TDF 2019: Stage 3, Binche > Épernay 08/07/2019 - 215 km *Spoilers*

Binche > Épernay 08/07/2019 - Stage 3 - 215 km

At 215 kilometres, the 3rd stage of the Tour de France travels from Binche to Épernay, which is located at the heart of the Champagne region. The hilly finale suits the Classics riders.



Stage 3 takes the riders south from Binche, and they cross the border from Belgium to France after 12km. Initially, they are in the département du Nord, then they cross into the Aisne, very briefly visit the Ardennes before returning to the Aisne, and finally enter the Marne.
It’s been a while since La Grande Boucle last finished in the commercial centre in the Champagne region. Actually, the biggest cycling race in the world arrived only once in Épernay. In 1963, Belgian rider Eddy Pauwels won that year’s 1st stage to catapult himself into the yellow jersey.

Reims is the major city on the route.



The route of the Tour de France’s 3rd stage runs on flat roads to a finale for puncheurs. The last 50 kilometres feature a series of sharp hills – Côte de Nanteuil-la-Forêt (1.1 kilometres at 6.8%), Côte d’Hautvillers (900 metres at 10.5%), Côte de Champillon (1.8 kilometres at 6.6%),



Côte de Mutigny (900 metres at 12.2%) and Côte du Mont Bernon (1 kilometre at 5%) -, all with the potential to eliminate fast men.



Furthermore, the ASO introduces a novelty to pep up the battle for the maillot jaune. Bonus seconds (8, 5 and 3) will be on offer at the Mutigny with 15 kilometres to go. The Mont Bernon is crested with 4 kilometres out, while the run-in to the line is also uphill. To be precise: the last 500 metres climb at 8%.



Pure sprinters won’t stand a chance on this terrain, but it will be interesting to see how the likes of Sagan and Matthews cope. And what about Van Aert? Winning two stages, the cyclocross champion recently made a spectacular stage race debut at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Favourites 3rd stage 2019 Tour de France

***** Peter Sagan, Julian Alaphilippe
**** Greg Van Avermaet, Wout Van Aert, Michael Matthews
*** Maximilian Schachmann, Alejandro Valverde, Sonny Colbrelli, Michal Kwiatkowski
** Matteo Trentin, Tim Wellens, Alberto Bettiol
* Rui Costa, Tony Gallopin, Wilco Kelderman, Daryl Impey

Binche
Population: 33,000
Binche hosted the 2018 Belgian road championship won by Yves Lampaert, who sported his national jersey on the roads of the Tour de France, during which his Quick Step team won four stages. Lampaert also finished second of the semi-classic 2018 Binche-Chimay-Binche won by Danny van Poppel. The race, created in 1911, had a n up-and-down history and was resurrected in 2010 under the guise of Franck Vandenbroucke Memorial to honour the man who won it in 1996. In 2013, the Hainaut city was also the start of the Fleche Wallonne, won that year by Daniel Moreno.

The town is home to team Wanty Groupe Gobert and among the riders born in Binche feature Albert Dubuisson, professional between 1938 and 1952, who took part in the 1950 Tour de France, the year he won the Tour of Belgium.

A listed carnival

The Binche carnival is an exceptional living heritage, an extraordinary human, social and cultural event. As such, its was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage event in 2003. This folkloric carnival, born from a long oral tradition, consists in a genuine ritual whose participants feel like they belong to something unique. Locals have a saying that goes “There is only one Binche in the world.”



Specialities: Binche doubles (small pancakes stuffed with cheese),



La Binchoise beer, Ruffus sparkling wine, Binche gin, Binche lace.



Épernay
Population: 24,000. 50,530 hab. for the 47 communes of Epernay Agglo Champagne.

The capital of champagne saw the Tour de France peloton for the first in 1963 for the 50th edition of the race. The starter of the day’s menu was a promising one as Federico Bahamontes attacked on the flat and took a 1:30 lead. It was enough for Jacques Anquetil to react after crashing at km 20 but not enough to prevent him from eventually winning his 4th Tour. That day, Eddy Pauwels had taken everything that was up for grabs – the stage and the yellow jersey. Already in the Tour GC lead for two days in 1959, the Belgian won four stages in his career and finished five times in the top 20. The Tour made it back it town for starts in 1978 (Jan Raas won the stage), for a team time trial won by the ONCE team in 2002, in 2010 for a bunch sprint dominated by Mark Cavendish in Montargis and in 2012 for a Peter Sagan victory in Metz. The last time the Tour came to Epernay in 2014, Matteo Trentin raised his arms in Nancy, scoring his second Tour victory after the one clinched in Lyon in 2013. The Italian belongs to the happy few who won stages in the three Grand Tours. Epernay is also the birthplace of John Gadret but also of Marcel Huot, winner of a Tour de France stage in 1928 and of Jean-Pierre Boulard, crowned in the 1968 Tour de l’Avenir.

Avenue de Champagne
A dozen champagne houses among the most famous in he world are located on the avenue: Moet & Chandon, Mercier, Boizel, Comtesse Lafond, De Castellane, Esterlin, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger, De Venoge, Demoiselle, A. Bergere… Avenue de Champagne is one of the sites chosen in the Champagne bid for the UNESCO World Heritage.



Specialities: champagne, champagne ratafia, marc de champagne, potée champenoise (stew)