Over more than a century of shared history, both Cherbourg and the Tour have changed significantly. The Tour comprised fifteen long-distance stages when Gustave Garrigou won in this maritime town in 1911 at the end of a 405-kilometre run from Brest. Two days later, he cemented his place in history by triumphing in Paris. For its part, Cherbourg became a fixture on the Tour route. Among its most notable finishes was Ottavio Bottecchia’s first stage win and Yellow Jersey, taken in a sprint finish on his debut in the race in 1923, a year before he went on to become the first Italian to win the event. Prolific stage-winner André Leducq (25 Tour wins in total) triumphed there twice in 1928 and 1929. Cherbourg then waited more than half a century for the Tour to return, victory going to another Italian, Guido Bontempi, for whom the success in Normandy was the first six stage wins. The hometown of Benoît Cosnefroy later merged with Octeville to become Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, and was where Peter Sagan first wore the yellow jersey, when he won there in 2016 ahead of flamboyant debutant Julian Alaphilippe.
- Stage town for the 19th time
- Sub-prefecture of La Manche (50)
- Population: 78,300
- cherbourg.fr • lecotentin.fr
