|
|
|
|
Compiègne
236.5 km
Tuesday 10 July
"The longest stage in this year’s Tour de France. After Flanders, the peloton will enter France along some of the roads used for the Paris-Roubaix race - Wallers, Denain, Solesmes - before crossing Fontaine-au-bois, the land of Jean-Marie Leblanc. The slightly hilly route will not present any major difficulties. Therefore, we should be able to enjoy a huge sprint at the end of a magnificent straight stretch of road."
Compiègne - 236.5 km
Race Track
A dynamic town with a rich horseracing past. At the end of summer is held the «Waregem Koerse» a world-renowned race in its 160th running. More than just a race, it concludes a week of festivities for all ages alike. Waregem also boasts a lively city center, with numerous shops, hotels, cafés and restaurants, a music and arts school, a sports and aquatic center. Tourist attractions include the Baron Casier Park, the American cemetery and the Gaverbeek racetrack. Numerous festivities take place year-round, such as the Balonhappening Balloon festival, a children’s festival, the Lys Valley Festival, the many concerts held all summer long in the château and the Waregem Koerse. Wetther by train or car, getting to Waregem is a cinch, so come and join in the fun!
The castle
Lying between forests and the river Oise, Compiègne is where the living is easy. Founded by the emperor Charles the Bald in the 9th century, both a place of leisure and seat of power, the town was frequented by all French monarchs up to Napoleon III. Its splendid chateau welcomed Louis XVI and Mary Antoinette, Napoleon and Mary Louise, and the famous guests of Napoleon III and Eugenia’s entourage. However, Compiègne also had its share of tragic moments, like when Joan of Arc was made prisoner by the English who had laid siege to the town, or in 1918 when the Germans capitulated in Compiègne forest on November 11. Many monuments pay tribute to its thousand year history and its motto «To King and Kingdom, most faithful». The City Hall dating back to the late Middle Ages, the chateau designed by Gabriel and its Imperial Theater, the Saint-Corneille medieval cloisters, the many churches in the old streets.
