The Cité de Carcassonne, which attracts more than 500,000 people every year on 14 July, coincided with the Tour’s visit in 2006 and Yaroslav Popovych's victory. Among the other riders who have set Carcassonne alight was Jean Stablinski, who won here in 1962 in a season that saw him take a stage victory at the Vuelta a España, in which he finished sixth overall, the second of his four French national titles and, to cap it all, the world championship crown. Last July, Mark Cavendish took his 34th victory, that success bringing him level with Eddy Merckx in the number of stage wins.
- Stage town for the 12th time
- Prefecture of Aude (11)
- Population: 47,500 (Carcassonnais and Carcassonnaises), 116,000 in the 83 communes comprising the Greater Carcassonne municipality, 373,000 in the department
