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Towns: South zone |
Limoges - Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Guéret - Saint-Flour - Figeac - Castelsarrasin - La Mongie - Lannemezan - Plateau de Beille - Carcassonne - Nîmes - Valréas - Villard-de-Lans - Le Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez - Le Grand Bornand - Annemasse - Lons-le-Saunier - Besançon
Limoges
First hosted a stage in 1951 (1. Rosseel) and most recently in 2000 (1. Agnolutto).
Prefecture of Haute-Vienne and county-town of the Limousin region. Sits on the Vienne. 135,000 inhabitants (including environs: 173,000 inhabitants).
Set in the heart of a cattle-breeding region, thus busy town of the Centre-West is famous all over the world for its porcelain.
Paris-Limoges was once one of the longest road races.
• Town of Limoges: www.ville-limoges.fr
• Tourist office: www.tourismelimoges.com
Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat
Making its first appearance as a stage town.
District-town of Haute-Vienne. 5,000 inhabitants.
Pilgrim town on the road to Santiago de Compostella.
Its collegial church and bell-tower are masterpieces of Romanesque art.
Raymond Poulidor lives here.
• Town of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat: www.ville-saint-leonard.fr
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Guéret
Making its first appearance as a stage town.
Prefecture of the Creuse and old capital of the Marche. 15,000 inhabitants.
Built in the 8th century around a monastery founded by a Count of Limoges, this typical rural town was initially called Le Bourg-aux-Moines. Thanks to its picturesque Hôtel des Monneyroux, it still retains some of the atmosphere of its past.
• Town of Guéret: www.ville-gueret.fr
Saint-Flour
Stage town in 1999 (1. Etxebarria).
Borough-town of Cantal. 8,500 inhabitants.
This tourist resort is situated near to the Mont du Cantal and the Mont de la Margeride and is a fine example of Auvergne folk tradition.
• Town of Saint-Flour: www.saint-flour.com
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Figeac
Stage start in 1978.
Borough-town of the Lot. 10,500 inhabitants.
One of the flourishing centres of the mediaeval Midi, at the crossroads of the Auvergne, Rouergue and Quercy.
Town of art and history.
The Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion came from the area.
• Town of Figeac: www.ville-figeac.fr
• Tourist office: www.quercy-tourisme.com/figeac/
Castelsarrasin
Stage start in 2001.
Borough-town of Tarn-et-Garonne. 12,000 inhabitants.
Devastated during the Hundred Years War, the only sub-prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne owes its 18th century development to trade.
Big farmer's market in the heart of a region devoted largely to the cultivation of cereal and fruit.
La Mongie
Stage town in 1970 (1. Thévenet) and in 2002 (1. Armstrong).
Winter-sports resort of the Hautes-Pyrénées, located on the eastern slopes of the Tourmalet.
Created in 1948, it forms, with Barèges, the largest skiing range in the French Pyrenees. The World Cup Alpine skiing competition was held here in 1985.
Lannemezan
Stage start in 1999 and 2002.
County-town of the Hautes-Pyrénées. 6,900 inhabitants.
The town stands at a crossroads in the central Pyrenees on a plateau of the same name. Lannemezan owes its development to the railway, which reached it in the middle of the 19th century.
Farmer’s market and industrial centre.
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Plateau de Beille
Stage town in 1998 (1. Pantani) and in 2002 (1. Armstrong).
Winter-sports resort of the Vallée d'Ax, near to the Spanish border.
A typically Nordic atmosphere, with reindeer park and dogsleds, in the heart of an area with important prehistoric and caving/potholing sites.
• Plateau de Beille: www.plateau-de-beille.com
• Tourist office: www.vallees-ax.com
Carcassonne
First hosted a stage in 1947 (1. L. Teisseire) and most recently in 1981 (1. Ti-Raleigh).
Prefecture of the Aude. Sits on the Aude and the Canal du Midi. 45,000 inhabitants.
The fortress dominates the lower town and surrounding vineyards; it is the largest fortified town in Europe with incomparable mediaeval architecture and ornamentation.
• Town of Carcassonne: www.carcassonne.org
• Tourist office: www.carcassonne-tourisme.com
Nîmes
First hosted a stage in 1905 (1. Trousselier) and most recently in 1986 (1. Hoste).
