The Tour de France marks its 100th edition with its first visit to the Isle of Beauty. The Grand Départ is held in Porto-Vecchio, where the ferry Mega Smeralda spends a week moored as the floating HQ of the Tour. Stage 1 takes the peloton towards Bastia. A bunch sprint appears to be on the cards, but a team bus manages to wedge itself under the finish line gantry as the riders are barrelling towards the finish. A frantic search for a solution begins…
In This Story: France
France is a republic and the largest Western European nation. Through expansion and colonisation in the 17th and 18th centuries France became a great power and still retains territories around the world. It has a seat on the UN security council and is the world’s fourth most wealthy country with a high standard of living and strong cultural identity.