The stats
•Col de Pailhères (2001m), 15.2 km at 8%
•Ax-3 Domaines (1372m), 9.1 km at 7.3%

The route
After just one day on flatter roads, the peloton heads back into the mountains. The first Pyrenean stage offers a gentle start, rolling out from the attractive coastal town of Agde for an easy opening 90kms through the vineyards of the Languedoc. After passing the old Roman towns of Béziers and Narbonne, the riders take in a series of gentle (3rd and 4th category) climbs leading to the Aude Valley. At Axat, the race hits the Gorges de l’Aude – here at their narrowest, deepest, and most spectacular – before arriving in Mijanes, at the foot of the hors catégorie Port de Pailhères, some 40km from the finish. The real action starts now, as the narrow road zig-zags to the 2001m summit and descends into the spa town of Ax-les-Thermes. All that remains is a 9.1km uphill grind to the finish at the ski station of Ax-3 Domaines.

Just 2kms up the climb of Ax-3 Domaines, there's great views of the town and race

Where to watch
Start: Before the official start is given (at 11h15) on the avenue de Vias (D912), the peloton will ride an 8km parade between Cap d’Agde and the centre of Agde. The Tour Village (where riders sign on) will be situated at the Centre Nautique in the resort of Cap d’Agde.
En route: If you prefer a peaceful day of Tour-watching and sight-seeing, there’s likely to be plenty of roadside slots in the beautiful Languedoc countryside. For atmosphere and action, head straight for one of the day’s two cols. Although parking is not easy on the narrow Col de Pailhères road (see Road Advice), it’s by far the harder of the day’s climbs. The best vantage points are likely to be where the col is at its steepest – and the riders at their slowest. Some 11kms from Mijanes, the gradient elevates to above 10%, cumulating at 12.5% at 12.5kms. The last 1.5kms of the climb level off significantly, so it’s probably better to position yourself before this point. Ax-3 Domaines is most difficult at the beginning, the steepest point reaching 11.6% after just 1.5kms of climbing. If you’ve not staked out a mountainside parking slot the previous night, it’s probably best to walk up from the town to the tactically important opening kilometres of the climb.

Col de Pailhères

The favourites
Summit finishes have become a regular fixture at Ax-3 Domaines in recent years, with stages ending here in 2001 and 2003. Two years ago, yellow jersey Armstrong was still suffering the after effects of dehydration (from the previous day’s time trial at Cap’Découverte) and lost 7 seconds to chief rival Jan Ullrich in the final kilometre. Back in 2001, however, the German lost some 23 seconds to Armstrong. The stage is a likely target for Spanish and in particular Euskatel riders, who will have ample support from an army of orange-clad, Basque flag-waving fans. Spaniard Carlos Sastre (CSC) won here in 2003, celebrating his newborn baby by placing a dummy in his mouth as he crossed the line. In 2001, Colombian rider Felix Cardenas took the honours – although he will not be riding this year.

Sight-seeing
The start town of Agde was a Phoenician, Greek and then a Roman trading port before losing its importance to Sète in the 17th century. Nowadays, it’s an attractive fishing town, characterised by dark, volcanic brickwork. The foundations of the bulky Cathédrale St Etienne date back to Roman times. Agde is perhaps best known for its resort, the Cap d’Agde, some 5km south-east. The most famous of the long beaches are those in the large nudist colony. Not far from here, the 17th century Fort de Brescou dominates a tiny volcanic island, and is accessible by boat from the port.

Today’s route offers plenty of opportunity to explore the medieval fortresses known as Cathar castles. The Cathars were a religious sect that gained popularity in the Languedoc area during the 11th-13th centuries. Rejecting the established Church, Cathars believed purity (through vegetarianism and celibacy) was the only way to escape the inherently Satanic world (Cathar comes from the Greek ‘katharos’, meaning pure). In 1208, the Catholic Church proclaimed the Cathars heretics, and launched a crusade against the sect. It took over a hundred years for the crusaders to triumph, but by 1321, the last Cathars had been ceremoniously burned and Catharism was dead.

