Last sprint fling til Paris
Usually in a Tour, the sprinters and breakaway specialists can count on contesting at least two and perhaps even three "transition" stages between the Pyrenees and the Alps. This year though, they've got just the one. With the prevailing wind off the Med likely to be pushing them onwards at a blistering pace, the main issue today could be the heat and the cumulative effect of two weeks in the saddle. But the thought that they are on the verge of the second rest day in St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux should give everyone a boost, especially the sprinters.
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