Leucate La Franqui

La Franqui is the wide-open Coussoules beach facing the Med — endless sand, the howling Tramontane, and every Easter the Mondial du Vent turns it into a world-champions' arena.

La Franqui doesn't give itself up on the first session. You come in on a little dirt road, walk with your arms full of gear, splash across a puddle — and the Coussoules beach opens up, vast, its back to the village and its face to the open sea. It's a big-air spot. When the Tramontane settles in, it blows harder here than anywhere else around the lagoon: the water goes flat, the runs stretch out, and the wind drowns out everything else. This is a place for self-reliant riders — the Tramontane is an offshore land wind, it pushes you out to sea and forgives no hesitation. When it eases off, the Marin rolls in from the sea, builds steady waves, and La Franqui becomes a wave-riding playground. That split personality — glassy under Tramontane, waves under Marin — is what built its reputation. And every Easter the Mondial du Vent sets up its rigs here: the best in the world come to chase speed records.