Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Wine and Food of the Tour de France 2018 Stage 17: Bagnères-de-Luchon to Saint-Lary-Soulan

Where are we?
Saint-Lary-Soulan: The local tourist site tells me that: Find in Saint-Lary the authentic Pyrenees village. Ideally located in the heart of Aure Valley with pleasant weather and sun, the village of Saint-Lary is also dominate by the ski resort which overlooks it at 830 meters. Pic Lumière cable car (built in 1957 and modernized since for our visitors) and Vignec cableway (only open in winter) allowed to reach to the slopes. In 2010, these two ski lifts allowed to expand the transport capacity to the slopes sixfold, and to decrease the sportsmen waiting time.
In accommodation terms, the essential of the housing provided is located in the village in small structures limited to less than 3 floors. Always animate, Saint-Lary Street and particularly its main street (the Vincent Mir Street, resort founder) propose a lot of shops, services, restaurants etc.
Located to less than 20km of Spain, Saint-Lary and the stone and half-timbered facades increase the village authenticity. People enjoy festive evenings which mix Iberian and French Southwest atmospheres.
LeTour specialties: Bigorre black pork (appellation AOC and AOP, its main centre is located in Vignec at the foot of the Col du Portet pass), garbure (meat and vegetable stew), cheese, gâteau à la broche (spit-baked cake), flocon pyrénéen (chocolate)




 

The stage:  This is quite an experimental stage for the Tour. Short, likely very fast and with a grid statrt. Apparently if I were a car racing fan I'd be very familiar with this grid start concept. But I'm not so LeTour can explain:




 A note on yesterday: Gilbert suffered a fractured patella in his crash. He finished the stage, but will not start today.
Hmm. . .



 
That was a bit, well, anti-climactic. Dropped instantly, Demare, who to my surprise survived yesterday's stage. He was likely to have company today as this short, fast stage would likely leave many off the back.
At the front almost instantly Kangert followed by Edet. They were chased by a large group: Martinez, Rolland, Geschke, G. Izagirre, Pellizotti, Yates, Soler, Valverde, Durasek, Alaphilippe, Majka, Mühlberger, Fraile, Vichot, De Gendt, Calmejane, Mollema, Herrada, Sicard, and Navarro. That group would split up fairly quickly.
The 7 Team Sky riders (Luke Rowe, who had expected to spend the day at the back, included) lead the peloton 1:15 back.



 
At the front of that chase group, Alaphilippe, who was very determined to hang onto the polka dot jersey. It has been a joy to watch him try.
Mechanical for Quintana. He would get a new wheel, slowly, from his teammate Amador. He would stop a second time as the team car came up to provide aid.

At the top of  Montée de Peyragudes Kangert followed by Alaphilippe, Durasek, Herrada, Majka, Soler, with the peloton at 3:25.
Not surprisingly, Alaphilippe and Durasek would catch Kangert on the descent.



 
35 kilometers to go and the trip had 1:14 over a chase group of 12 and 3:28 to the shrinking peloton, which for a change, was led by AG2R. They were trying hard to get Bardet away, but making little progress.
Thirty kilometers to go and the front trio had 51 seconds over the Valverde led chase group and 2:23 over the gc group.



On the downhill, a crash for Sagan, but with no cameras on him, there was little information. Information was very slow to come in, but eventually word that he was back riding. 
Up ahead, Alaphilippe sat up, his work collecting dots apparently done for the day. With 15 kilometers to go, Kangert was alone in the lead.



It was time for the attacks to start from the gc group: Quintana was making some progress.



Sky seemed unconcerned. Next up: Roglic. He was followed quickly by Froome. Pulling the peloton behind, Dumoulin with Thomas on his wheel. He would close that gap.
Ahead, Quintana had reached his teammate Valverde.
There were nine riders left in the yellow jersey group: Thomas, Froome, Bernal, Poels (Sky), Roglic, Kruijswijk (Jumbo), Bardet (AG2R), Dumoulin (Sunweb) and Landa (Movistar).



 
At the front, with under nine kilometers to go, Kangert looked like he was truly struggling. Indeed, he would be caught and passed by Quintana and Majka.  
Eight kilometers to go and the duo had 1:05 over the yellow jersey group with Dan Martin in between. 



As they continued to climb, at just over six kilometers to go, Quintana would drop Majka. 
Behind, Bardet dropped from the yellow jersey group. 



 
Attack by Roglic, shadowed by Thomas. Not looking great behind was Froome.  
Finally, an attack from Dumoulin and he was followed by Thomas. Froome was gapped, but had Bernal to help him.



 
Ahead, with less than a kilometer to go, it looked good for a stage win for Quintana. Indeed, he would hold on. Great day for him.
Second the Martin and a very impressive third, with a time bonus for Thomas.



 
Stage:



GC:  
The wine: Ebellium Garnacha 2014
From CopakeWineWorks

Since the riders did it yesterday on their bikes, dipping a toe into Spain for this earthy and fruity wine. Is this a wine I will remember years from now? Probably not. Is it affordable, easy to drink and perfect for this stage of the race? Yes.

 Garnacha, by the way, is simply the Spanish word for Grenache.  

From the producer: Bodegas Sierra de Guara, a family owned winery, sits atop of the de Guara plateau in Aragon, Spain, west of Barcelona and east of Pampalona. The Pyreneese mountains, just to the north, help provide the plateau with it time-honored and unique climate, soil and slope which are ideal for cultivating wine grapes.

 The food: Garbure, from Food52
Serves: 6 to 8
  • 2 cups dried white beans
  • 2 pounds smoked ham hock
  • 1/4 cup rendered duck fat, or extra-virgin olive oil, or unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
  • 6 carrots, halved crosswise and cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-centimeter) sticks
  • 5 leeks, white and pale green parts, coarsely chopped
  • 4 onions, quartered
  • 5 garlic cloves, halved
  • 1 medium Savoy cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pig's tail, optional
  • 6 small to medium russet potatoes
  1. Put the beans in a medium bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches (5 centimeters). Let soak overnight in a cool place. In a separate bowl, cover the ham hock with water and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
  2. The next day, heat the duck fat in a very large pot, over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks, onions, garlic, and cabbage and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the ham hock and add to the pot, along with the pig’s tail, if using. Cover with water and bring to a low boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the ham hock meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
  3. Drain the beans and add to the pot, along with the potatoes. Simmer until the beans and potatoes are cooked and tender, about 1 hour longer. Transfer the ham hock and pig’s tail, if you have it, to a cutting board. Remove the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Shred the meat into the soup and serve.
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