Rambouillet – Paris Champs-Élysées
Distance: 120km
Highest point: 172m
Category: Flat
Mark Cavendish already holds the record for stage wins on the Champs-Élysées, having chalked up his third consecutive victory on this grandest of avenues last year. He says that he has not got the green jersey in his sights but if he goes all the way to Paris there is simply no way he will back off today, even if the Olympic road race is just a matter of days away. In fact, victory here would give any rider a huge boost before moving on to London. The format is the traditional one: an easy start, a very fast entry onto the finishing circuit and eight very high-speed laps, followed by the most watched sprint of the year.
André Greipel: "Part celebration, part flat-out sprint, it’s the one all the fast guys want. If it’s tight for the green jersey the stakes will be even higher. Hopefully, I’ll slingshot off Greg Henderson’s wheel 150m from the line for the win."
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