Monday, June 28, 2021

Wine & Food of Le Tour 2021, Stage 3: Lorient to Pontivy

Where are we? Spending another day in Brittany, with a turn inland. 

Lorient: Let's go to a festival, even if the idea of crowds is terrifying: The Interceltic Festival
In August, it will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Lorient, where it has become one of the highlights of the summer festival season in France. The annual gathering of musicians from the Celtic world, which took over from several bagpipe festivals held in Quimper and Brest, moved to its home port in 1971, attracting more audiences and more nations each year. Acadia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Galicia, Asturias and Brittany now send artists to Lorient for an event that attracts some 800,000 spectators. Founded by Polig Monjarret and developed by Jean-Pierre Pichard, FIL is now directed by the Asturian Lisardo Lombardia. Over the years, the festival has developed a number of unchanging events. The Grand Parade of Nations, which brings together some 3,500 artists from all the delegations, is undoubtedly the festival's most popular event.

Pontivy: Visit Brittany tells me that: Now a quiet market town where the River Blavet meets the Nantes-Brest canal, Pontivy was once the seat of one of Brittany’s most powerful families before becoming one of Napoléon’s ‘new towns’. Visit the castle then amble around the streets.
Pontivy was known as Napoléonville from 1804-14, March-June 1815 and from 1852-1870. Due to its strategic location on the River Blavet and to the fact that it retained its post-Revolution Republican leanings, Napoléon Bonaparte decided to make Pontivy ‘a centre of commerce in peacetime and an important military centre in time of war’. His new town, in the style of Roman towns, included law courts, a town hall and a school, all of which can be seen today.

Tour Specialties:
Lorient: Langoustine (1st port of landing of langoustines in France) and seafood in general (1st fishing port in France), cabbage of Lorient, Breton cake, cotriade.

Pontivy: Potato pancakes, Chistr Per (pear cider)

Christian Prudhomme says: Warren Barguil, best climber of the 2017 Tour should have all eyes on him as he takes off from his birth area. But he shouldn’t be in the spotlights at the finish: by the Château des Rohan, the sprinters certainly won’t want to miss out on this first opportunity they have to express themselves on this edition.


The stage: What looked, on paper at least, to be a standard sprint stage, albeit with rain. The break of the day had an expected day: Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe), Michael Schär (AG2R Citroën), Cyril Barthe (B&B Hotels), Maxime Chevalier (B&B Hotels), Jelle Wallays (Cofidis). And then, another crash. This time, Geraint Thomas was hurt and looked like he would not continue, but got back on, looking bad. Tony Martin, who has been having the worst luck so far, also went down. Also hurt and abandoning, Gesink. Of course, there was no way to tell if a: that was accurate and b: if there were other injuries, but he was back up and riding, with Luke Rowe to help bring him back to the bunch. Eventually two more teammates would come to help, usually a sign that a rider would continue. Indeed, he would make it back to the peloton.
One hundred and twenty five kilometers to go and the gap to the break was 2:35.
One hundred to go and it was at two minutes.
The finishing town was ready for them.
Excellent field art:  At the sprint point, Ewan took maximum points from the field over Cavendish. (Go Cav, go!) After the sprint, the bunch was at 1:25. Fifty kilometers to go and the gap was at one minute.
The finish, by the way, was complicated.

Or perhaps the better word was technical. Either way, just looking at it caused stress.
Twenty two kilometers to go and the gap was down to one minute, as they became more serious about the catch.
And then came a series of crashes, among those involved, Roglic. He would get up, but was losing time. He was more than one minute down. The bunch ahead was split in two.
Ahead, the catch had come.
Another large crash!
The front group was very small as they neared the finish, with may sprinters missing.
Another horrible crash as they started the sprint. Stage to Merlier, but the questions would be more about the injuries and time lost by many of the gc favorites. Just a mess of a stage. 

Stage:


GC:

The wine: Domaine Johanna Cecillon Divona
The first of two days from this producer.
From the producer: Divona is a Celtic goddess of the sacred springs. This tart apple orchard is located at the bottom of the deep and loamy valley floor, surrounded by forest on one side a stream on the other. Fruity nose, fine bubbles, light golden color, slightly dry with caramel and vanilla flavors.
For Divona the apple varieties include: Rouget de Dol, Locard Vert, Douce Moen, Pomme Poire, Marie Menard, Douce Coëtligné, Petit Jaune, Jurella, Judaine, Judor, and Inra 1364.

The food: Breton Butter Cake
Recipe here

Keeping it simple. 

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