2012 Tour de France: Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde

From a suburb of Toulouse to the Corrèze

Today's long 222.5K stage up through central France from Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde is a transition one taking the riders part of the way from the Pyrénées to the Beauce for Saturday's flat time trial from Bonneval to Chartres. At around the mid-point the riders will pass through Cahors where the intermediate sprint is placed. The course is lumpy particularly the latter part and there are four categorised climbs on the way – a 3rd and three 4ths. There are not enough points left to threaten Thomas Voeckler's hold on the Mountains Jersey.  

I think that a break will be allowed to go all the way today as with a climb just before the finish it isn't ideal for the sprinters, so I can't see any team wanting to do a lot of work to pull back the break. Although the finish would suit Peter Sagan, Liquigas did a lot of work yesterday for no return at all. He might, of course, manage to get into the break... 

Today should pose no worries for Bradley Wiggins but there are always potential dangers. Mark Cavendish was brought down yesterday by some idiot waving a flag, which got caught in his handlebars. Fingers crossed!

François Hollande, the French president, will follow the last part of the stage in race director, Christian Prudhomme's car. Before his election to president, Hollande used to represent one of the constituencies of Corrèze.   


Update: 13.30 BST 
Looks as though my guess has proved wrong. Although a breakaway of 16 has got around 2.30 mins, the peloton is active and unwilling to let them get a big lead.  

Picnic@Montlouis with Isabelle, Aynard et François Hollande?!

Was this François Hollande@Montlouis on Monday?

"Will Greece leave the euro before the end of the picnic?"

On Monday we went to another of the Pique-Niques chez le Vigneron Indépendant. This time with Isabelle and Aynard Clermont-Tonnerre in the vineyards of Montlouis above Saint-Martin-le-Beau overlooking the Cher Valley. We were joined by a Monsieur who bore a considerable resemblance to François Hollande but who probably wasn't as there were no accompanying bodyguards and Aynard and Isabelle had been very relaxed about setting up the picnic. Anyway a potentially profitable new career as a Hollande impersonator may beckon!   

We drank the 2011 Touraine Sauvignon (screwcapped) from the Clos du Porteau, the Chenin Blanc and a 2011 blend of Cabernet Côt and Gamay.    

12.40pm: starting to set up  

The first picnickers arrive 

Louis CT on barbecue duty

Picnic in full flow (above and below)

Antoine CT

Still life - Aynard with corkscrew and bottle 

More views of the picnic (above and below)

'M. François Hollande'?

  

1855: has Hollande's election spooked the shares?

1855's 5-day share movements@9am 

It may be coincidental but the trade price for shares in 1855 has been lower since François Hollande was elected President of France. Previously trading had been largely between 0.06 and 0.07€ a share. Now it oscillates between 0.05 and 0.06€. Volumes traded are also noticeably down but this may be in part due to the large number of French public holidays in May.

Yesterday the share closed down at 0.05 – down 16.67% on the year ie one centime. They opened up at 0.06 but have since slid back to 0.05 admittedly on thin trading. Already a junk bond will the price drop still lower?   

1855's 5–day share movements@10am  

Has Nicolas Sarkozy's defeat removed some of the high level protection that 1855 appeared to enjoy? There are suggestions that Sarkozy may have received illegal funding for his 2007 presidential campaign from the Bettencourts. Might in return 1855 have been treated leniently, despite its truly appalling trading record, as Jean-Pierre Meyer (the husband of Françoise Bettancourt) is a major shareholder in the company?  

Also it is not clear whether 1855 has now become a full-time member of La FEVAD. The ponzi scheme/scam was admitted as a provisional member of Le FEVAD on 31st January 2011. Certainly 1855 is listed as a member on the FEVAD site with no indication that they are on probation. If 1855 is now a full member I understand that La FEVAD will now become La Fédération des Escroqueries Virtuels et Arnaques Diverses and its code of conduct will be declared an official blague.  

  

London storm the day Hollande's plane was hit by lightning

Horniman Museum, Honor Oak etc framed by storm 

Mid-afternoon on Tuesday the day that the plane carrying France's newly sworn-in President François Hollande was struck by lightning, London had its own very black and threatening sky. The actual storm appeared to be less dramatic than the approaching black cloud.    

Little Brownings, SE23 and the Horniman Museum

 Bright greens in the gathering storm 

Looking towards the centre of London 

Daniel Ornon: standing up to the 1855 scam

Daniel Ornon: sales director@Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte 

It was good to meet Daniel Ornon, sales director at Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, at a busy Bordeaux Grands Crus Classés tasting in Somerset House, London today. Ornon is one of the few people at the top of the Bordeaux wine pyramid prepared to speak out against the 1855 scam. He has also been keen to persuade a number of French journalists to write about the 1855 scam 

Should François Hollande win the French presidential election on Sunday will the apparent protection that 1855 appears to enjoy be reduced, given that the Bettancourts are said to have helped to bankroll Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election? Jean-Pierre Meyers, husband of Françoise Bettancourt-Meyers, is a leading shareholder in 1855.    

Daniel Ornon busy pouring@the London tasting