The Tour heads back into the centre of the country almost to where it was two weeks ago as the peloton makes its weary way towards Paris. The profile is almost as rolling as yesterday's, beginning with a third and a fourth category climb inside the first 42 kilometres. The mid-section is fairly flat, but then the final 50 kilometres become much lumpier, although there are no classified climbs in this part.
Today is more suited to the sprinters than yesterday, but with a potentially decisive time trial tomorrow the overall contenders may not want a hard day and so a breakaway might succeed.
Roanne is yet another first time stage town, but Montluçon has been visited five times before. Last time was in 2001 when Belgian Serge Baguet (Lotto) beat Dane Jacob Piil (CSC) in a two-up sprint after the remains of the breakaway was swallowed by the peloton. A similar scenario may well play out this year.
-
'With no Richie, the plans had to change' - James Shaw, EF Education-EasyPost on the Giro d'Italia breakaway hunt after Carapaz withdrawal
EF Education-EasyPost racer taking part in sixth Grand Tour -
'No one is unbeatable' – Giulio Pellizzari moves ahead of Jonas Vingegaard on GC with bonus seconds sprint ahead of Giro d'Italia mountains face-off
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader gains four seconds on heavy favourite Dane at Red Bull Kilometre -
'I was not expecting this after many hard moments' – Without GC pressure, Giulio Ciccone finally achieves childhood dream of pulling on maglia rosa
Italian sprints to bonus seconds in Cosenza to take pink, 10 years on from maiden stage win as neo-pro -
Giro d'Italia abandons – Three more riders out of the race as Grand Tour reaches Italian soil
Tracking all the riders who have crashed out of or otherwise left this year's Giro
