Stage 13 of the 2008 Tour de France, the second of three straight transitional stages between the high mountains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, will take the quickly shrinking peloton along a coastal route of southeastern France.

The day’s journey on Friday, July 18 will be 182 kilometers (113 miles) from Narbonne to Nimes, both nearly 2,000-year old Roman cities on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea.

With the voluntary departure of the Spanish team Saunier-Duval Scott from the race and after the positive EPO test of two-time stage winner Ricardo Ricci, the peloton has been reduced to 158 from the starting field of 180 on July 5 in Brest.

Race leader Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) of Australia and six others are all within two minutes and barring catastrophe the top of the overall standings will remain the same after the 13th stage.

Like the 12th stage, the 13th stage
will be held in warm weather and changing winds can cause difficulty in the peloton. The route has three mid-stage category 4 climbs, the last about 80 miles into the stage.

The concluding 15 miles will be contested on wide, flat roads on a straight route into the center of Nimes. And just like stage 12, a breakaway could form and a solo rider or a small group could stay away until finish. Then again, the main field could arrive together for a mass finishing sprint.

A Tour stage has finished in Nimes on 15 occasions, the last time in 2004. On a scorching (and longer) stage, Aitor Gonzalez of Spain bolted ahead of a small breakaway group in the waning kilometers to claim the stage.

Despite its long association with to the Tour de France, Nimes is more well-known for its Roman history and for its textile mills where denim was first manufactured in the 19th century. There are plenty ruins around town. As for the denim, it was first exported the southern regions of the United States and used to clothe slaves.