Paris-Nice 2014 Route stage 2: Rambouillet - Saint-Georges-Sur-Baulche

Monday, March 10 – In the 2nd stage the bunch heads from Rambouillet to Saint-Georges-Sur-Baulche. A mostly flat , 205 km ride, with a couple of bumps that shouldn't worry the sprinters. (Slideshow route/profile)

Paris-Nice 2014 stage 2: Rambouillet-Saint Georges Sur Baulche

Stage 2 of this years Paris-Nice sees a 10.45 (CET) start time with the bunch riding out of Rambouillet, just south of San-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Rambouillet is on the edge of the Forest of Rambouillet and is famous for its medieval fortress Château de Rambouillet. The castle used to be a private residence for Louis XVI of France, who liked to go out hunting in the game-rich forest nearby.

Louis was hunted himself when the Bastille was stormed in 1789 and the French Revolution began - he was eventually executed by guillotine.

There should be no major uprising today in what is a mainly flat stage with a few bumps. The riders pedal to the village of Saint-Georges-Sur-Baulche, located in the northern parts of the Burgundy region and inhabited by a little over 3.000 people. The finish line is passed twice, the first time for an intermediate sprint. The comes a local round of 18.5 kilometres, with the route going slightly up in the last 2 kilometres.

Rambouillet hosted the 20th stage in the 2012 Tour de France where Mark Cavendish took the stage win and his then teammate Bradley Wiggins arrived safely before taking his place on the top step of the podium in Paris.

The start of the stage is at 10:45 (CET) and the finish around 15:50.