Saturday, July 7, 2018

Tour de France 2018 Stage 1: Noirmoutier-en-l'Île to Fontenay-le--Comte

Where are we?
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île: LeTour tells me that:  On the Atlantic Ocean, between earth and sea, Vendée makes the best of the diversity of its landscapes. Symbol of quality of life, the “département” is a land of excellency. Economical excellency thanks to its numerous dynamic companies that show the richness and resources of the men and women who work in them. Sporting excellency with its great events starting with the Vendée Globe sailing race that shows the taste of effort and audacity characterized by the people of Vendée. Cycling excellency, especially in this territory known for its capacity to notice talents and train the next generation (Vendée U, the Direct Energie team of Jean-René Bernaudeau). A nice example of the cycling values embodied by the entire département!
The regional tourism site adds: Nicknamed mimosa island due to its exceptional microclimate, Noirmoutier is a seaside paradise for nature lovers. It boasts blue salt-water wetlands which stretch over a third of the island, warm windswept sand dunes, and delicate scents from the holly oaks, strawberry trees and marine pines... Tucked away in the hollows of Bois de la Chaise, the large villas exemplify Noirmoutier and stand as witnesses to La Belle Époque and "sea bathing". Tourism and "classic yachting" were born in these sandy inlets facing the mainland.
Noirmoutier produces quality products from both land and sea including oysters and other shellfish, its famous "bonnotte" potatoes, natural sea salt and fish.
LeTour has more to say about those potatoes: 
A special brand of potato, picked early in the season, bonnotte belongs to the heritage of the isle of Noirmoutier. Its history started in the 1920s when a local farmer brought it back from Normandy. The potato found an ideal terrain to grow on the island and became extremely popular in the region and abroad as “bonnotte” in the 1950s. In the 1960s, mechanisation put an end to the culture of bonnotte, a fragile species needing to be handpicked. In 1995, Noirmoutier farmers decided to revive the brand, asking researchers from the National Agriculture Research Institute (INRA) in Brest to recreate it. In 1996, the bonnottes were back on the markets. The brand was declared the most expensive potato in the world at an auction in Paris Drouot auction centre. Its distinctive chestnut taste makes it a gourmet favourite and an international ambassador of Noirmoutier’s flavours.
LeTour regional specialties: bonnotte potatoes, lobsters, sea bass and sole, oysters, mussels, salt.

Fontenay-le--Comte: A regional tourism site tells me that:  The Renaissance town of Fontenay-le-Comte is often referred to as the prettiest town in the Vendée and is surely one of the prettiest in France being listed in the "Plus Beau detours de France".
Sitting astride the River Vendée this former port was a fording town on the old Roman coastal road from Les Sables D’Olonne to Niort. Many of the villages through which the road passes, though now miles from the sea, still have streets named quay road and signposts for the port. The reason for this is that as the Marshes gradually silted up, and the land was drained by the Benedictine monks, the sea receded and by the end of the 19th century the town was all but finished as a port.
One is the Marais Poitevin a drained marshland, known as the Green Venice of the West. It is criss-crossed with canals and punctuated by pretty little towns which straddle the rivers and canals of the area. You can punt along these and obtain a fascinating insight into the flora and fauna of this unique environment. The second of these places offers a totally different experience, it is the Mervent forest where one can walk, ride or cycle within this beautiful area of forest and lakes In the forest over 200 kilometres of well marked footpaths have been laid out and it offers some of the best walks to be found anywhere in the Vendée. 
LeTour regional specialties: mogette (beans) bonbon (white beans), préfou (garlic bread), wines Pissotte (AOC fief vendéen), melon, dry ham, eel, Vendee buns (sweet)



 
The stage: And we have a race, starting with a 201 kilometer flat, likely to be a sprint stage. Our first break of the Tour: Cousins, Offredo and Ledanois. With 130 kilometers left to race, they had about 2:30 over the main peloton.


 Our first sprintermediate (bonus sprint point mid-race) and time to find out who might be interested in the green jersey. The answer, almost all of the expected riders, with Gaviria taking maximum points out of the bunch. Meanwhile, Lawson Craddock with the first crash of the race. He would hang onto the medic car for quite a while getting treatment.
With about fifty kilometers to go, the gap to the breakaway was hovering around 1:30.
Something different this year:


Not high hopes=doomed.


Crash and a split in the field! Demare caught out, but the rest of the sprinters seems to still be there. As the roads narrowed, a second crash. Oh, yes, the first stages of the Tour are always precarious. We haven't seen him, but word from race radio that Froome was involved in the crash. Sure enough, over the barrier he went. Quintana flats!  This got dramatic quickly for the gc riders.
Up ahead, Gaviria, easily.
With so many of the main contenders losing time, interesting to see Nibali coming in 11th. 


 


 

The wine: Jumeaux Le Sang De L'Yon 2015 Cepage Negrette
From CopakeWineworks
Christy says: Totally going against type here….with REDS from the land of Muscadet!!!!I have a tiny grower from Fief de Vendeens, they do reds
from Negrette, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

 Domaine des Jumeaux is located in Chaillé-sous-les-Ormeaux in the Vendée  in the Mareuil vineyard of the Vendée Fiefs. Jean-Marc also has his Chenin vineyard on Talmont-Saint-Hilaire near Port Bourgenay. Domaine des Jumeaux has turned towards an organic and bio-dynamic viticulture favoring the respect of the environment and terroirs. Jean-Marc Tard has 11 hectares in organic conversion since 2009, certified Ecocert since 2011. 

Cherry, pepper, and violets. I liked this one a lot. Negrette, by the way, is a grape we will revisit later in the tour. It is most found in the South West, north of the vineyards of Toulouse. It is used primarily in wines under the Côtes du Frontonnais appellation, in which it is by necessity the dominant grape, making up at least 50-70% of the blend. 



The food:  Fleur de Sel de Noirmoutier 
Salt seems like a good place to start the race. Fleur de Sel translates to “the flower of salt”, referring to the way the crystals bloom on the surface of the drying pool.
Fleur de sel is taken from the very top of the highly saline water as the sun dries the crystals. Since this salt does not come into contact with the bottom of the ponds, it maintains a pure white color if harvested well.
Speaking of harvesting well, I highly recommend this article from NPR on hand harvesting salt.
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