Friday, July 10, 2015

Cav, Finally! Wine & Food of the Tour de France 2015: Stage 7: La Pere Jules Pear Cider & Livarot

Stage 7 190.5km 

Livarot / Fougères 
Livarot: from the tourist website: Nestled in the foothills hedgerow which flows lazily Life, popular river fishermen, the town of Livarot centralizes the majority of the Canton trade. Particularly lively on Thursday morning , market day and on weekends, due to the presence of many secondary residents, the city center is a comprehensive trade panel. The visit of the town to discover the architectural witness of local history.
 Finally, the Country of Livarot is the land of good food. Feel free to get to know our local products. One chooses to visit the cheese producers, cider, butchers, or are eaten in the restaurant tors, it would be such a shame to leave without having enjoyed the taste buds!
Specialities: livarot cheese, cider, cattle

Fougères: From the tourism website:  Let's go visit a castle: The whole family can enjoy a journey back to the Middle Ages with the new interactive historical interpretation at Fougères Castle. Let Mélusa and Mélusin, the castle’s own little elves, be your guides. The fabulous Castle of Fougeres has been staged so as to tell a story and reveal both its own history and that of the Marches of Brittany. Enter the castle enclosure and let yourself be caught up in its history. An entertaining new historical spectacle plunges you into the medieval period and reveals the secrets of the fortress which was gradually built up over time and which played a key role in the defence of the duchy of Brittany.
Specialities: galette-saucisse (sausage pancake), ramaougerie de pommé (apple jam), shoes, glassware 
The stage: Christian Prudhomme's comment
After Normandy, the Tour enters Brittany with a first act that should honour the sprinters. But on the road to Fougères, like elsewhere, escapees can still count on favorable circumstances to keep hopes alive.

The picture of the day from yesterday, in case anyone missed it:


 Tony Martin is indeed out of the race, having already flown back to Germany and undergone surgery. This video made me even sadder for him. In yellow now, Chris Froome, though he has chosen not to wear the jersey on the road today.




On that road, the breakaway consisted of Delaplace, Teklehaimanot, Mate, Durasek, and Feillu and after thirty kilometers they had a gap of just under four minutes. Eighty kilometers in and the gap was 2:18. With seventy kilometers remaining, it had dropped to one minute. But then the peloton would slow down and let the break dangle for a bit. Catching too soon would allow for a possible late escape, so the sprint teams would rather catch the break closer to the finish. 
Nice castle:
 

Fifty kilometers to go and the gap to the break was still hovering around one minute. 
 

Interesting field art:
 

And a Tony Martin update:


Twenty two kilometers to go and the gap was under twenty seconds. Finally at around twelve kilometers to go, the catch of the last two breakaway riders was made. Sure looked like things were setting up for a bunch sprint. And, finally: Cav! Nice sprint today.
 




Stage:
 

GC:
 

La Pere Jules Pear Cider
 From Healthy Spirits

 From the producer:

Our “Poiré”, or Pear Cider, is produced from three varieties of pears that come from multi centennial orchards.  It is known it’s the fresh and refined taste.  As with the cider, our Poiré is lightly filtered and bottled to develop its fine natural gas.  It is excellent to drink with any seafood.

I say: Well, aren't we lovely. Just a pure taste of pear. Straw colored, carbonated, slightly sweet. Very fragrant. I really loved this one.



Food: Our cheese tour continues with Livarot.

From cheese.com: "One of the oldest and greatest Normandy cheeses, Livarot is a monastic French cheese easily distinguished by its washed rind and pungent aroma. Originating in the commune of Livarot and protected by AOC since 1975, the cheese is also called "The Colonel" because of the five strips of raffia that encircle the cheese, similar to the one worn on a French army colonel's uniform. 
Livarot is considered to be one of the finest cheeses by aficionados who love its soft, golden paste with little holes and springy texture. The taste is nutty, melting in the mouth, to release flavours of a salty lemon and spiciness. The texture is creamy, smooth and quite runny at room temperature. Each wheel is washed in brine, coloured in annatto and matured for up to two months in warm, humid cellars to develop the above-mentioned delicious taste."
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