Vendée, be they seaboard or inland, to
be once more motivated for and proud to be involved in the Tour de
France Curtain-Raiser.
As organisers, we view this as a promising "hat-trick" edition. Our
teams know each other well now and, we too are spurred on by
innovation. En route then for a third success which we shall be
preparing together.