Mont des Alouettes is a hill near Les Herbiers

Les Herbiers

Les Herbiers is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...

 in Vendée

Vendée

The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. In the 16th century, no less than seven windmills were built on this hill. Today there are three left, one of which is still running. During the war in the Vendée the movement of the opposing troops were measured from the wind mills. Mont des Alouettes is the finish of the first stage of the 2011 Tour de France

2011 Tour de France

-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...

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