Le Passage de Gois ou Gôa is a natural, periodically flooded passage leading to the island of Noirmoutier in France. It is located between Île de Noirmoutier

Île de Noirmoutier

The island of Noirmoutier is off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department.Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France prologue....

 and Beauvoir-sur-Mer

Beauvoir-sur-Mer

Beauvoir-sur-Mer is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...

, in the department of 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:...

. It is flooded twice a day by the high tide.

Every year, a foot race – the Foulées du Gois

Foulées du Gois

The Foulées du Gois is an international road running race held annually on the Passage du Gois, a tidal causeway between Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the Île de Noirmoutier, France. The professional race, held over the submerged causeway, is from one end of the causeway to the other, a distance of...

– is held across it, starting at the onset of the high tide.

Tour de France

In 1999 Passage du Gois was used by Tour de France

1999 Tour de France

The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 1999. It was won by Lance Armstrong, his first of 7 consecutive wins, the most in Tour history. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France.The 1999 edition of Tour de...

 bicycle race during Stage 2. It proved to be decisive for the race after a fall took place because of its slippery surface. The crash created a six minute split in the peloton which ended the hopes of many favourites to win the race, like Alex Zülle

Alex Zülle

Alex Zülle is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer. During the 1990s he was one of the best cyclists in the world, winning the Vuelta a España twice and taking the second place in 1999 Tour de France. He was world time-trial champion in Lugano in 1996.-Early career:Zülle was born and...

, who would eventually finish second overall, seven minutes after Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong

Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...

.

Passage du Gois was used again in 2011

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...

 as the starting point of the first stage.

See also

• Île de Noirmoutier
  Île de Noirmoutier
  The island of Noirmoutier is off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department.Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France prologue....