Sunday, July 14, 2024

Tour de France 2024 Stage 15: Loudenvielle to Plateau du Beille


Where are we? Another day in the Pyrenees

Loudenvielle: The regional tourist site tells me that Labeled Country of Art and History in 2008 and classified since 2018 as Grand Site Occitanie “Pyrénées Aure-Louron” , the Louron Valley can be savored with the eyes.
Led by the guides-lecturers of the Pays d'Art et d'Histoire, a program of visits allows you to discover the heritage of the Louron Valley. Ancient villages enamelled with plaques, listed Romanesque churches with paintings over 500 years old will no longer hold any secrets for you. Visits which are always the opportunity for great encounters whether during the day, at night, with stories, with themes... Absolutely worth discovering in Loudenvielle is the Arixo museum space, a traditional residence where ancestral know-how is brought to life. combines new technologies and the Moulin de Saoussas , a true milling museum whose millstones operate with the power of water and the objects and tools presented date mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Outside, the sawmill operates as in the past. .

Le Tour specialties:  Black pork of Bigorre (AOC), Tarbes beans, Wines (Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AOC), Barèges-Gavarnie AOC mutton, Onions from Trébons, Gascony hen, Garbure, Foie gras, spit cake...

Plateau du Beille: Another ski resort! The local site tells me that One of the Premier Nordic Sites in France, its snow has everything to seduce you
Located near Toulouse (1h30), at an altitude of 1800 meters, Beille offers a 360° panorama of the Pyrenees.
Its preserved nature, its grandiose landscapes and its numerous activities will punctuate your stay.
Did you know that reaching Beille is equivalent to reaching Scandinavia?
Throughout the journey, the landscapes, vegetation and fauna change.
Between Toulouse and Foix, oak dominates. Then the beech appears above Tarascon. The tree joins him just after Les Cabannes. It is only when we arrive at Beille that we discover the birch, the hook pine, the callune and the rhododendron. The succession of these plants is exactly the same when crossing Europe from south to north! Likewise, the ptarmigan or white partridges found in Finestre, south of the Beille plateau, have very close “cousins” in Lapland, at the Arctic Circle!

Le Tour specialties: delicatessen, zynat (soup), mushrooms, croustade, Tommes d'Ariège, Milla ariégeois (dessert).

Christian Prudhomme says:  The third Sunday of the Tour could prove crucial. Whatever’s happened on the previous days in the mountains, the terrain on this stage is ripe for revenge or confirmation, with 4,850 metres of vertical gain on the menu over almost 200 kilometres of racing. All manner of scenarios could play out, and it’s not unrealistic to imagine that team-mates of the GC contenders will attempt to infiltrate the breakaway climbing the Peyresourde. That would prove invaluable given what lies ahead, especially in a finale that features the climbs of the Col d’Agnes and the Port de Lers followed by the final haul up to Plateau de Beille.


The stage: Another brutal day and another large break. One hundred kms to go and the break had a gap of about 2:30. Eighty to go and it was at 3:40. As they continued, the break would split up, with 3 remaining out front, 2 chasers, and a very small yellow bunch behind. Soon it would be 4 out front and 1 chaser, as Carapaz reached the front trio. And soon great riding by Johannessen to join as well. 
Way behind, lost of concern on the broadcast about Cavendish and the time cut.
We shall see.
It was time to climb. At the start, all of the gc riders were together. Way behind: 28 minutes to Girmay. 38 minutes to Cavendish.
The gap to the break would drop quickly, as the very reduced peloton sped up.
Up front, they would attack each other repeatedly, as that gap continued to shrink.
And there they went, Pogacar and Vingegaard. They would drop the rest of the gc group with just about 10 kms to go. They would reach the remaining break riders very, very quickly. Carapaz would hang on with them briefly. It would not last.
They climbed together, but eventually, Pogacar would surge forward. They still had 5 kms of climbing to go. Big sigh.  
Pogacar was gaining a lot of time. 1:08 to be precise.
Speaking of time, the time cut was set at 53:22 and the Cavendish group was 37 minutes back as they approached the final climb. Someday my dream would come true and we would have a dedicated grupetto cam.





The wine: Domaine d'Ansignan Cotes Catalanes Les Grenadines
From an importer: A partnership between vignerons, Sebastien Calduch and Jeff Carrel, Domaine d’Ansignan estate is located high in the Pyrenees mountains at the end of Occitania. From three distinct parcels in granite-based soils 900 to 1400 feet above sea level, the vineyard is dry-farmed and in conversion to organic. Domaine d'Ansignan offers natural wines that deliver great energy and balance.

The food: Azinat Soup 

 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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