Passage du Gois

The Passage de Gois or Gôa is a natural causeway between Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island of Noirmoutier, in Vendée on the Atlantic coast of France. The causeway is 4.125 kilometres (2.6 mi) long[1] and is flooded twice a day by the high tide. A road runs along the causeway.

The Passage du Gois

Every year, a foot race – the Foulées du Gois – is held across it, starting at the onset of high tide.

Tour de France

The Passage du Gois was used in Stage 2 of the 1999 Tour de France bicycle race. It proved to be decisive 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.

The Passage du Gois was used again in the 2011 race, as the starting point of the first stage.

• 
  Flooded causeway (island side).
• 
  Tide tables
• 
  Beacon
• 
  Warning notice
• 
  Risk of drowning

See also

• Île de Noirmoutier
• The Broomway, a similar causeway to Foulness Island in Essex, England

References

1. "Le Passage de Gois". Beauvoir sur Mer (in French). Mairie de Beauvoir sur Mer. Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2015-07-07.