Tour de France: Stage 10: Cambo-les-Bains to Pau
July 12th 2006 08:17
Bonjour tout le monde!
More Aussie success overnight in the Tour de France: Robbie McEwen finished 2nd in Stage 9, while Michael Rogers and Cadel Evans are placed 3rd and 7th respectively in the pursuit for the maillot jaune (or yellow jersey).
Unfortunately for the sprinters, that was one of the last “sprinting stages” for a while. The next two stages are mountain stages, as the riders climb and make their way through the Pyrenees Mountains in the south of France. In Stage 10, riders will travel 191 kilometres from Cambo-les-Bains to Pau. The Stage has three categorised climbs: the steepest being at Col de Marie Blanque, which has an ascent of 7.7% over 9.3 kilometres. The ride starts at 79 metres above sea level and ends at Pau at 202 metres above sea level.
A map of the Gascony region showing Bordeaux, Dax and Pau (picture is licensed under the GNU Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)
Cambo-les-Bains is a small village located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département in southern France. For literature lovers, Edmond Rostand (the writer of the play Cyrano de Bergerac, lived in the village while he was suffering from pulmonary disease. His home is now a heritage site, with a museum about Rostand’s life and Basque art. (Basque art because the village is located in the traditional Basque province.)
The Chateau de Pau (picture is licensed under GNU Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)
Today’s journey will end in Pau, which is the historical and cultural centre of Gascony. It overlooks a valley caused by the Gave de Pau River. There are many great hiking tracks, which go through Pau as they wind their way through the Pyrenees and to the Spanish border. Thus, Pau has strategic importance because whoever controls Pau controls access to the Spanish border and the Pyrenees. (The Spanish border is located only 60 kilometres from Pau.)
For those rev-heads out there, Pau holds the honour of holding the first race in the world, which was called a “Grand Prix.” It was a regular spot on the motor racing tour, but now events are held in other cities, like Le Mans.
That’s it for today. See you tomorrow
À demain
Melinda
| 55 |
| Vote |
