In 2003, the six-times Tour champion endured one of his rare bad days on the climb to the Plateau de Bonascre which is close to Saturday's finish.

On that occasion he lost 19 seconds to Germany's [Images] Jan Ullrich and although he dominated the 1997 champion the next day in Luz Ardiden he suffered terribly in the heat.

The weather forecasts for Saturday predict fierce temperatures again.

"We should be prepared for hot stuff," he admitted.

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Even though the long stage from the coast in Agde includes 150 kilometres of flat, the picture changes radically close to the finish with the beyond category Port de Pailheres, another climb on which the Texan suffered in 2003.

"Pailheres is a very tough climb. It's not the most famous in the Tour but it's very long, very steep and incredibly narrow at the top. And it's also 2,000 metres high," he said.

The finish to Ax-3 Domaines is short but steep and Armstrong, despite wining five stages in the Pyrenees, has never been at his best on a climb that has crowned the unlikely names of Colombian Felix Cardenas in 2001 and Spain's Carlos Sastre two years ago.