Tour of Britain: Stage five preview

Location: Exmouth to Exeter
Distance: 177km

This stage resembles Stage 5 of the 2011 Tour in reverse, when Mark Cavendish eased off in the sprint finish to allow his HTC-Highroad leadout man Mark Renshaw to win the stage as a thank you for all the work the Aussie had done for Cav leading up to the race. The stage winds across Dartmoor and takes in Haytor, which was the scene for a summit finish on Stage 6 last year, before finishing in Exeter where there’s sure to be a huge crowd. Shortly before the finish there’s Stoke Hill, where the sprinters will need to preserve energy if they are to make an effective final dash for the finish line and stage glory.