Friday, March 11th, 2005 Stage 5 - Rognes > Toulon (Mont-Faron) - 172,5 km           Rognes and the Pays d'Aix Le Pays d'Aix groups 34 communes at the foot of the famous mount Sainte-Victoire. In the heart of the Pays d'Aix, le village of Rognes has its roots in the Middle Ages. The village's total area is 5,832 hectares for 4,255 inhabitants who are called Rognens (the ladies are called Rognenques). In 2003, the Community of the Pays d'Aix (CPA) inaugurated an ambitious community sports policy, notably through its creation of an organisation to support high-level sports activities and CPA "branded" events. Development of this policy includes the creation of adapted infrastructures staffed with competent human resources to ensure the proper functioning of their operations, which involve notably the management of the swimming pools of the Pays d'Aix. www.agglo-paysdaix.fr     Toulon (Mont-Faron) Overlooking the Mediterranean and Europe's most beautiful bay, with the 584 meters of Mont-Faron looming above, Mother Nature has endowed Toulon with splendid landscapes indeed, making it one of the most breathtaking sites in Provence. The city has taken a forward-looking approach to the respect and preservation of its past and heritage, whilst its citizens pursue their everyday passions unhindered. These include rugby, of course, but football too, along with most sports, since the capital of Var numbers some 40,000 people of all ages practicing nearly every sport imaginable. The Residents of the town will soon be able to enjoy one of the region's most beautiful and well-equipped sports facilities. Toulon and Le Faron together are a stopover must - and a highly appreciated one at that - for the many amateurs of the Paris-Nice race, and this loyalty is repaid many times over by one of the most magnificent stages of the grand classic of the Petite Reine. www.toulon.com   Map of the stage The route P Sunday, March 6th 4 km    Issy-les-Moulineaux 1 Monday, March 7th 186,5 km    Etampes > Chabris 2 Tuesday, March 8th 46,5 km    La Châtre (Aigueperse) > Thiers 3 Wednesday, March 9th 117,5 km    Thiers > Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (Craponne-sur-Arzon) 4 Thursday, March 10th 101 km    Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (Saint-Peray) > Montélimar 5 Friday, March 11th 172,5 km    Rognes > Toulon (Mont-Faron) 6 Saturday, March 12th 184 km    La Crau > Cannes 7 Sunday, March 13th 135 km    Nice > Nice  Total 947 km      Profile of Mont-Faron