"If it isn’t you, it has to be your brother!" It was with such a headline that newspaper L'Auto, organiser of the Tour, had highlighted the success of Ernest Paul on the Nice-Nîmes stage of July 1909. He indeed ended a series of five consecutive stage wins of his half-brother François Faber who of course went on to win in Paris. Nîmes has since then established itself among the preferred southern towns of the Tour and has become a stronghold for sprinters like Mark Cavendish (2008), Alexander Kristoff (2014) and Caleb Ewan (2019). Aïtor Gonzalez, winner of the 2002 Vuelta is indeed the last audacious rider to have managed to make the best of a breakaway to win there in 2004.
Stage city for the 19th time
Préfecture of Gard (30)
Inhabitants : 154,200 (Nîmois), 258,000 in the 39 commons of the Communauté d’agglomération Nîmes Métropole
