It's a stage of two distinct halves. Ignoring the early climb of the Cote de St Sarraille, a 9km inconvenience which rises straight out of Mazamet, the first 12km are flat and dusty. The second part of the stage begins with the hors-category climb to the Port de Pailheres, a 2,001 metre brute.
The descent leads to a gently sloping valley road dropping to the foot of the Plateau de Beille climb at Les Cabannes. From here on in, it's every man for himself. It will be a big surprise if the war for the yellow jersey didn't spill over into the battle for the stage win.
CW STAGE RATING
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Scenery: 8/10
Difficulty: 9/10
Impact on overall: 10/10
ROUTE DETAILS
Km, Location, ETA, Feature
0, MAZAMET, 11:40, START
9, Cote de Saint Sarraille, 12:10, Climb cat 2
46.5, Carcassonne, 12:55, Sprint
91.5, Campagne sur Aude, 13:55, Sprint
94, Quillan, 13:59, Feed zone
146.5, Port de Pailheres, 15:32, Climb hors-category
164.5, Ax les Thermes, 15:50, Town
197, PLATEAU DE BEILLE, 16:56, FINISH
TOUR DE FRANCE 2007: GUIDE
Route guide
Complete start list
Guide to all 21 teams
Tour 2007 videos
ITV and Eurosport Tour TV listings
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