All the stage information you need, including why it matters, which riders to watch, and who to root for.
Stage 7: Livarot to Fougères, 190.5km; Friday, July 10
Stage 7 might be the most straightforward stage of the Tour de France’s first week. The rolling 190.5km course includes only one categorized climb, the Category 4 Cote de Canapville, and it comes way too early (12.5km into the stage) to do anything more than provide a launch pad for the day’s long breakaway to escape. Expect the sprinters’ teams to control the rest of the day’s proceedings, right up until the finish in Fougères.
What It Means
This weekend brings an uphill finish atop the Mur de Bretagne and a team time trial, followed by a rest day and three days in the Pyrenees, so Stage 7 is the last chance for the Tour’s sprinters to win a stage until late in the Tour’s second week. The day’s intermediate sprint comes in Argentan after only 65.5km, which means green-jersey contenders such as Andre Greipel, John Degenkolb, and Peter Sagan can go for the points there and still have 125km to recover before the final sprint in Fougères. With two important stages over the weekend, the teams of GC contenders will fight with the sprinters’ teams to stay at the front and out of trouble, possibly creating a chaotic finish that could produce a crash or two.
Who Will Win
This is another day for the sprinters where the usual suspects—Mark Cavendish, Greipel, Alexander Kristoff, Sagan, and Degenkolb—will try to win one last stage before the Tour’s GC battle takes center stage.
via Bicycling » Tour de France http://ift.tt/1D4FEXH
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