Departing west along the seafront from Monaco, the first peloton stage of the 2009 Tour encounters a handful of lower categorized climbs and sprint points over rugged coastal terrain en route to a flat/downhill finish in Brignoles. Look for Thomas Voeckler-like riders on French teams to work their way into a breakaway in an effort to build an early (if not realistic) hold on the polka-dot climbers jersey. The race leader from Stage 1 will likely have an easy day—with a flat, 8-mile straightaway run-in to Brignoles, this stage is one for the sprinters’ teams. It’s a finish well-suited for Cervelo’s Thor Hushovd, but don’t expect Columbia’s Mark Cavendish to sit around and wait for his first Tour victory of 2009.

Note: Stage route, exact start/finish, and sprints/climbs have been approximated from information provided by LeTour.com. Actual stage may vary slightly.