After two difficult days geared towards the general classification favourites, the sprinters will get their penultimate chance at a Stage victory before the final day in Paris, in a week and a half’s time.
Stage 14 of the Tour de France starts from the town of Montélimar and will travel 208.5 kilometres along lumpy roads to the finishing point where we can expect a sprint finish in Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux.
Immediately after starting the stage, the riders set themselves up for the first climb of the day, the Cote-de-Puy-Saint-Martin. The category four climb is crested after 20 kilometres.
The next 60 kilometres are relatively flat – welcome relief for the peloton – however, the middle of the stage is extremely lumpy, and could result in the pure sprinters struggling to stay in touch.
At the 90 kilometres mark, a fourth category climb crests the Côte du Four-à-Chaux. Immediately following this is a short descent before tackling the final categorised climb of the day, another fourth category climb of the Côte d’Hauterives.
The next 30 kilometres are up and down, before the riders start the flatter roads that lead into the finish after the intermediate sprint point at 63 kilometres to go in the town of La Fayette.
With only two corners in the final ten kilometres, the last of them being at just over 3 kilometres to go, the riders should have a fairly straightforward run into the finish, compared to some of the technical approaches early in the Tour.
Don’t count out the breakaway taking this one, because the lumpy nature of the stage, and the fact that Stage 15 tomorrow is a brute.
Can Mark Cavendish make it four wins? With three stage wins already in the 2016 Tour, Cavendish will be looking to attain his 30th stage win at the Tour in his career.
It’s been an incredible turn around in form for the Brit, who has been well supported in the sprints by his team. However, with key lead-out man Mark Renshaw out of the race due to illness, the Manx Missle won’t have it all his own way.
Marcel Kittel will be looking for his second stage of the race after winning the uphill finish on Stage 4 into Limoges, while Lotto-Soudal’s Andee Griepel will be looking to open his account for this year’s Tour. Of course, Peter Sagan will be doing his bit to retain the Green Jersey.
Other riders to watch include Dylan Groenwegen (Lotto-NL Jumbo), Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin), Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) and Michael Matthews (Orica Bike-Exchange).
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