Out over. All the favorites are out with injuries. After Chris Froom now Roland. Crash at the end of the first stage, when I wanted to ride easy the last km to the hotel. I missed the curb. Crash and broken collarbone. I am so sad. I was looking forward to Christmas like a boy. Later more …
Tomorrows Outlook
Our morning drive is in the vast nature reserve of Saint Denis du Payré, known for its flowering prairies, bird life and even a nude beach. The charming chicken farming town of Marans is our morning food stop before continuing on to the historic town of Surgères, which was briefly under English rule in 1532 during the Hundred Years War. Overnight we will stay in the sailing town of Royan, destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II and rebuilt in the 1950s as a showcase of modernist architecture.
Today’s stage was one of four won in 1972 by Breton all-rounder Cyrille Guimard. He was a track, cyclocross and road national champion who dominated the Tour de France victories of Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon and Lucien Van Impe and beyond.