Monaco to Nice – Day 21
Monaco
It is the final day of the Tour de France, and due to the Olympics, we will not be heading down the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Instead, we begin the day in the Sovereign Principality of Monaco on the Côte d’Azur, 9 miles from Nice and 5 miles from the Italian border.
This tiny country is just 0.76 square miles. Yes, that is less than one square mile. It is the 2nd smallest country in the world and has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297.
The famous Monte Carlo is a district within Monaco.
This stage is a time trial, so you will see the route multiple times, following each rider as they pedal as fast as possible to the finish.
We begin in Beausoleil, which has become a suburb where the staff for Monaco can afford to live.
The riders go down the Avenue Princesse Grace and up the switchbacks toward La Turbie and the Augustus Trophy or Alps Trophy, a monument built some 2,000 years ago to honor Emperor Augustus.
Nice
While we won’t see vineyards today, the view of the Mediterranean should be spectacular as we head southwest to Nice.
They pass the Col d’Èze, the fortified village that overlooks Nice. This village has been written about by poets. Perched on the mountainside, the village and its cobblestone streets will transport you to another time.
Nietzsche took inspiration from the footpath to the village when he stayed in Nice at the end of his life, and Jean Cocteau once wrote, “There is nowhere else more out of place, more unusual, more suspended in the void…”
The race ends in Nice, at Place Massena, after a trip down and back on the Promenade des Anglais.
If you need inspiration for a wine, might I suggest Champagne? It is what the boys on the podium will be sipping (or being drenched in!)
Enjoy the race and perhaps find some of the wines from these regions to sip while you watch!
What to sip?
If you need inspiration for a wine, might I suggest Champagne?
It is what the boys on the podium will be sipping (or being drenched in!)
Enjoy the race and perhaps find some of the wines from these regions to sip while you watch!
For more information on all of the Stage’s of the “Tour de France”
Wine along the “Tour de France” – 2024
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
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