The only Tour de France finish in Issoire dates back to 1983, when Pierre Le Bigaut rode almost 100km solo to claim the greatest success of his career. Two stage starts have also taken place in the heart of this Tuscany-like region of Auvergne, a characteristic that may have inspired Italian rider Giuseppe Guerini to victory in Le Puy-en-Velay in 2005. The shape of the 2011 Tour was also largely defined by the events that took place on the road between Issoire and Saint-Flour, particularly the formation of a strong breakaway that allowed Thomas Voeckler to begin a second epic spell in yellow and Luis León Sánchez to win his third Tour stage.
- Stage town for the 5th time
- Sub-prefecture of Puy-de-Dôme (63)
- Population: 15,300 (Issoiriens and Issoiriennes), 662,000 in the department of Puy-de-Dôme
