Today in the Tour de France

Britain's Chris Froome maintained his grip on the Tour de France yellow jersey as Rafal Majka claimed stage 11. Team Sky's Froome finished the 188km route from Pau to Cauterets alongside most of his rivals and leads Tejay van Garderen by two minutes and 52 seconds

© Ville de Pau

The race kicked off from Pau, known as the gateway to the Pyrenees and the city of King Henry the 4th has hosted the race in on 66 occasions which puts it just behind Paris and Bordeaux of the most visited towns of the Tour.

© Ville de Cauterets - Vallée de Saint-Savin

The race ended at Cauterets - Vallée de Saint-Savin. The mountain resort also famous for skiing is developed around its thermal baths that attracted authors such as George Sand, Chateaubriand or Victor Hugoduring during the XIXth century . But cycling enthusiasts mainly remember that on the day of the only visit of the Tour in Cauterets, the event had been struck by one of the most terrible moments of its history. In 1995, after suffering a severe crash on a descent, Olympic Champion Fabio Casartelli passed away just after reaching the Col de Portet-d'Aspet.

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