The route
According to the rule books, prologue time trials must be no longer than 8km – which means the opening 19km stage of the 2005 Tour is officially labelled an individual time trial. The fast, flat route against the clock takes the riders – at one minute intervals – from the small coastal town of Fromentine via a bridge (the Pont de Noirmoutier) to the tiny Atlantic island of Ile de Noirmoutier. Once over the bridge, each rider will make his way up the island to the finish at avenue de Padrón in the town of Noirmoutier-en-Ile. The other way to reach the island is via the famed Passage du Gois, a cobbled causeway that can only be passed at low tide. It was on this narrow road, in 1999, that the Swiss rider Alex Zülle got caught up in a crash that cost him over six minutes at the stage finish in Saint Nazaire. It proved to be a significant loss, as Zülle eventually finished in second place, some 7’37” behind Lance Armstrong.

Where to watch
At just 19km, the opening stage of the Tour is likely to be packed with spectators. For security reasons, the bridge onto the island is closed to spectators during the race. The roundabout at La Guérinière (rondpoint de l’Europe) should be a good place to see the riders slowing down for the turn. If you want to brave the finish line, get to the avenue de Padrón early. There’s a giant screen at the nearby Place de l’Etier du Moulin. Don’t forget to have your mosquito spray at the ready, as the blood-sucking beasts love the island’s summer-time combination of water and heat. See plan of finish area

The favourites
Short time trials are the speciality of rouleurs like Jens Voigt (CSC), Bradley McGee (Française des Jeux) and last year’s prologue winner Fabian Cancellera (Fassa Bortolo). But overall contenders such as Armstrong and Ullrich have just as good a chance. The last time the Tour opened with a time trial as opposed to a prologue was in 2000 over 16.5km at Futuroscope. On that day, David Millar (currently serving a ban for EPO use) beat Armstrong by two seconds, with Ullrich back in fourth at 14 seconds. Armstrong will have good memories of the Vendée region, as it was here (at Le Puy de Fou) that he won the prologue time trial on the way to his first Tour de France victory in 1999.

Sight-seeing
The Tour kicks off in the Vendée region for the third time since 1993. The area is characterised by its low, whitewashed houses with their pink, ochre tiled roofs. Along the coastline, there are plenty of beaches – both sandy and rocky.

Plage de l'Anse Rouge on the Ile de Noirmoutier
(c) Communauté de communes de l'Ile de Noirmoutier

First inhabited by monks in the 7th century, the Ile Noirmoutier is 25km long and, at its thinnest, just 500m wide. Nowadays, it’s a prime holiday destination for Parisians, and the population swells during the summer months from just 10,000 to some 80,000. Best known for its potatoes and Fleur de Sel sea salt (see ‘Food & Drink’ box), the island is characterised by its salt marshes, sand dunes and expanses of pine trees. Of the four main villages, Noirmoutier-en-Ile is the biggest and most interesting for tourists. Situated in the north of the island, the town boasts a small, turreted 11th-century castle (Place d'Arme, Tel. 02.51.39.10.42) which now houses a museum of the island’s history. The collection includes archaeological finds, paintings and sea-faring memorabilia. The town’s other museum, the musée de la Construction navale (rue de l'écluse, Tel. 02 51 39 24 00, 10am-7pm), offers visitors the chance to discover the tools and techniques used in building wooden boats. A better bet is the musée des traditions de l'île in the village of la Guérinière (place de l'église, Tel. 02 51 39 41 39, 10am-7pm), which looks at traditional life on the island throughout the last century.

If you’re looking for a cheap souvenir of your stay, try scouring the passage du Gois for unusual seashells. Just make sure you head for the famed causeway at low tide, else you’ll end up wading back through the water – just like participants in les Foulées du Gois, a running race held here every June.

Food & Drink
Known as ‘l’or blanc’ (‘white gold’), Fleur de Sel is the island’s much-prized sea salt which is hand-harvested by traditional methods in the island’s salt marshes. Unlike regular iodized salt, Fleur de Sel has a rich flavour and is usually added to food as a finishing touch. The island’s other gastronomic highlight is the gourmet 'bonnotte' potato, reputed for its sweet, nutty taste. Besides these, you can find typical dishes of the coastal Vendée area, such as l’Huître de Vendée, local oysters with a faint taste of iodine. Seafood fans can also try sole sablaise served with lemon, thon germon, baked white tuna, or barbecued sardines from Saint Gilles Croix de Vie. Any of these goes down very well with one of the local Fiefs Vendéens white wines from Brem sur Mer.

Salt marshes on the Ile de Noirmoutier
(c) Communauté de communes de l'Ile de Noirmoutier

Events
Post-Tour celebrations begin at 20h30 with a concert dubbed « Noirmout’tour » in the centre of Noirmoutier-en-Ile. It’s billed as an evening of music from local groups and singers. Head to the quai Jean Bart and the jetée (pier) Jacobsen at 23h for a firework show, based around the theme of the four seasons. From 23h15, the party raves on with a bal populaire, with music provided by the Generation orchestra. If you’re around on 1st July, you can catch the Bernic Jazz Band and the Garde Champêtre (Village Policeman), a rambling poet-entertainer, wandering the town centre in the afternoon and evening. You can also challenge friends to a cycling competition on home trainers (free of charge) at the Place de la Mairie. Over at the castle, the museum is housing an exhibition (20 June-3 July) of Tour de France photos.

Links and numbers
Ile Noirmoutier: www.ile-noirmoutier.com Tourist Office, rue Gén Passaga, 85330 Noirmoutier-en-Ile, Tel. 02 51 39 12 42
Special number at Mairie for inquries about Tour de France 02 51 35 99 98
Official Noirmoutier Potatoes site: www.labonnottedenoirmoutier.com
La Souderie camp site, 85680 La Gueriniere, Ile de Noirmoutier, Tel. 02 51 39 51 38 www.campingsourderie.com
La Barre des Monts – Fromentine: www.ville-labarredemonts.fr
Tourist office, place de la Gare, 85550 La Barre des Monts, Tel. 02 51 68 5183

Road advice

On the island
The centre of Noirmoutier-en-Ile will be closed to traffic all day Saturday until at least 20h. The Passage du Gois will be closed to motorists all day. It will, however, be accessible (at low tide!) for cyclists and pedestrians from 7h-10h, and again from 19h45. (Low tide is 8h42-21h12).

Access to the island
The bridge will be closed to motorists 9h-20h. Cyclists and pedestrians will be able to access the bridge until 12h. For security reasons, spectators are not allowed on the bridge during the race.

Parking
The car parks at l'Etier du Moulin, la Prée au Duc, and Florent Caillaud will be closed from Tuesday, 28 June (16h) until Saturday, 2 July at midnight. At other parking areas, special facilities have been organised for camper-vans and mobile homes. These include: Parking de la Mairie (l'Herbaudière annex), behind the existing car park (water, electricity, drainage); Parking du château d'eau in Noirmoutier en l'île (water, drainage); Parking du stade à l'Herbaudière (150 places, water, drainage); four areas near the port of Bonhomme in la Guérinière; Parking du Gois; Parking de la pointe de la Fosse in Barbâtre.

Voigt will be going for the stage, while Valverde makes his TDF premiere.