2009 Café du Nord, Menetou-Salon decorated for the passage of Le Tour
The world's greatest sporting event – Le Tour de France – gets underway today with the prologue in Rotterdam. The 2010 edition ignores La Loire almost entirely apart from the 227.5 km sixth stage from Montargis to Gueugnon which skirts La Loire to the east. It actually goes through St Fargeau, where Mark Cavendish won one of his six stages last year on 15th July. This was the stage that went though many of the Loire's Central Vineyards including Menetou-Salon and Pouilly-sur-Loire. It was also the day before the devasting hailstorm on 16th July that was the final blow to Menetou's 2009 vintage.
The only other time the riders will be in the Loire is when they are on the TGV heading up from Bordeaux for the last day's racing into Paris.
