Stage 11 - Through Occitanie

Albi to Toulouse

An easier ride today for Tony ahead of the mountains of the Pyrenees later in the week. At 167km it is one of the shorter stages that is neither a time trial nor a mountainous stage. There are two categorised climbs, both of which are relatively short and not particularly steep.

Today’s quite interesting facts all relate to the finishing point - the city of Toulouse. 

• It was the birth place of Pierre de Fermat, the proposer of Fermat’s Last Theorem, one of the most famous conjectures in mathematics. He stated that the equation, 𝐚ⁿ+𝐛ⁿ=𝐜ⁿ cannot be satisfied for any three positive integers where n has an integer value of greater than 2. It took 358 years for mathematicians to successfully prove the conjecture. Genuine Stato geekiness!
• Toulouse is also the home of one of the most successful rugby union clubs in Europe – Stade Toulousian more often simply referred to as Toulouse. Winners of the European Champions Cup (previously called the Heineken Cup) 4 times and the French championship a record 20 times, Toulouse is currently the home of the Scottish lock, Richie Gray. Previous home nation players include Rob Andrew, Toby Flood and Gareth Thomas.

Today’s drink of the day – Gaillac Perle – A cheap and cheerful semi sparkling white, made with rare local grape types, this a great aperitif. Hats off to Linda B for the suggestion.

Song for the day – She by Charles Aznavour, no particular reason other than it’s a great song by a great French troubadour!