Entertaining transition stage lies ahead on the third Sunday

The second week ends with a stage that starts in Muret. This small town in the Occitanie region is the place where Antoon van Schendel died. He was a professional cyclist - just like his younger brother Albert - from 1934 to 1943. Both were born in the Netherlands but moved with their parents to the Toulouse region at a young age. Their parents started a farm there. Antoon won two Tour stages and was for many years a teammate of Theo Middelkamp, the first Dutchman ever to win a stage in the Tour de France (1936) and who also claimed the first Dutch world title (1947).

In the past, Muret was a starting place in the Tour twice before. The finish location of Carcassonne has a longer history with the Tour. It was passed as early as 1947. The last time it served as a finish was in 2022. On a scorching hot day (with temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius), Jasper Philipsen won. A year earlier, history was also made in Carcassonne: Mark Cavendish equaled Eddy Merckx's record number of stage victories (34).

The city itself needs little explanation for most people. After Paris, Versailles, and Mont-Saint-Michel, Carcassonne is France's largest tourist attraction. This is because it is one of the best-preserved fortified cities in Europe. The inner city has been completely restored and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. You might also know Carcassonne as a board game. The medieval city of the same name was also the inspiration for the popular strategy game, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. With numerous expansion sets and their relative simplicity, the game variations are endless.

This also applies to the 170-kilometer stage itself. Between Muret and Carcassonne lies a true transition stage, and thus the attackers will be standing eagerly at the start. In the early phase, there are a number of short hills where escapees can make a difference. The day before the rest day, the peloton will probably be fine with that. We therefore predict a sizable early breakaway with the necessary tactical games. In the second half of the stage, the attackers will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff, as two longer climbs await.

The Pas du Sant is particularly suited for this. This climb is 'only' 3.2 kilometers long, but has an average gradient of 8.8%. At the top, the riders must climb another 3.8 kilometers to the Col de Fontbruno. However, this is a much easier climb at 'only' 3.8%. Once at the top, it's still 42 kilometers to the finish, of which more than thirty are downhill. In the final kilometers, the riders cross the Aude river and ride along the Canal du Midi. There too, attackers have the advantage, as you are quickly and often out of sight of pursuers.

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Muret(Haute-Garonne)