Passage du Gois
Causeway on the western Atlantic coast of France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Passage du Gois (French pronunciation: [pasaʒ dy ɡwa]) or Gôa is a causeway between Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island of Noirmoutier, in Vendée, on the Atlantic coast of France. It is 4.125 kilometres (2.6 mi) long[1] and floods twice a day during high tide. A road runs along the causeway.
Every year, a foot race—the Foulées du Gois—is held across it, starting at the onset of low tide, though professional athletes hold off until the water is as high as their shoes.[2]
Tour de France
The Passage du Gois was used in the second stage of the 1999 Tour de France bicycle race, though it proved to be divisive due to a crash caused by the slippery surface. The crash created a six-minute split in the peloton, which ended the hopes of many favourites to win the race, including Alex Zülle, who would eventually finish second overall.[3]
The causeway was used again in the 2011 race, as the starting point of the first stage.[4]
Flooded causeway (island side)
Tide tables
Beacon
Warning notice
Risk of drowning
See also
- The Broomway, a similar causeway to Foulness Island in Essex, England
