Stage 14: Montélimar to Gap (180.5km)

Since Gap was part of the Cranks' 2003 Trek Travel Tour de France adventure, I'll share this report from VeloNews, which remains my favorite source of online cycling news:

Course: With a rest day coming up in Gap, followed by the Alps, this gives the lesser known riders one of their last chances of glory. The intricate 180.5km stage through hilly terrain north of Mont Ventoux offers two Cat. 3 climbs in the first half and two Cat. 2s in the second half. The narrow back roads and constant ups-and-downs will make it a hard stage for everyone and encourage breakaways. The last of the climbs, the Sentinelle, is less than 10km from the finish and offers a great chance for a solo rider to stay clear of a small breakaway group.

History: Gap has seen the finish of 18 stages of the Tour, the latest being in 2003 when Alexander Vinokourov scored a solo win after breaking clear on the final climb and descent. Gap is also where Joseba Beloki suffered his horrendous crash and Lance Armstrong had his "cyclo-cross" adventure. On a 1991 stage, Greg LeMond tried to take a morale-boosting win in a Tour he was losing to Miguel Induráin, but was outsmarted in the two-man sprint by Italian Marco Lietti.

Favorites: This is another unpredictable stage that favors long-distance breakaways that don't contain GC contenders. However, those who have lost a chance at the podium in the Pyrénées could be involved -- maybe that will be someone like Christophe Moreau (AG2R). Otherwise, look for an enterprising rider like David Moncoutié (Cofidis) or Axel Merckx (Phonak) to succeed with a late solo move.