|
Event Information:
The
Cote D'Azur Ironman triathlon swim
follows the rich tradition long
distance racing here in Nice. The
bike course for the Ironman France
is scenic, hilly and arguably one of
the greatest Ironman challenges. The
four laps of the marathon will most
likely quickly drown out the pain of
the bike leg, the scenery beach side
casting a spell on many competitors.
Then there are the sights, sounds
and tourism of the famed seafront.
The finish, with its expected huge
crowds will be located at the
Promenade des Anglais (avenue de
Verdun) opposite the Hotel Meridien.
The
Côte d'Azur, often known in English
as the French Riviera (French: Côte
d'Azur; Occitan: Còsta d'Azur; that
is “Azure Coast”), is the
Mediterranean coastline of the
southeast corner of France, also
including the sovereign state of
Monaco. There is no official
boundary, but it is usually
considered to extend from either
Menton or the Italian border in the
east to Saint Tropez, Hyères or
Cassis in the west.
This coastline was one of the first
modern resort areas. It began as a
winter health resort for the British
upper class at the end of the 18th
century. With the arrival of the
railway in the mid-19th century, it
became the playground and vacation
spot of British, Russian, and other
aristocrats, such as Queen Victoria
and King Edward VII, when he was
Prince of Wales. In the summer, it
also played home to many members of
the Rothschild family. In the first
half of the 20th century it was
frequented by artists and writers,
including Pablo Picasso, Henri
Matisse, Edith Wharton, Somerset
Maugham and Aldous Huxley, as well
as wealthy Americans and Europeans.
After World War II it became a
popular tourist destination and
convention site. Many celebrities,
such as Elton John and Brigitte
Bardot, have homes in the region.
Officially, the Côte d'Azur is home
to 163 nationalities with 83,962
foreign residents, although
estimates of the number of
non-French nationals living in the
area are often much higher. Its
largest city is Nice, which has a
population of 347,060 (2006) The
city is the center of a communauté
urbaine , Nice-Côte d'Azur, bringing
together 24 communes and over
500,000 inhabitants and 933 080 in
the urban area.
Local
Weather:
|
