Wine and Food of the Tour de France 2022 Stage 4: Dunkerque to Calais

Where are we? Back in France, cycling along the Northern coast. 

Dunkerque:  Known in English as Dunkirk, in May and June of 1940, Dunkirk was the scene of a major turning point in history. During the Second World War, the famous Operation Dynamo succeeded in evacuating more than 338,000 soldiers to England, in only nine days.

To visit: Fort des Dunes Museum (in Leffrinckoucke) A place of remembrance of the Second World War, this military relic is a privileged witness to the history of the area. The new scenography installed in the troops' building displays six immersive video rooms, models and interactive panels that retrace the history of the territory from "Turenne to Dynamo". With its buildings hidden under the sand, the Dunes fort is a remarkable example of the military architecture designed by General Séré de Rivières. It was built in 1878, together with the Zuydcoote battery, to protect Dunkirk and its port from any attack from the east. Following the invention of new explosives, it quickly lost its strategic role and was used as a barracks, able to house 450 soldiers.  

Le Tour specialties: potjevleesch (pieces of chicken, pork and veal in jelly), Flemish carbonade (meat simmered in beer), waffles

Calais: As the gateway to the British Isles and the point of passage for the English to the continent, Calais enjoys remarkable accessibility thanks to maritime traffic, the Channel Tunnel, two motorways and high-speed rail links to London, Paris and Brussels. 

As the mother of a lace maker, this is my spot to visit: The City of Lace and Fashion: It is housed in one of the last typical collective lace factories, dating from the end of the 19th century. Following an architectural competition launched in 2004, the Moatti & Rivière firm was selected for a project launched in 2006. This building now houses magnificent collections of haute couture lace and industrial heritage, including the famous Leavers looms that still make Calais lace. www.cite-dentelle.fr

Le Tour specialties: welsh (toasted bread topped with beer, ham, cheese and mustard), Dragon and 2 Caps beers, Le Calais (pastry with a coffee and chicory taste)

Christian Prudhomme says: Although the stage starts and finishes at sea level, the amount of climbing in between might well give the sprinters some cause for concern. The peloton will, for example, head towards the hills of West Flanders and then visit the Boulonnais hills. There’s likely to be lots of long-range attacks, especially in the final section along the coast that could well be windy: the climbs near the Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez headlands could prove decisive.

The stage: Our first stage in France! Another possible sprint stage, another breakaway by Magnus Cort. This time though, he had Anthony Perez for company. Also, cobbles. It would go on like that for a long way. With 60 kilometers to go, the gap, which had been much larger, had dropped to two minutes.

As the peloton of #TDF2022 went over the Côte de Harlettes, they had covered 500km since the start from Copenhagen

🇩🇰@MagnusCort spent 400 of those km in breakaways#TDFdata pic.twitter.com/qLDuw4oCGs

— letourdata (@letourdata) July 5, 2022

As the bunch closed in on them, Perez took a solo lead with 41 kilometers to go.

For Cort, by crossing the first 8 summits of the Tour de France first, Magnus Cort broke a record set by Federico Bahamontes in 1958. So, another good day for him.

We learned an interesting stat from Le Tour: Shall stage 4 be won by a rider who is not one of the nine Spanish riders in contention, it will be the 100th consecutive stage of a Grand Tour that doesn’t have a Spanish winner. Ion Izagirre was the last one on 6 stage of the 2020 La Vuelta at Aragon-Formigal.

🤩 La Côte d'Opale#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/qPMXSn1HVi

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 5, 2022

Wow. As Perez was caught, an attack by van Aert, briefly with company. Chaos was the right word, with splits behind him. What a move! Seven kilometers to go and he had 22 seconds. Apparently he really did not want to finish second again today. 

Behind, the sprinters teams were attempting to bring their men up, but it looked very unlikely. He would hold on, though coming in behind Philipsen seemed to think he may have won.

History made. @WoutvanAert#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/9tY5IYcuVO

— daniel mcmahon (@cyclingreporter) July 5, 2022

 

Stage:

1	VAN AERT Wout	Jumbo-Visma	4:01:36
2	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin-Deceuninck	0:08
3	LAPORTE Christophe	Jumbo-Visma	0:08
4	KRISTOFF Alexander	Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux	0:08
5	SAGAN Peter	TotalEnergies	0:08
6	MOZZATO Luca	B&B Hotels - KTM	0:08
7	VAN POPPEL Danny	BORA - hansgrohe	0:08
8	HOFSTETTER Hugo	Team Arkéa Samsic	0:08
9	MATTHEWS Michael	Team BikeExchange - Jayco	0:08
10	THOMAS Benjamin	Cofidis	0:08

GC:

1	1	-	VAN AERT Wout	Jumbo-Visma	25	22″	13:02:43
2	2	-	LAMPAERT Yves	Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team			0:25
3	3	-	POGAČAR Tadej	UAE Team Emirates			0:32
4	4	-	PEDERSEN Mads	Trek - Segafredo		4″	0:36
5	6	▲1	VINGEGAARD Jonas	Jumbo-Visma			0:40
6	9	▲3	KÜNG Stefan	Groupama - FDJ			0:48
7	10	▲3	PIDCOCK Thomas	INEOS Grenadiers			0:49
8	11	▲3	MATTHEWS Michael	Team BikeExchange - Jayco			0:50
9	15	▲6	VLASOV Aleksandr	BORA - hansgrohe			0:56
10	17	▲7	LAPORTE Christophe	Jumbo-Visma		4″	0:57

The wine: 3 Monts Beer

From the producer:
Light golden beer (8.5 % alc./vol.)
A wonderful return to nature, with a flavour of yesteryear, this is a beer that is drawn from wooden barrels to fill so many mugs in our Flemish bars!
Brewed by infusion with strong and hearty Flemish hops, then fermented using top yeasts, 3 Monts is perfectly balanced between malt aroma, fruity flavours and bitterness. The head is generous, dense and long-lasting.
The best way to taste the 3 Monts beer is in a cool cellar (like the ones in our Flemish houses, which are between 8 and 12°C) !

The food: La Dunkerquoise French Waffle Cookies

Crisp, rich caramel french flemish waffle cookies baked from a traditional recipe since 1904. Because sometimes a cookie is the right answer.