Tour de France Stage 3: Wanze to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut
Plain Stage
Tues, July 6—starts at 1235 local time
About Stage 3
By Chris Brewer
A day at the Tour that some are looking to with relish, others with fear and trepidation. In an homage to the one day Classics Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, today’s stage features 13km of cobblestone roads over the final 78km. If it’s bad weather the roads will be truly dangerous, if good, dust clouds could still block your vision. And everyone will be trying to stay safe at the front, and there's only room for a few!
About Wanze
Wanze makes its Tour de France debut this year as a stage town, but it's not new to the cycling world. Each year, the Ardennes Classic race finishes near Wanze, and within the town is the Cycle Museum, which showcases 180 bicycles from as early as 1830. Wanze is also home to a flea market for cycling collectors.
Wanze is located in the Meuse valley of Belgium, and is made up of six villages and a hamlet. Eco-tourism has become popular in the area, due to its beautiful walking trails and the opportunity to view the ruins of the feudal castle of Moha. The stage departure from Wanze will have the riders negotiating cobblestones, the first time they have made an appearance since 2004.
About Arenberg Porte du Hainaut
Cyclists cross the border from Belgium into France on their way into the town of Arenberg. This is the first year Arenberg-Porte du Hainaut has acted as a stage site for the Tour. Located in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, this stage site is made up of 39 towns and villages. Visitors are drawn to the area for its thermal baths, walking and bike trails, industrial architecture and local cuisine.
Arenberg is also the home of a famous mining site. During its time of operation, the mine provided economic and cultural development for the region, especially through the integration of immigrants. It now represents the rich history of the region, and has been nominated as a UNESCO world heritage site.
-- City descriptions written by Rachel Horn
Tags:
de france,
de france s3
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