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La Grande-Motte
196.5 km
Monday 6 July
This stage will be 100 % Marseillais. From the Old Port, an arrival a few meters from the water and the boats to La Grande-Motte with a finish in the heart of “French Florida”. This stage will be in the salty sea air and the wind should play an essential role in the crossing of Camargue. The leaders should keep their guard up.
Notre-Dame de la Garde© City of Marseille
• 33-time stage-town
• Population 826,700
• Capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region - Prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhône (13)
From the Goudes district to l’Estaque and on through the Old Port, in Marseilles sport is for everyone. International sporting events, regional competitions, sport for fun or fitness, all punctuate city life.
Marseilles, a magnificent natural environment with 57 kilometres of coastline, vast stretches of wide open space for outdoor activities, deep sea diving, fishing, sliding and gliding sports, sailing and the Calanques (narrow coves cut out of the rock), a paradise for hikers and rock climbers.
An immense plethora of amenities and facilities are dedicated to a comprehensive range of sports activities: 60 different disciplines for an estimated population of 300 000 sportsmen and women, with 150 000 sports licence holders for 1 500 clubs.
The promotion of sport contributes to the development of social networking and consolidates the identity of a richly cosmopolitan city, associating competitors, school children, sport lovers, families and simple spectators in an identical pursuit.
It is for all of these reasons that the City of Marseilles is doing its utmost to expand the daily practice of sport, but also to host international events that further boost the image of a vibrant and welcoming town.
La Grande-Motte by night© O. Maynard
• 2-time stage-town
• Population 8,400
• Town in Hérault (34)
A lush oasis of greenery on the shores of the Mediterranean, located on the Languedoc coastline, kilometres of fine sand beaches at the heart of the Petite Camargue: La Grande-Motte, a thriving seaside resort, invites you to get away from it all.
The town, a unique architectural design, was imagined and created by Jean Balladur, inspired by nature, the outline of the Pic Saint-Loup on the horizon and his wonder at the pre-Columbian Inca pyramids in Mexico. The greenest resort in Europe, the town is more like a luxuriant and refreshing park, where the sun shines 300 days a year.
With a famous international golf course, a pool complex, more than thirty tennis courts, a Thalassatherapy Institute, a casino and private beaches, this is more than a dream holiday destination: it’s a resort entirely focused on recreation and pleasure. A bustling place throughout the year, “the French Florida” encourages you to relax and enjoy some leisure time, sports and water sports.
This coastal town, where everything is here, on the spot, recently celebrated with some emotion its forty years of existence.
