July 6, 2010
Stage 3- Wanze, Belgium to Arenberg-Porte du Hainaut, France
Today is the stage that any Tour de France fan has looked forward to since that day in October when the route was unveiled. This year the organizers included the fabled Pave’s of Southern Belgium and Northern France that are always part of the “Hell of the North” the Paris-Roubaix race each spring. There is sure to be some big things happening today and you don’t want to miss it.
The stage starts in the town of Wanze in the Liege province of Belgium. Wanze dates back to the 12th century when it was mentioned as a gift to the Bishops of Liege. Today it is home to the newest and modern sugar refinery in Europe. The BioWanze sugar refinery creates bioethanol from beetroot and wheat and then mixes it with oil. During this process the refinery is able to also produce enough energy from the process to self sustain itself and provide enough power to run the entire factory.
Leaving Wanze and almost immediately in the city of Huy (pronounced oo-ee) and one of the major city of the Ardennes and stretches across the River Meuse. The River Meuse is the same river that the Tour crossed over at the Prologue in Rotterdam; it flows through the Netherlands, down through Belgium and to Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse commune of the Haute-Marne in the Champagne region of France. Huy is one of the oldest cities in Belgium and a Roman military base. In 1066 it was given one of the first official town charters in Belgium. Over the centuries the town has prospered with the woodworking, tanning, sculpting and cloth industries until the 17th century. In the 17th century an attack by Louis XIV and the French army decimated the city, little remains of the original city and castle.
The capital of the Walloon region, Namur sits at the confluence of the River Sambre and River Meuse and has been a part of history many times. Julius Caeser commanded his Roman Legions up through the Meuse valley and right through Namur some 2000 years ago on their way to Cologne, some Roman remains can still be seen today. Charlemagne also used the area while making the trek to Germany from France and the French marched through under Louis XIV and again with Napoleon. Namur was not immune to the First and Second World Wars as well, with seeing action in both the great wars.
The town of Soignies with its narrow streets all lead to the Collegial church of St Vincent, created in 670 by a former governor, Madelgaire. The church is constructed from the local sandstone in the Romanesque style and was fully restored in 2009. It has been added to over the centuries with the addition of the Gothic west tower addition in the 13th century.
In Moulbaix the last working timber windmill, the “Moulin de la Marquise” built in 1614. A post style mill that still grinds wheat powered by the wind and is the last of its kind still in use today.
And now the Tour de France crosses into France to spend the next 3 weeks, ahhhhhh……
The town of Rumegies is just on the edge of France in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region makes the very tip top of France and stretches from the English Channel on the West to the edge of Belgium on the North.
The mythical cobbles or Pave’s of northern France and Belgium have not been a part of the Tour de France in years. Some riders are not too pleased to have them on the route this year but the Tour de France isn’t called the toughest sporting event for nothing. This isn’t your Sunday in the park ride boys, it’s all about the complete rider and the toughest, you can’t win the tour by only doing well on the flat stages or the mountains, and they have to do it all.
Once in France the Pave section of Sars-et-Rosiers and Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes resemble more of a back country path than a “road”, the 1.5 miles of paves with some sharp bends can cause problems. In fact this is where Saxo Bank rider Frank Schleck will go down and break his collar bone and have to leave the Tour de France. (The collar bone break is the most common injury to cyclist)
Wangignies-Hamage sits in the heart of the Parc Naturel Regional Scarpe-Escaut and will be the largest section of cobbles at 2.3 miles of jagged uneven road. Part of the 2004 Tour de France this long stretch will be the big test of the riders. This is where Lance Armstrong popped a tire and lost big time on the leaders.
The final stretch of cobbles of the Pave d’Haveluy is considered the Bernard Hinault section, named after the Tour de France winner. It has a slight rise to it before it slopes down at the end. If they have all survived to this point, they are almost done.
The finish town of Arenberg-Porte-du-Hainaut, the home of the “trouee” section of cobbles, the “trench” was suggestion to be added to the Paris-Roubaix by Jean Stablewski. As a young French boy at the age of 14 following his father’s death in a mine, he took over his job and worked in the mines of Northern France. Upon winning a bicycle in an accordion competition he took up the sport and by the age of 16 he entered his first race. By the age of 21 he became a professional cyclist and rode with Jacques Anquetil and won the French national road championship four times within six years. He later became a member of Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix and helped promote the spring classic and suggested the addition of the “trouee” to the annual race. He died in April 2008, he is remembered “as a miner who worked beneath the road and as a cyclist rode above it” Today a sculpture beside the road on Wallers-Arenberg sits to remember him.
Carbonnade de Boeuf a la Flamande
½ cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
3 lbs beef chuck roast cut into 4 large pieces
1 ½ lbs onion, thinly sliced
5 Tablespoons flour
salt & pepper
1 cup beef broth
1 quart beer
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Bouquet garni
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a heavy skillet melt butter and heat half the oil until hot and add beef slices and brown on all sides. In a flameproof dish heat the other half of oil and add onions and cook until soft and slightly browned, add the flour and place in oven until flour has browned, about 10 minutes. Remove dish, add beer, broth, bouquet garni and nutmeg and bring to a boil on top of stove. Return to oven and let cook uncovered for 2 ½ hours or until the meat is very tender.
Meanwhile cut thick slices from a French baguette and toast until crisp and brown, spread with a thick layer of mustard and set aside.
When meat is cooked, remove the Bouquet Garni and taste for seasoning. Arrange the sliced bread on top and baste lightly with sauce. Return to oven and brown for 5-10 minutes more.
Serve with some nice French beer and….
Bon Appétit!
