Stage seven is the longest of this year’s Tour de France, a 231km dart from Fougeres in Brittany to Chartres, 100km south-west of Paris.
It is made for a bunch sprint with only a couple of small climbs on route to setup breakaway opportunities – although the race’s last visit here in 2004 was won in a break.
The most important factor will be the weather; if a crosswind picks up then we could see a burst of speed at the front of the peloton to stretch the pack, and sudden attacks like the one which split the bunch on stage six.
The priority for the general classification contenders like Chris Froome and Richie Porte is to damage limitation; it is stages like these, that look trouble-free, which so often end up producing a surprise.
There is a late left turn in the final 300m so it will be crucial for the sprinters to be in the mix at that moment. There is also a slight uphill drag heading into the line but not enough to put off the sprinters.
All eyes will be on Peter Sagan and Fernando Gaviria as they resume their running battle. It’s two stage wins each so far, with Sagan leading the green jersey standings, but the young Colombian has the chance to land a telling blow.
