Stage


This stage preview is available in the following languages:

(We are looking for translations in ALL other languages. Please submit your translation with the stage no. and language in the subject title. If you don't see your preview posted within 12 hours then please resend your preview as an attachment if you didn't already do so because we've had problems with some inline character sets like German.)



Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.
July 11 post: Stage 11 starts in Blaye-les-Mines where, as the name suggests and like yesterday's finish in nearby Carmaux, is an old mining town. Just 3,000 people live there now so the Tour visit should be a real boost to this tradition community.

The course is shaped like a 'S' passing through the rolling, farmland hills of the Tarn department just northeast of Toulouse and includes two minor categorized along the way. The course profile ending with a straight, wide flat finish in Lavaur shapes up well for a mass sprint. However, 10 years ago, the last time the Tour finished in Laveur, a break succeeded won by Belgian rouleur Rik Verbrugghe.

As race director Jean-François Pescheux points out, "after this stage the sprinters will not have a lot of chances left to show off their skills. They will have just two stages left on which to shine: in Montpellier and then in Paris with the finish on the Champs-Élysées." — Steve