Prefecture of the Gard. 137,000 inhabitants.
A town of outstanding art and architecture, particularly Roman (arenas, its Maison carrée temple).
Wine and olive producing area, near to the Camargue.
• Town of Nîmes: www.nimes.fr
• Tourist office: www.ot-nimes.fr
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Valréas
Stage start in 1987, 1994 and 1998.
District-town of Vaucluse. 8,500 inhabitants.
"L'enclave des Papes" (The Papal Enclave). A French geographical exception: the district of Valréas, which belonged to the old Comtat Venaissin, was an enclave of the Drome, before becoming part of France in 1791.
• Town of Valréas: www.valreas.net
• Tourist office: www.ot-valreas.info
Villard-de-Lans
First hosted a stage in 1985 (1. Vanderaerden) and most recently in 1990 (1. Breukink).
District-town and mountain resort of Isère. 3,500 habitants.
The nearest resort to Grenoble, in the heart of a region that was a hotbed of the Resistance during the last war.
• Town of Villard-de-Lans: www.villard-de-lans.fr
• Tourist office: www.ot-villard-de-lans.fr
Le Bourg d'Oisans
Stage town in 1966 (1. Otano).
Many stage starts between 1952 and 2003.
District-town of Isère and capital of Oisans. 3,100 inhabitants.
Tourist resort at the foot of the Alpe d'Huez, this commercial town is a major world centre of mineralogy. Its mineral market attracts a large clientele.
• Town of Le Bourg d'Oisans: www.bourgdoisans.com
• Tourist office: www.tourisme-oisans.com
L'Alpe d'Huez
First hosted a stage in 1952 (1. F. Coppi) and most recently in 2003 (1. Mayo).
Set in the heart of the Oisans, the Alpe d'Huez is a mythical climb and regularly hosts finishes of mountain stages.
www.alpedhuez.com
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Le Grand Bornand
Stage start in 1995 and in 1999.
Winter-sports resort of Haute-Savoie, in the Massif des Bornes. 2,000 inhabitants.
Nicknamed the "Perle des Aravis", this pleasant resort seeks to protect local crafts and habitats and is also the capital of Reblochon, a cheese with a long tradition, having been produced here since the 13th century.
www.legrandbornand.com
Annemasse
Making its first appearance as a stage town.
Stage in Gaillard in 1973 (1. Ocana) and 1974 (1. Merckx).
District-town of Haute-Savoie. 28,000 inhabitants (including environs: 65,000 inhabitants).
Commercial and industrial border town near Geneva (precision mechanics).
Start of the old Tour de Haute-Savoie.
• Town of Annemasse: www.mairie-annemasse.fr
Lons-le-Saunier
Stage in 1937 (1. Puppo) and 1963 (1. Brands).
Prefecture of the Jura and spa town. 20,000 inhabitants.
Its saltworks, which ceased production in 1966, were once the biggest in Franche-Comté alongside those of Salins.
Birthplace of Rouget de Lisle, author of "La Marseillaise".
• Town of Lons-le-Saunier: www.ville-lons-le-saunier.fr
Besançon
Hosted a stage for the first time in 1905 (1. Aucouturier) and most recently in 1996 (1. Blijlevens).
Prefecture of the Doubs and county-town of the Franche-Comté region. Sits on the Doubs. 120,000 habitants.
Leading French watch-making centre.
Seized from the Spanish by Condé in 1674, Besançon became part of France in 1678 (Treaty of Nijmegen).
Birthplace of Victor Hugo.
• Town of Besançon: www.besancon.com
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Towns: South zone |
 Choose a zone: Wallonia, North, South
Wallonia zone: Liège, Charleroi, Namur, Waterloo
North zone: Wasquehal, Cambrai, Arras, Amiens, Chartres, Bonneval, Angers, Châteaubriant, Saint-Brieuc, Lamballe, Quimper, Montereau-Fault-Yonne, Paris Champs-Élysées
South zone: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, Guéret, Limoges, Saint-Flour, Figeac, Castelsarrasin, La Mongie, Lannemezan, Plateau de Beille, Carcassonne, Nîmes, Valréas, Villard-de-Lans, Bourg d'Oisans, L'Alpe d'Huez, Le Grand Bornand, Annemasse, Lons-le-Saunier, Besançon
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