Stage 15: Pamiers to Bagneres-de-Luchon
Into the Pyrenees now and today is the official 100th anniversary of the mountains being a part of the Tour de France. There were some big fireworks on the stage and was rather controversial attack that changed the overall standing. There are unwritten rules between the riders and a respect that is given to the Tour itself and the leader in Yellow. The Maillot Jaune or Yellow Jersey is what the leader of the Tour wears and if you are another rider close in time and something happens to the man in yellow the other rider should slow down and wait. It is the respect of the rider, jersey and the Tour and today that is not what happened. Andy Schleck chain jumped on the climb and Alberto Contador and his teammate at the same time sprang right past him. Alberto is now in yellow and Andy is ticked as well he should be. It was a mechanical problem, but it doesn’t matter. It could be a fan with their purse hanging over the barrier and catching a handlebar or even a dog jumping out, you respect the jersey and the race. I do have to say I have never been a fan of Contador and that goes back to his first Tour win, there was something about him that didn’t sit well with me, and now that is just reconfirmed. So tomorrow the Tour hits the beast of the Pyrenees for the first of two stages and quite frankly, I hope Andy rips it apart and leaves Alberto behind. Now that I got that off my chest, let’s get to the history and food.
The stage starts in Pamiers in the Ariege department of the Midi-Pyrenees region which is the region we will spend the next few days in. The Ariege department is home to some of the most well known foods of France. It is the region of Foie Gras, pates and of course Cassoulet. Lying between two of France’s biggest wine growing regions, Bordeaux and Languedoc, the Midi-Pyrenees produces a variety of good wines as well. The best known are Cahors, Fronton, Gaillac, Madiran, Pacherenc, Saint-Mont and the distinctive eau de vie, Armagnac. Sitting on the east bank of the River Ariege, Pamier’s is on the La Basse Ariege, or the great plains of the River Ariege and known for its lush soil. The “Gateway to the Pyrenees” is the largest town in the department and has not seen the Tour pass through until this year. Originally named after the Visigoth king Theodoric I son Frederic, Fredelacum was given to him in the 5th century, it passed onto his son Antoninus. Antoninus or Antonin converted to Christianity and traveled to Rome where he was ordained and returned to Pamiers to preach and create the Saint Antonin abbey and the Saint Antonin Cathedral was later dedicated to him. He is considered the patron saint of Pamiers and his feast day is celebrated on September 2nd of each year.
The Grotte de Mas-D’Azil is a cave dating back to 9,500 BC and the riders will go right through it. Le Mas d’Azil is a prehistoric town and their museum and town is world famous. It was here in 1887 that Edouard Piette the French archeologist, discovered the evidence of human existence between the Magdalenian period of 30,000BC and Neolithich of 9,500BC. The cave was carved out by the River Ariege beneath the Plantaurel Massif range when the raging waters ate away at the limestone walls to create the large caves.
The town of Saint-Girons is a meeting point of the three rivers, the Baup, the Lez and the Salat and a staple on the Tour de France route. Last year it was a stage finish out of coming out of Andorra and Spain and this year a fast fly by. The Eglise Saint Girons built in 1857 by Auguste Tisne upon the ruins of the 14th century church. Today all that is left is the bell tower that sits on the banks of the River Salat.
The Col du Portet-d’Aspet is the smaller of the two climbs on the stage today; at 3,507 feet it dwarfs in comparison to the Port de Bales at 5,758 feet. But it is the Portet-d’Aspet that has a sadder story for it was on the descent of this climb that Fabio Casartelli would die. A team mate of Lance Armstrong’s and a gold medal holder for Italy in the 1992 Barcelona games. On July 18, 1995 on the Fifteenth stage of the Tour de France Fabio and a few other riders would crash on a turn of the descent. As he fell his head struck a concrete block on the roadside, causing a loss of consciousness. He was flown immediately to a hospital by helicopter but would be pronounced dead in flight after several attempts to revive him failed. His team consumed with grief decided to continue on in the Tour as that is what he would have wanted and in one of the most dramatic moments in the Tour of the most recent years, Lance Armstrong would win the 18th stage in Limoges and as he crossed the line would point up to the sky and dedicate the win to his fallen teammate. Team Motorola and the Societe du Tour de France had a memorial place on the side of the road where the accident happened. It is a stone sundial with Olympic rings etched into it and the dates of his birth and death and the date he won his Olympic Gold medal. Much like the monument to Tom Simpson on Mont Ventoux it is a spot all cyclists stop and take a moment when they pass by.
The climb of the Port de Bales and its 5,758 feet will be the final nail in the day and also the site of the controversy that would be soon to come. The climb has only been used one other time in the Tour de France, in 2007 and most of the year is covered in snow and impassible. Luckily for us there is no snow, just a steep slow incline of almost 12 miles and a 6.3% to 11% grade. Once they reach the top the decent is 12 miles and will be a fast trip into the finish of Bagneres-de-Luchon.
The finish town of Bagneres-de-Luchon is known as the “Queen of the Pyrenees” and sometimes just goes by Luchon. The site of France’s fourth largest spa and of more than forty-five thermal springs first discovered by the Pompey army in Roman times the Luchon thermal waters would be well known until the fell in disrepair after many invasions. In 1759 Baron Antoine Megret d’Etigny, Intendant of Bearn, Gascony and Navarre decided to revive the waters and the town by building roads and inviting the influential aristocrats of France. The nephew of the infamous Cardinal Richelieu, the Duke of Richelieu liked it so much he would return time and time again and enjoyed collecting the Roman artifices that were all over the ground. He returned to Versailles and sings the praises of Luchon and its waters. Before long everybody in Europe made a trip to see it for themselves. But it was 100 years ago to the day that the Tour de France made its first venture into the Pyrenees and finished in the same town the riders do today. I will get into the history of that more this week as the Tour reaches the Col du Tourmelet.
With the Pyrenees being so close to the Basque region and Spain the cuisine it is seen in a lot of the cuisine. A fantastic make anytime dish is Piperade Basquaise, a slow cooked dish of peppers, onions and tomatoes that is perfect on scrambled eggs, a la Julia Child or chicken, fish and pork. I served it over pork medallions and is fantastic.
Piperade Basquaise
6 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
2 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
1 medium bay leaf
2 medium red bell peppers, cleaned and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
2 medium green bell peppers, cleaned and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
2 teaspoons piment d’Espelette (or paprika or cayenne pepper)
Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a medium bowl halfway with ice and water. Using the tip of a knife, remove the stem and cut a shallow X-shape into the bottom of each tomato. Place tomatoes in boiling water and blanch until the skin just starts to pucker and loosen, about 10 seconds. Drain tomatoes and immediately immerse them in ice water bath. Using a small knife, peel loosened skin and cut each tomato in half. With a small spoon, scrape out any seeds and core and coarsely chop the remaining flesh. Set aside.
Return pan to heat, add 2 teaspoons oil, and, once heated, add garlic and onion. Cook, stirring rarely, until soft and beginning to color, about 8 minutes Stir in herbs and pepper slices and season well with salt. Cover and cook, stirring rarely, until peppers are slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in diced tomatoes and piment d’Espelette (or paprika or cayenne pepper) and season well with salt. Cook uncovered until mixture melds together and juices have slightly thickened. Vegetables should be soft but not browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be saved in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Bon Appétit!
