Traffic information for the Tour de France 2016 in Normandy
Source: Préfecture de la Manche
Author: Marc Laurenceau
The start of the 2016 Tour de France takes place on Saturday 2 July at Mont-Saint-Michel, in the Manche département. For three days, Normandy will be welcoming 22 teams and 198 cyclists to its land, which is rich in historical heritage, particularly linked to the Second World War. Here is a summary and practical information on the three stages in Normandy.
Stage 1 – 2 July 2016
This first stage, 188 km long, takes the riders to Utah Beach, the beach where the Americans landed during Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944. The start of this first stage is scheduled for 12:50 (12:20 for the dummy start) at the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel, one of the most visited tourist sites in France with three million visitors a year. The peloton then heads for Avranches, Granville and Bréhal along the coast. From Lessay, the riders will head east via Sainte-Mère-Église before arriving at Utah Beach between 5 and 5.30pm.
Stage 2 – 3 July 2016
The second stage of the 2016 Tour de France starts in Saint-Lô on 3 July. Saint-Lô, also known as the capital of ruins during the Battle of Normandy, was almost 90% destroyed in 1944. The 183-kilometre route from Saint-Lô to Cherbourg-En-Contentin mainly follows the west coast of the Cotentin region, passing through Coutances, Lessay, Barneville-Carteret and Les Pieux. The final part of the route is already shaping up to be spectacular, with the passage of the côte de la Glacière to the finish line. Cyclists will pass close to the Fort du Roule, evidence of the fortifications protecting Cherbourg’s deep-water port.
Stage 3 – 4 July 2016
The third stage of the 2016 Tour de France starts in Granville on 4 July. The riders set off on a 223-kilometre route from Normandy to Angers. Apart from the difficulty of Villedieu-les-Poêles, with a climb classified in the fourth category, the day’s racing is dedicated to the sprinters.
2016 news of the Normandy landing beaches