Stage 12 - Friday, July 14: Luchon - Carcassonne, 211 km

It's Quatorze Juillet, the French national holiday as the Pyrenees are over and the first big shakeout at the 2006 Tour has shown who are the contenders and who are the pretenders. Hilly from the get-go, look for an early break, then a counterattack on the hills after Pailhes with 90km to go. Be certain that French champ Flo Brard will be looking to show off his Maillot Tricouleur on the way to the beautiful walled city of Carcassonne

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