ThePassage du Gois (French pronunciation:[pasaʒdyɡwa]) orGôa is acauseway betweenBeauvoir-sur-Mer and the island ofNoirmoutier, inVendée on the Atlantic coast of France. The causeway is 4.125 kilometres (2.6 mi) long[1] and is flooded twice a day by thehigh tide. A road runs along the causeway.
Every year, a foot race – theFoulées du Gois – is held across it, starting at the onset of high tide.[2]
The Passage du Gois was used in Stage 2 of the1999 Tour de France bicycle race. It proved to be divisive due to a crash caused by the slippery surface. The crash created a six-minute split in thepeloton which ended the hopes of many favourites to win the race, includingAlex Zülle, who would eventually finish second overall.[3]
The Passage du Gois was used again in the2011 race, as the starting point of the first stage.[4]
46°55′51″N2°07′34″W / 46.93083°N 2.12611°W /46.93083; -2.12611