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  Stage 19: Friday, July 31 - 150 miles Posted: Friday, July 10, 1998 Friday July 31 - Another trip into the unknown as two towns unfamiliar to the Tour are hosts for the 242-km stage. La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland sends off the race towards the Burgundy wine country and its destination, Autun.
In a high altitude valley of the Jura, nearly 1000 meters (over 3200 feet), the Chaux de Fonds (40,000 inhabitants) is at the same time the cradle and the capital of the clock manufacturing industry. It is also one of the great agricultural centers of Switzerland.
Built against the wooded hills that dominate the valley of Arroux, Autun is one of the jewels of the Gaelic- Roman civilization. Numerous vestiges of a prestigious past have been well preserved. The military college (17th century) counted the young Bonaparte among its students.
Some information provided by Societe du Tour de France, 1998 | |||
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La-Chaux-De-Fonds 
Autun