So between Châteauneuf-sur-Isère and Alixan not too far from the finish there will be a perfect section for echelons. After they cross the Isère passing through Châteauneuf-sur-Isère there is a little bit of a hill (something like ~1,2km @ 5%, you can see the bump on the profile) and after that all the way to Alixan, for a bit more than 7km they will have perfect crosswinds with various stretches that are very open on the d101 (unless they planted a ton of trees since google did the streetview on that road) and furthermore, the road isn't necessarily super wide either. That should be enough to split it up and after that it will be 11km to the finish. Of course echelons are always very unpredictable (and that's why we love them so much), but if there's a strong break and some nervousness before the finale due to the wind, there might be some tired legs already and I can see it breaking in this part and due to it being not too far from the finish, things might not come back together again and it could be significant.
Considering it took me one glance at the map and 5 minutes of going through google street view to figure this out, I imagine the DS's are aware of this and it will at the very least be very nervous on this section.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram