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Stage by stage
stage 6 - Suze-la-Rousse 
Sisteron
178.5 km
Friday 9 March
Sisteron
178.5 km
Friday 9 March
En ligne - A sporting perspective
The climbs are evenly spread out over the route of this stage, which visits regions well known to the professional pack. The riders will be able to doff their helmets to the summit of the Mont Ventoux, without having to suffer on its flanks. They will also pass by the Montagne de Lure, before setting eyes upon the citadel in Sisteron. During the later part of the stage, the climb up the Côte des Marquises slope will give the brave an opportunity to try their luck.
Suze-la-Rousse
The Pont du Lez and the château of Suze-la-Rousse© Suze-la-Rousse Town Hall
On 1 January this year, Suze-La Rousse numbered 1,950 inhabitants, making it the largest municipality in the canton. Its main economic activity, viticulture, involves 1,600 hectares of Côtes du Rhône AOC wines, produced and sold in several wineries and a cooperative wine cellar. The famous 12th-century castle overlooking the village and its vineyards, former estate of the Princes of Orange, now houses the University of Wine, a private institution dedicated to viniculture and viticulture. It includes a tasting, documentation and training centre for those seeking a career in wine. The old village of Suze, built on the side of the hill known as the Garenne, is rich in archaeological sites from a wide variety of eras. A land of sun and blue sky, Suze-la-Rousse is always open to visitors in search of the Provençal Drôme thanks to its wide variety of tourist accommodation.
Sisteron
The Citadel© Spie X. Boymond Media Library
Seductive Sisteron, hovering between Mediterranean and Alpine scenery, between the Dauphiné and Provence and birthplace of poet Paul Arène, can claim to benefit from an average rate of sunshine of 300 days per year. It is also a foodie heaven, with highly prized local produce ranging from tender lambs to sweet apples. Firmly rooted in its rich past, symbolised by its 12th-century citadel, complete with dungeon, it has nevertheless kept pace with the times. Caressed by the waters of the Durance, buffeted by the mistral, illuminated by the vibrant light of the Provençal uplands, "this town emanates an astonishing strength, that of eternity on the march, which nothing, not even the end of the world, will stop," wrote novelist and journalist Franz-Olivier Giesbert. Following on from the Tour de France in 2010, Sisteron is delighted to welcome the Paris-Nice.