Lampre-Merida's directeur sportif Philippe Mauduit spoke to letour.com this morning before the start. “Rui Costa still suffers from bruises but he's getting better every day. We hope for the pain to disappear today. But today's stage finale doesn't suit him really, it's for sprinters. The uphill at the end is very short. A punchy sprinter will overcome it. It's a typical finish for Degenkolb, Sagan… Mûr-de-Bretagne will be better for Rui. Our chances in a sprint finish are with [Paris-Nice stage winner] Davide Cimolai. Our best sprinter [Sacha Modolo] has done the Giro. We can't perform in every domain all year long. Davide is fast but we don't have a train to lead him out. However, he's smart, so if circumstances are favorable, he might profit from them. The strength of our squad is that many riders can win a stage.”