Distance: 209.5 km
Climbs: 3
Points for the polka dot jersey: 21
Points for the green jersey: 50
Bonus Points: Hourquette d’Ancizan (bonus points: 8, 5 and 2 seconds to the first three riders classified)
Neutralised start: 11:30
Real start: 11:50
Estimated finish: 16:53 – 17:27
Village opening: 8:30
Toulouse
Stage city for the 27th time, prefecture of Haute-Garonne, 466 300 inhabitants (Toulousains)
With its renowned heritage, such as the Saint Sernin Basilica or the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques, the pink city is preparing a bid, focused on its historical centre, to be listed as UNESCO world heritage. The current projects aimed at revitalising the city centre of Toulouse will last until 2020.
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Stage city for the 12th time, sous-prefecture of Hautes-Pyrenees (65), 7 600 inhabitants (Bagnérais), 229 000 inhabitants (Hautes-Pyrenees)
The spa town of Bigorre has seen triumphs by the leading names in cycling, such as Raphaël Geminiani, who won the first stage to come to the town in 1952, or his protégé Jacques Anquetil, eleven years later in 1963. It was also in Bagnères-de-Bigorre that Laurent Fignon set up a dedicated cycling centre.
The piano reached the peak of its art in the heart of the Pyrenees. In June 1997, Pierre Reach was the talk of the town when he had a piano airlifted by helicopter to the summit of the Pic du Midi for a concert at an altitude of 2,800 m. Today, this event has become a renowned international classical music festival.
@ASO