After the Marne, the Olympic flame will head to Hauts-de-France. This Tuesday, July 2, the North and its prefecture Lille will host the 46th stage. There will be 112 people carrying the flame during the day.
It will start at Avesnes-sur-Helpea small town of 4,200 inhabitants with a departure at 8:25 a.m. from the community of communes of the heart of Avesnois. The flame will pass in front of the town hall then the collegiate church of Saint-Nicolas, a church dating from the 12th century to arrive at the Place de la Rotonde at 8:45 a.m.
Ensuite, direction Dunkirk for a big stage from 9:15 to 10:17. The start will be from Place du Centenaire, then the flame will cross the Lucien Lefol and Bataille du Texel bridges, then pass in front of the Naval and Commercial basins. It will end its Dunkirk route at Place Jean Bart, the Belfry and the Saint-Éloi Church and finally the Belfry of the town hall. In 2005, the Belfry of the town hall of Dunkirk was admitted to UNESCO’s world heritage list among the Belfries of Belgium and France.
Then the flame will move towards Wallers to take part of the Paris-Roubaix cycling route with a departure from the famous Trouée d’Arenberg at 10:55 a.m. for an arrival at 11:20 a.m. at the Arenberg mining site, Porte du Hainaut. It will then make a stop in Cambrai from 11:36 a.m. to 11:56 a.m. The departure will be from Place du Saint-Sepulcre in front of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Cathedral, then the flame will pass through Place Aristide-Briand and the Town Hall. The arrival will be at Paul Duez College.
The route continues between Tourcoing (departure at 2:10 p.m.) and Roubaix (arrival 2:30 p.m.). The flame will leave from the Saint-Christophe church, Place de la République. Then, it will pass in front of the Tourcoing and Roubaix train stations, the École supérieure des arts et industries textiles, and the Roubaix town hall. The finish will take place at the André-Pétrieux velodrome, also called the Roubaix velodrome. It serves as the finish line for the legendary Paris-Roubaix every year.
The flame will then be at DouaiIt will leave at 4:56 p.m. from the Étienne Maillard sports hall, that of the Douai fencing circle, then pass by the Pont de la Massue, the Belfry of Douai, a symbolic monument of the city, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre to arrive at 5:36 p.m. at the Place d’Armes, the central square of Douai, the heart of the city of Gayant.
The day of the flame will end in apotheosis with a crossing of Lille from 6:19 p.m. The route will take in the European metropolis of Lille, the Hôtel du Département du Nord, the Lille Europe and Lille Flandres train stations, Place François-Mitterrand, the Opera, the Grand-Place, the city’s historic and main square, a must-see for the people of Lille, ending at the Esplanade du Champs de Mars. This is where the lighting of the cauldron will take place at 7:30 p.m.
In the city center, the torchbearers of the collective relay of the French Handball Federation will carry the flame. A symbolic choice since Lille will host the final stages of the discipline. The captain of this collective relay will be Benjamin Brun, wheelchair handball player and coach. Entertainment is planned from 3:30 p.m. on the Esplanade du Champs de Mars.
