Sunday, July 21, 2019

Wine & Food of LeTour 2019 Stage 15: Limoux > Foix Prat d'Albis



Where are we? Limoux:LeTour suggests a carnival: The Limoux carnival lasts three months. From January to March, every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00, 16:30 and 22:00, the arcades of Place de la Republique resound with the notes of traditional music preceded by the procession of the carnival goers. More events are held during the Folkloric Week.
One Saturday is dedicated to the carnivals of the world and the following Sunday is the day when all the Limoux groups take to the streets, led by one musician and his instrument in a flurry of colourful costumes. This exceptional Sunday is the highlight of the carnival.
Unlike other carnivals, the Limoux carnival is not about parading. It is pure folklore, inherited from tradition and it is deeply engraved in the fabric of the city itself. It is part of Limoux’s cultural heritage. His Majesty Carnival is received on the first Sunday of the celebrations by the Millers wearing a bonnet, a blouse, white trousers, a red scarf, clogs and holding a whip. The straw dummy will later be judged and burn t on the last day of the carnival, known as the Blanquette Day.
Specialties: Pébradou (pepper twisted appetizer cake), salty liver artichokes, Limouxine duck (saffron and whole garlic sauce), Limoux fricassee, Limos (crown of kings, brioche with candied fruit), the tap (thin chocolate cap), the nougat. Sparkling AOC wines (Blanquette de Limoux, Crémant de Limoux, Blanquette ancestral method)

 Foit Prat d'Albis: How about a castle? The department of Ariège, owner of the castle of Foix, a listed historical monument since 1840, undertook the rehabilitation of the site for an unprecedented amount of 7.5 million euros. The goal is to attract 100,000 visitors a year who will spend three hours or more in Foix. In order to breathe in new life to the castle, the company in charge of the renovation took over the development of the historical site and the creation of a museum as well as the preservation of the castle. 
The development of the site and the creation of the museum require a major renovation of the building, the demolition of 80% of the floors and their replacement by concrete structures. Since December 2018, all floors have been replaced and since the beginning of 2019, the polishing of the exterior facades has begun. The restoration also includes the consolidation of retaining walls, the replacement of the stone staircase in the square tower and important repairs in the round tower. Part of the masonry began in the spring of 2019.
Specialties: liver sausage (pork), azinat (stuffed cabbage), mounjetado (enriched cassoulet), duck, Tomme des Pyrénées, flakes of Ariège (confectionery), bethmale (cheese)



The stage: For the break or will we see gc attacks? Many were expecting it to be a day for the break, so there was a lot of struggle to establish one. With more than 50 kilometers raced, they were still trying. When a 28 rider group formed, I was doubtful. Mainly because Nairo Quintana was in it. He had a bad day yesterday, but is close enough on gc to be a threat on a day like this.
Nibali! Chasing points or the stage, it is good to see him up there again today.

LeTour convenently listed the  36 riders in that group:
Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Romain Bardet, Matthias Frank and Tony Gallopin (AG2R-La Mondiale), Vincenzo Nibali, Damiano Caruso and Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida), Rudy Molard and Sébastien Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ), Nairo Quintana, Andrey Amador and Marc Soler (Movistar), Pello Bilbao, Omar Fraile and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Amund Groendahl Jansen (Jumbo-Visma), Michael Woods (EF Education First), Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Simon Geschke (CCC), Julien Bernard,  Giulio Ciccone and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), Lennard Kämna, Michael Matthews and Nicolas Roche (Sunweb), Jesus Herrada, Pierre-Luc Périchon and Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Ilnur Zakarin and Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin), Romain Kreuziger (Dimension Data), Romain Sicard (Total Direct Energie), Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Maxime Bouet and Amaël Moinard (Arkéa-Samsic). They had 2'25'' over the yellow jersey peloton with 110km to go.
An update: 
  

The main bunch was doing an excellent job controlling the gap.
At the sprintermediate, Matthews took maximum points.
 


There would be many splits and regroupings there. With 70 kilometers to go:
Rudy Molard, Sébastien Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Pro Team), Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Lennard Kämna, Nicholas Roche (Team Sunweb), Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), Romain Bardet, Tony Gallopin (Ag2r La Mondiale), Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Roman Kreuziger (Dimension Data) and Andrey Amador (Movistar Team) formed the front group in the climb to Port de Lers. They were soon joined by Wood, Fraile, and G. Martin.
More regrouping and there were twenty back at the front. 
Sixty kilometers to go and a group of 21 had just over five minutes.

 

Jumping from the front group: Geschke as riders dropped from both the break and peloton behind him. Attacking from that peloton, Landa. Alaphilippe was without teammates in a peloton that was shrinking dramatically. 


Ahead, Landa would catch the Quintana group. Great ride by him today. Further up the road, an attack by Simon Yates to go solo.
At the front of the gc group, Gaudu upped the pace. Would he see an attack from Pinot?
And there it went. Unable to follow, Thomas, among others. Still hanging on, Alaphilippe, but very clearly struggling and then losing contact. 
Pinot and Bernal were gaining time. Behind, Thomas and others would reach Alaphilippe.
  

As, they say: groups all over the road. Two kilometers to go and Yates was still solo ahead with Landa and Pinot chasing behind. From the yellow jersey group an attack by Thomas. Alaphilippe was distanced.
Our stage winner and well deserved: Simon Yates. Next in Landa and Pinot. Holding on to his yellow: Alaphilippe. Time for another rest day.

Stage:
 

GC:

 
 
The wine: Reveille White Spirit 2015 from Copake Wine Works
From Sud-de-France: France Crispeels is a wine grower in Roussillon. She cultivates very old carignan, Grenache, macabeu and a young syrah The estate, 8,6 ha, is located on 3 spots between 350 and 500 m elevation which express specific character of minerality ; Cassagnes, Tarrerach and Caudies. The gneiss and slate soils are poor and acidic. Warm temperatures, lack of water, Tramontane wind bring extreme conditions. That induces adapted style of work with a lot of care and low yields. Reds and white of REVEILLE are made with ripe grapes that are handpiked. Vinifications are gentle with natural yeast, soft extraction. Maturing in concrete tanks lasts between 8 to 15 months depending the wine. The purpose is to produce living wines that are the real expression of those specific Mediterranean terroirs. Wines are Intense, fresh with thin tannins, eminently digestible The impact of the vintage is always present with particular expressions and new cuvees in mono-cépage IGP or in assemblage AOP.
The food: Azinat, from the local tourist site
This is a traditional staple dish in the valleys of the high Ariège.
1 large cabbage

750 g firm potatoes

4 salted pork ribs

2 "saucisses de couennes"

duck confit (4 thighs or 8 wings)

4 garlic cloves
4 carrots

2 large onions

1 bay leaf

1/2 liter ham broth (make from dry cured ham -- "jambon du pays")

1 dried liver sausage (300 g)

pepper

Wash the cabbage. Blanch it for 5 minutes in boiling water.
Mince the carrots and onions and sauté in duck fat. Add the pork ribs ("coustellou") which you first washed to remove excess salt, the saucissons de couennes, the ham broth, bay leaf; cover with 2.5 liters of water, season with pepper and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage.
Cook on a low flame for 2 hours. Then add the potatoes, the liver sausage cut in pieces, the duck confit with excess fat removed. Lay the rouzole on top. Cook for another 30 minutes on low heat.
After cooking, skim off the fat and pour the broth into sepaate pot. You can serve the broth as is or after cooking some vermicelli in it.
Serve the vegetabels, the meat and the rouzole on a large platter, with mustard and cornichons on the side.
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