The focus of this stage will be the legendary Col d'Aubisque, which represents the final hors categorie climb of the Tour - the mountains aren't finished yet, but Aubisque represents the end of some 'extreme' climbing for riders. Armstrong took the yellow jersey on the back of this climb in 2002 - this occurred earlier in the race, and he went on to dominate the remainder of the Tour after hitting his competition hard in these opening mountain exchanges. In 2005 the situation may well be different, or we could find Armstrong placing a stranglehold on the overall lead leading to a seventh victory - who knows? Either way it's going to be a fight amongst the main GC contenders with a couple of strongmen thrown in; the German has been quiet since his early season success and is primed for a strong Tour performance.
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Teammate Ivan Roméo also given card at Volta a Valenciana for pushing Gianni Vermeersch off road -
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Peter Stetina goes back-to-back in extended Boulder Cobbler -
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Event founded in 1971 and revived in 2023 and 2024 lost €25,000 per edition -
Best energy gels for cycling: Quick hits of carbohydrates for all your athletic endeavours
The best energy gels for cycling can boost your rides, races and workouts
