Symbolic moments
"After a plane transfer and a rest day at Saint-Nazaire, the Tour heads into Western France once again for a magnificent finish beneath Saint-Malo's ramparts. It's fair to say that this is a stage designed with tradition in mind, in as much as it will enable us to honour the memory of Louison Bobet and pay tribute to Bernard Hinault. This 100th edition of the Tour de France will feature another great symbol of national life: for the first time, the riders will pass through the heart of the Coëtquidan military camp, where the elite cadets from the Saint-Cyr military school will line up in their splendid uniforms to honour them. The moment will provide some unforgettable, moving and typically French images. Then we will probably see the sprinters perform..."
The towns / A sporting view
Saint-Gildas-des-Bois
The administrative centre of the Loire-Atlantique canton, halfway between Redon and Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Gildas-des-Bois takes its name from a pine forest planted at the time of the reign of Louis-Philippe. Near to an attractive coastline, it offers a quality environment and a fulfilling way of life in terms of local services, businesses and school and sports facilities. You will also find a farm school where the Fédération Compagnonnique des Métiers du Bâtiment offers its students training courses. The centre of the commune is dominated both by the imposing Benedictine Abbey, founded at the beginning of the 11th century that is today home to the community of the Sisters of Saint-Gildas and by the Abbey Church, built the following century. Built in a rust coloured sandstone and classed as an historic monument, it counts amongst the most beautiful Roman churches in Brittany. Notably you can admire the fourteen new windows in monochrome crystal representing meditating children that replaced the previous windows that were destroyed during the Second World War.
Web sites
Population: 3,400
Chef-lieu de canton of Loire-Atlantique (44)
Specialities: cheese (saint-gildas-des-bois), pancakes and cider.
Economy: agriculture, upholstery.
Sport: Tour Bretagne – Loire Atlatnique espoirs.
Celebrities: Andre Trillard (politician), Philippe Gildas.
Festivals: Comics Festival (March), Franco-American chamber music meetings (August)
Stage profile
Mountain passes & hills
No mountain passes and hills referenced in this stageSaint-Malo
Soon only 2 and a quarter hours from Paris, thanks to the LGV, Saint-Malo is an authentic and lively destination that every years welcomes more than two million visitors. An appeal put down to both its exceptional environment, the Emerald coast, its find sand beaches, its ramparts, its castle built in the 15th century by the Dukes of Brittany and to its history, written in part by its great men, illustrious writers like Chateaubriand, or world explorers like Jacques Cartier, Robert Surcouf and Duguay-Trouin. A tourist destination, Saint-Malo is also an attractive and job creating town, placed 11th in the Top 100 places to run a business. Part of the Mer Bretagne centre of excellence it has developed into a town dedicated to marine biotechnology. And what would Saint-Malo be without its great cultural and nautical events ? You automatically think of the festivals of Amazing Travellers, of the Quai des Bulles, of the Route of Rock, of the Classic at Large but also of all the great events like the Route du Rhum or the Québec-Saint-Malo that harks back to the long maritime tradition of the walled city.
Web sites
Sub-prefecture of Ille-et-Villaine (35)
Population: 51,000
Motto / Signature: “Neither French, nor Breton, Malouin I am” / Cité corsaire
Specialities: seafood, sausage pancakes, craquelins (biscuits) sheep, butter.
Economy: tourism, port, dairy, wood, textile.
Celebrities: François Rene de Chateaubriand (writer), Surcouf (privateer), Jacques Cartier (explorer), Leo Ferre (singer) , Daniel Gélin (actor).
Sport: sailing (Québec-Saint-Malo, Route du Rhum), CJF Handball, USSM (football), La Fleche d'Emeraude (cycling race)
Festivals: FETLYF (theatre with high school students), Jazz à l'étage (March), Courant d'Art, Classique au large (April), Etonnants voyageurs (literature) - Forum des Arts (MAy), SOLIDOR painting (June), International Festival of world dance and music (July), Route du Rock (August), Quai des Bulles (October).
Labels: Ville d'art et d'histoire, Station Nautique (****), Grand prix national du fleurissement (4)
Jersey wearers after the stage 20
- yellow jerseyWIGGINS B.SKY
- polka-dot jerseyVOECKLER T.EUC
- white jerseyVAN GARDEREN T.BMC
- the day's winnerCAVENDISH M.SKY
- teamRADIOSHACK-.RNT
- super-combativeSORENSEN C.STB
Sporting stakes
Yellow Jersey 
Green Jersey 
Red Polka Dot Jersey 
White Jersey 
Most aggressive rider 
Team classification Corporate social responsibility
Since it was founded, Amaury Sport Organisation has been involved in various sponsorship and philanthropy activities. It is the generosity of sport that can be found in a certain number of initiatives aiming to invest in the workings of the disciplines themselves (sponsorship of the French Federation of Cycling), in a humanitarian and social framework, (Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, Actions Dakar, Un Techo Para Mi Pais) or in the environmental sphere (Madre De Dios, selective sorting, etc.). Read more
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