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Mende
210 km
Friday 16 July
Drôme again and Bourg again with Bourg-de-Péage, also making its début appearance on the map of the Tour de France. Ardèche will then be crossed from east to west with, notably, the main challenge of the day, the Suc de Montivernoux. The Croix Neuve hill climb, the Jalabert Climb, as it has been renamed, will precede the finish on the runway of the Mende airfield.
• Stage town for the first time
• Population: 10,100
• County town of Drôme canton (26)
This 97th edition features another major first-time stage: Bourg-de-Péage, the former “felt-hat” capital. The town has also hosted two stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, including a time-trial, won in 2006 by David Zabriskie, winner of the Tour Prologue in Noirmoutier the previous year. The Tour passed through Bourg last year during the stage from Bourgoin-Jallieu to Aubenas.
• Twice a stage town
• Population: 13,400
• Prefecture of Lozère (48)
Tour supporters will always associate Mende with Laurent Jalabert’s Bastille Day win on the 14th of July 1995. Out of all “Jaja’s” many victories - including four Tour stage wins – this was certainly his finest. His performance in the Causse hill climb earned him his best ever classification in the Tour (4th). Ten years later, the race returned to the Lozère county town for a stage that was won by the Spanish rider Marcos Serrano.
