The race enters France, and it does so with a stage that can turn out to be one of the most exciting of this edition. The first 165km or so are what you can expect from a first week tour stage: helicopter shots of rolling fields, passing picturesque hamlets, a break of the day,... But this stage has got a sting in the tail, a very nasty sting. The finishline itself isn't the most difficult of this year's tour, but there are 5 categorised climbs in the last 35km and a 6th one (actually first one) that comes with 65 km to go.
Km 132.0 - Côte de L'Éperche, 0.7 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% - category 4
Km 163.5 - Côte de Mont Violette, 1 kilometre-long climb at 9.2% - category 3
Km 181.0 - Côte de Herquelingue, 1.7 kilometre-long climb at 5.8% - category 4
Km 185.0 - Côte de Quéhen, 1.4 kilometre-long climb at 5.9% - category 4
Km 190.5 - Côte du Mont Lambert, 1.3 kilometre-long climb at 8.4% - category 3
Km 197.0 - Boulogne-sur-Mer, 0.7 kilometre-long climb at 7.4% - category 4
Furthermore the narrow, twisty roads in the final, the predicted rain and southwestern crosswinds can turn this so-called flat stage into a carboncopy of one of the spring classics. Both the puncheurs and the favourites for the GC have to be very attentive, the former because this will be one of the very few occasions they get for eternal glory during this tour, the latter because any second can count.
The very same roads have been the setting for the french road championships last year, where Sylvain Chavanel destroyed all competition. A few years earlier Chavanel also won the 4 jours de Dunkerque en route to Boulogne. Will he prevail once again, or will the likes of Alejandro Valverde, Philippe Gilbert or Peter Sagan snatch the stage victory?
Can riders like Evans or Nibali take a bit of time on Wiggins, can Menchov hold his own in a hectic final, will Cancellara retain the yellow jersey?
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