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Towns: North zone |
Wasquehal - Cambrai - Arras - Amiens - Chartres - Bonneval - Angers - Châteaubriant - Saint-Brieuc - Lamballe - Quimper - Montereau - Paris
Wasquehal
First hosted a stage in 1988 (1. Yates) and most recently in 1996 (1. Cipollini).
Northern town which was incorporated into the Lille agglomeration. 18,000 inhabitants.
Wasquehal is known for its abundant flowers and greenery. It is also an example of economic dynamism, known for its busy pace of life and sports facilities.
• Town of Wasquehal: www.ville-wasquehal.fr
• Tourist office: www.asso.nordnet.fr
Cambrai
Making its first appearance as a stage town.
Northern county-town. Sits on the Escaut. 34,000 inhabitants.
Famed for its textile industry (cambric) since the 13th century, this military town is also renowned for its confectionery: the famous Bêtises de Cambrai.
• Town of Cambrai: www.villedecambrai.com
• Tourist office: www.cambraiofficedetourisme.com
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Arras
Stage start in 1991.
Prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais and old capital of the Artois. Sits on the Scarpe. 43,000 inhabitants.
A large grain market and weaving centre, Arras used to mark the start of the rough cobbled section dubbed the "Enfer du Nord" (or "Hell of the North") in the Paris-Roubaix.
• Town of Arras: www.ville-arras.fr
• Tourist office: www.ot-arras.fr
Amiens
First hosted a stage in 1932 (1. Leducq) and most recently in 1999 (1. Cipollini).
Prefecture of the Somme and county-town of the Picardie region. Sits on the Somme. 136,000 inhabitants.
Amiens owes its growth to the textile industry.
Jules Verne lived here.
The town suffered heavily in 1918 and 1940, during the two world wars.
w2.amiens.com
Chartres
Making its first appearance as a stage town.
Prefecture of Eure-et-Loir and capital of the Beauce. 40,000 inhabitants (including environs: 130,000 inhabitants).
Its cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic art, with a spire that soars over the plain; it is closely connected with the Theological School of Chartres.
www.ville-chartres.fr
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Bonneval
Stage start in 1999.
County-town of Eure-et-Loir. Sits on the Loir. 4,500 inhabitants.
Old fortress constructed around a 9th century abbey.
Hosts the start of the Paris-Tours Espoirs.
www.ville-bonneval.fr
Angers
First hosted a stage in 1936 (1. Maye) and most recently in 1979 (1. Raas).
Prefecture of Maine-et-Loire and old capital of Anjou. Sits on the Maine. 140,000 inhabitants (including environs: 227,000 inhabitants).
Symbol of the "douceur angevine" (or "sweet Angers lifestyle").
Its 17-turreted castle houses the incomparable tapestry of the Apocalypse.
• Town of Angers: www.angers.fr
• Tourist office: www.angers-tourisme.com
Châteaubriant
Stage start in 1983.
Borough-town of Loire-Atlantique. 13,000 inhabitants.
This little town on the borders of Anjou and Brittany, dominated by its castle, still remembers the terrible execution of 27 hostages by the Nazis in 1941.
• Town of Châteaubriant: www.mairie-chateaubriant.fr
• Tourist office: www.tourisme-chateaubriant.fr.st
Saint-Brieuc
First hosted a stage in 1938 (1. Majerus) and most recently in 1995, when the Tour started here (Prologue: 1. Durand).
Prefecture of the Côtes d'Armor. 45,000 inhabitants (including environs: 120,000 inhabitants).
Scallop fishing is the great speciality of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc.
• Town of Saint-Brieuc: www.mairie-saint-brieuc.fr
• Tourist office: www.baiedesaint-brieuc.com
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Lamballe
Making its first appearance as a stage town.
District-town of the Côtes d'Armor. 10,000 inhabitants.
Old capital of Penthièvre, renowned for its stud farm. Its name evokes the Princesse de Lamballe, friend of Marie-Antoinette and innocent victim of the massacres of September 1792, during the Revolution.
www.lamballe-communaute.com
Quimper
Stage start in 1958, 1962 and 1965. Stage town in 1991 (1. Anderson).
Prefecture of Finistère and old capital of the Comté de Cornouaille. Sits on the Odet. 60,000 inhabitants (including environs: 120,000 inhabitants).
Previously Locmaria. A typical Breton town, Quimper has been a centre of the art of earthenware for three centuries.
• Town of Quimper: www.mairie-quimper.fr
• Tourist office: www.quimper-tourisme.com
Montereau
Stage start in 1977.
District-town of Seine-et-Marne, at the confluence of the Seine and the Yonne. 19,000 inhabitants.
Its history was marked by the rivalry between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians in the Middle-Ages. The Duke of Burgundy, Jean Sans Peur, was assassinated here in 1419.
www.ville-montereau77.fr
Paris
Capital of France and a department created in 1964. 2,300,000 inhabitants (including environs: 10 million inhabitants).
Has hosted the climactic finish of the Tour since its start in 1903. The final kilometres were raced in the stadium of Parc des Princes up until 1967, then on the municipal track of Vincennes, before coming to their current arena of the Champs-Élysées in 1975.
www.paris.fr
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Towns: North zone |
 Choose a zone: Wallonia, North, South
Wallonia zone: Liège, Charleroi, Namur, Waterloo
North zone: Wasquehal, Cambrai, Arras, Amiens, Chartres, Bonneval, Angers, Châteaubriant, Saint-Brieuc, Lamballe, Quimper, Montereau-Fault-Yonne, Paris Champs-Élysées
South zone: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, Guéret, Limoges, Saint-Flour, Figeac, Castelsarrasin, La Mongie, Lannemezan, Plateau de Beille, Carcassonne, Nîmes, Valréas, Villard-de-Lans, Bourg d'Oisans, L'Alpe d'Huez, Le Grand Bornand, Annemasse, Lons-le-Saunier, Besançon
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