Even if you’re not a fan of cycling, the Tour de France is a fascinating, grueling three-week, 3600 km. (2237 miles) long cycling event that takes in most of the country as it passes through both cities and countryside. This year, Stage 3 of ‘Le Tour’ becomes personal as it passes only 3 km. (1.8 miles) from Jeanne’s parents’ home near Saint-Nazaire in the historical region of Brittany, France. Saint-Nazaire has a very old shipyard that launched many famous ships such as SS France, SS Normandie, and the RMS Queen Mary II. An unfortunate footnote: The shipyard was important enough to the Germans during World War II that it was converted to a submarine repair base, causing the city to be flattened by Allied aircraft.
The cyclists will pass over the Pont de Saint-Nazaire, a 68 m. (223 ft.) high bridge that spans the enormous Loire Estuary at the mouth of the famous river. Each day’s highest point is a race to the top where the first there wins “King of the Mountain” for that stage and receives one point in the overall standings. The highest point is nearly always a mountain or at least a hill, but this part of Western France is relatively flat and the bridge takes the honor for Stage 3. This is France, after all, and rules are rules.
The bridge was built between 1972 and 1975 and created an alternative to a car ferry across the Loire Estuary or a significant drive inland to where the river is narrower. The bridge is very tall so that large ships can pass upstream to the important port city of Nantes, 60 km. (36 miles) inland.
Stage 3
Tomorrow, the cycling day begins in Olonne-sur-Mer, a coastal city that is very close to the Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, famous as the headquarters for the Beneteau ship building company. This coast is renowned for hosting World-class sailing races such as the Vendée Globe, a solo, no-port-stops global circumnavigation race.
The stage travels inland across the Department of Vendée, known in history for continuing to support the French Monarchy long after the Revolution in 1789, and for suffering decades of brutal suppression for their royalist support. After Saint-Nazaire, the day finishes in the ancient city of Redon, home of the Abbey of Saint Sauveur, built in 832.
Le Tour’s Day 1
Also personal to us, Stage 1 of this year’s Tour de France began on L’île de Noirmoutier, an island just off the coast that is joined to the mainland by the Passage du Gois, a 4.5 km. (2.7 miles) causeway that is submerged twice daily by high tide. In 1998, a enormous pileup of riders occurred on the road’s very slippery surface.
We spent a beautiful day bicycling around l’île de Noirmoutier in June 2011, and you can read our blog post here: Biking l’île de Noirmoutier.
maximum adventure 
July 4, 2011 at 1:01 am
This is great!!!