This is where they stand today: Roll of honor : Result after stage 12
11 SCHLECK Andy TEAM SAXO BANK 58h 42' 01"
95 HUSHOVD Thor CERVELO TEST TEAM 167 pts
153 CHARTEAU Anthony BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM 107 pts
11 SCHLECK Andy TEAM SAXO BANK 58h 42' 01"
Stage 13 : A sporting perspective : An opportunity waiting to be taken
This is another stage that will enable riders who do not like the mountains to breathe easier. It is intended for fighters, sprinters and those who have not yet won a stage and who are looking at the map telling themselves that there might not be other occasions to put on a show. For afterwards, with Ax 3 Domaines, Bagnères-de-Luchon, Pau, and the Col du Tourmalet pass, all that will remain are the stages in Bordeaux and Paris, and to win on the Champs-Élysées, you have to be very quick. This year, the route is not particularly kind to sprinters.
They start in the beautiful town of Rodez --
• Once a stage town
• Population: 26,400
• Prefecture of Aveyron (12)
In 1984, nothing could top Cyrille Guimard’s Renault-Elf-Gitane team on the routes of the Tour. Pierre-Henri Menthéour triumphed in Rodez and, the previous day, Pascal Poisson won in Blagnac. Prior to that, Pascal Jules had already won a stage and Renault won the team time-trial. The Yellow Jersey was worn by another team member, Vincent Barteau. He was soon to cede the jersey to team leader Laurent Fignon, who went on to win his second Tour de France with outstanding brio.
Rodez is the administrative centre of the Aveyron department and the former capital of the former French province of Rouergue. The history of this two-thousand year old town was for a long time associated with the rivalry between the Counts and Bishops of Rodez. Indeed, a wall divided the town in two. Today, Rodez offers a wide range of discoveries and exceptional visits, starting with the Notre-Dame cathedral. Dominated by its 87-metre high bell tower, it displays in a nutshell the architectural styles of the 13th to 17th centuries, whilst the new stained glass windows created by Stéphane Belzère give it a modern touch. The links between the historical and modern heritage is the guiding line of the tour through Rodez and its urban area: the Fenaille archaeological museum boasts a collection of menhir-like statues that is unique in France in a remarkably restored site; the Denys Puech modern art museum (named after the winner of the Rome Grand Prize for sculpture in 1884) is the hub for modern design in the town. In several years time, Rodez will welcome the Soulages museum, dedicated to the internationally-renowned painter of the same name.
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