Château de Villerouge-Termènes

Several of the spectacular hilltop castles in the Languedoc area are easily accessible from today’s route. The Château de Villerouge-Termènes (KM92, Tel. 04.68.70.09.11, 6€) was the very last to hold out against the crusaders, and today offers audio tours (in French, English and Spanish). There’s also a restaurant (Tel. 04.68.70.06.06) serving medieval food and drink. At Usson-les-Bains (KM176), the Château allegedly served as a hiding place for the ‘Cathar treasure’ – or the Holy Grail, if Dan Brown’s bestselling Da Vinci Code is to be believed. Quillan (KM142) also boasts a ruined hilltop castle. The best of the Cathar castles, however, lie slightly away from the Tour route. Most notable of these are the châteaux at Peyrepertus (Tel. 04.68.45.40.55) and Quéribus (Tel. 04.68.45.03.69), both near Narbonne, and the Château de Montségur (Tel. 05.61.01.06.94), which became the capital of the Cathar Church and another hiding place for its treasure. Note that Montségur will be very difficult to access today, as it lies north on the road from Ax-les-Thermes. Hilltop Rennes-le-Château, just 4km from the feeding zone at Couiza (KM132), is also worth a visit for its views and mysterious parish church (another source of inspiration for the Da Vinci Code). The many codes and symbols inside the church are yet to be fully understood.

Ax-les-Thermes is a spa town whose streets boast a few examples of medieval architecture. You can dip your feet in the small Bassin des Ladres, a stone basin filled by one of the town’s 80 hot water springs. Rich in sulphur and sodium, the water is known for its therapeutic qualities. The basin was built by King Louis IX in 1260 for soldiers returning from the Crusades with leprosy. Just 8km along the D22 from Ax (the road will remain open), at Forge d’Orlu, the Observatoire de la Montagne (Tel. 05.61.03.06.06, 10h-19h) offers guided hikes of the Orlu Nature Reserve, and a museum about mountain life – human, animal, plant and geological. Orlu also houses the Maison des Loups (Tel. 05.61.64.02.66, 10h-19h, 6.10 euros), where visitors can climb observation towers and watch different varieties of wolves in an enclosed forest area.

Heat up your feet in the Bassin des Ladres (c) O.T. Vallées d'Ax

Food & Drink
For most of the day, the Tour passes through the Languedoc-Rousillon region where some 40% of France’s wine is produced. Most of this is cheap, red vin de table, although some of the more notable appellations include Fitou, Corbières, Faugères and Minervois.

Events
A bal populaire (dance with live music) will be organised at Ax-3 Domaines from 19h.

Links and numbers
Agde:Tourist Office, 1, place Molière, 34302 Adge, Tel. 04 67 94 29 68, www.ville-agde.fr
Ax-les-Thermes:Tourist Office, 6 avenue Théophile Delcassé, 09110 Ax-les-Thermes, Tel. 05 61 64 60 60, www.vallees-ax.com
Cap d’Agde: Tourist Office, Rond Point du Bon Accueil, Agde, Tel. 04 67 01 04 04, www.capdagde.com
Orlu: Observatoire de la Montagne, Les Forges d’Orlu, Open 10h-19h, Tel. 05 61 03 06 06, www.observatoire-montagne.com
Orlu: La Maison des Loups, Les Forges d’Orlu, Open, 10h-19h, Tel. 05 61 64 02 66, www.maisondesloups.com
Quillan:Tourist Office, Square André Tricoire, 11500 Quillan, Tel. 04 68 20 07 78, www.ville-quillan.fr


Road advice
NB: All road closure times are approximate and will depend on the amount of traffic.

Aude Valley
From the morning (11am at the latest), the Aude Valley will be closed to traffic as far as the village of Escouloubre. This means the following roads will be closed: the D118 as far as Quillan, the D137 as far as Axat, the D118 as far as Escouloubre. It will be impossible to access Capcir and Cerdagne (Pyrénées-Orientales) via the col de la Quillane.

Col de Pailhères
From Escouloubre, the road (D25) is narrow, and offers few parking places until Ax. The road will probably be closed to traffic during the night, and will not reopen until the Tour has passed.

Arriège Valley and Ax-les-Thermes
Access to the valley will be closed in both directions from about midday around Ax-les-Thermes. Expect big traffic jams before and after the race.

Plateau de Bonsacre
The climb will be closed to traffic early in the morning. To make sure of a parking spot on the climb, turn up the previous night – at the latest.

Carlos Sastre won at Ax-3 Domaines in 2003